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Biomedical subjects

M M Baltes

Publications and source records attributed to M M Baltes.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

The dependency-support script in institutions: generalization to community settings.

This study tested the generalizability of the dependency-support script, a behavioral system describing and explaining dependent behaviors of the institutionalized elderly. A comparative study with 22 community-dwelling elderly was conducted, which identified typical interaction patterns between the elderly and family members or home health nurses. The dominant interaction pattern in the community setting, too, was the dependency-support script. In addition, however, a significant social response to independent self-care behavior was observed, which created a highly ambivalent response contingency. Independent behaviors were followed about twice as often by an incongruent (dependence-supportive) than by a congruent (independence-supportive) response. Expectations of incompetence and of the helping role are offered as explanations.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1992

Testing for limits of cognitive reserve capacity: a promising strategy for early diagnosis of dementia?

Examination of the range and limits of cognitive reserve capacity (plasticity) by means of cognitive training is proffered as a promising diagnostic strategy for the early (premorbid) identification of dementia, particularly Alzheimer's disease, in nonclinical populations. First data are presented from a sample of elderly independent-living people classified as healthy or at risk (beginning dementia) on the basis of a standardized psychiatric interview. Randomly assigned groups participated in a cognitive training program based on figural relations, a component of fluid intelligence. Stepwise regression analyses demonstrated that only healthy elderly profited from training and that only post-training scores predicted the psychiatric "at risk" diagnosis. The results hold promise for further development of testing-the-limits of individual differences in cognitive reserve capacity to identify premorbid states of dementia in nonclinical samples.

Aged↗
PubMed1976

Health care from a behavioral-ecological viewpoint.

While the intended thrust of this paper has been to elicidate the tremendous potential of the behavioral-ecological perspective for health care research and application, the intent has not been to underplay the important role of the biological sciences in the same venture. However, it is my contention that a behavioral-ecological approach to the study of health care has been widely neglected in health care functions and research. In terms of conventional research designs and terminology, the behavioral-ecological research implications can be summarized as follows: a behavioral-ecological perspective of health care research suggests research that is experimental rather than correlational-descriptive; that focuses, because of its naturalistic thrust, on external validity more than internal validity; that incorporates as independent design variables the environmental context in which health behaviors occur; and that allows single-subject as well as multiple-group designs as research strategy. Finally, in terms of dependent variables, the research design requires a clear identification of the observable characteristics of the target health behaviors under consideration. In summary, health research geared toward professional goals appears to profit significantly from an ecological-behavioral approach which provides a model of high explication, specificity, and objectivity for knowledge generation and immediate application.

Behavior Therapy↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Reestablishing self-feeding in a nursing home resident.

An attempt was made to teach an elderly person to reacquire and maintain self-feeding skills. A single-subject ABAB reversal strategy, including assessment for generalization, was planned as experimental design. The treatment procedure consisted of a continuous, immediate reinforcement program contingent on self-feeding responses. Fast and stable control of self-feeding was obtained. A drop in feeding behavior resulted when the patient returned to base-line procedures. The patient died before the second treatment procedure could be carried out. The study found, however, that nursing home staff could facilitate healthy behavior through better use of behavioral management skills.

Activities of Daily Living↗