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At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed1976

Piracetam-induced facilitation of interhemispheric transfer of visual information in rats.

The effect of Piracetam (UCB 6215, 2-pyrrolidoneacetamide) on learning mediated by transcommissural information flow was studied in hooded rats. Acquisition of monocular pattern discrimination was faster in drug-treated rats (100 mg/kg, 30 min before training) than in untreated controls. Subsequent relearning with one hemisphere functionally eliminated by cortical spreading depression showed that the strength of the primary engram formed under Piracetam in the hemisphere contralateral to the trained eye remained unaffected but that the secondary trace (in the ipsilateral hemisphere) was considerably improved and almost equalled the primary one (savings increased from 20-30% to 50-60%). Learning with uncrossed optic fibers was unaffected by the drug. Interhemispheric transfer of lateralized visual engrams acquired during functional hemidecortication was facilitated by Piracetam administration preceding the five transfer trials performed with the untrained eye open (imperative transfer). Piracetam was ineffective when the trained eye was open during transfer trials (facultative transfer). After a visual engram had been lateralized by 5 days of monocular overtraining, Piracetam facilitated formation of the secondary engram induced by 3 interocular transfer trials. It is concluded that Piracetam enhances transcommissural encoding mechanisms activated in the initial stage of monocular learning and in some forms of interhemispheric transfer, but does not affect the transcommissural readout. This effect is interpreted as a special case of the Piracetam-induced facilitation of the phylogenetically old mechanisms of redundant information storage which improve liminal or subnormal learning.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Transfer of a learning set between drug states in monkeys.

Four adult male rhesus monkeys, while in either a pentobarbital-induced drug state or a saline control state, were trained on a series of 12 oddity problems. Tests in the opposite drug or saline state were administered after acquisition of each problem in order to determine the amount of transfer between the disparate states. All tests included presentation of problems not previously seen (novel problems). Tests 2-11 also included presentation of problems trained beyond criterion level (overtrained problems). During early tests only the overtrained problems exhibited transfer to the opposite drug or saline state. However, during the later tests, as the monkeys acquired the learning set in the training state, both the novel and overtrained problems were correctly solved in the test state. This indicates that the concept of oddity, rather than solution of specific problems, transferred between drug states. Interestingly, the overtrained problems exhibited greater transfer on the later tests than on early tests. This may suggest that the transfer due to overtraining is not the same as the transfer due to acquisition of the oddity learning set.

Animals↗
PubMed1977

Reducing stimulus overselectivity in autistic children.

It has been repeatedly reported that when presented with a discrimination task involving multiple cues, autistic children, as compared to normal children, tend to respond on the basis of only a restricted portion of the component cues. This phenomenon has been called "stimulus overselectivity" and has been implicated as a possible basis for some of the pronounced behavioral deficits charactertistic of autism. Examination of the results of several previous studies suggests that the overselectivity effect might be reduced with repeated exposure to testing. However, since the previous studies were not designed to test this hypothesis, no conclusions were drawn regarding variables influencing the reduction of the overselectivity phenomenon. The present investigation was therefore conducted to determine if stimulus overselectivity in autistic children is changed as a function of repeated exposure to testing. Nineteen autistic children were trained on a discrimination task with a cue complex composed of two visual cues. After the children reached criterion on the task, they were exposed to a testing phase with probe trials where the cue components were presented singly. The results indicated that 16 of the children initially showed overselectivity and 3 responded to both cues. Of the 16 children who showed overselectivity, 13 decreased their level of overselectivity with continued testing. These results are discussed in relation to variables in the testing procedure itself and to the literature on selective attention.

Attention↗
PubMed1976

Overselectivity, developmental level, and overtraining in autistic and normal children.

Thirteen autistic children were compared to 13 normal children matched to them in mental age, on performance of a visual discrimination task. Form, color, and size were relevant and redundant cues. The groups did not differ significantly in mean trials to reach criterion or in breadth of learning, and both groups increased their breadth of learning after 50 trials of overtraining. Form was preferred to color and size by both autistic and normal children. Within each group, rank on mental age was highly correlated with rank in breadth of learning. Verbal and nonverbal autistic children did not differ in breadth of learning or in dimensional preference. Even nonverbal autistics equaled the performance of their normal controls. Our results suggest that overselective attention is better understood as part of a general developmental lag in cognition in autistic children than as a specific deficit underlying psychotic behavior.

Attention↗
PubMed1979

The effects of schedule of reinforcement on stimulus overselectivity in autistic children.

Recent research demonstrated that when autistic children are presented a discrimination task with multiple cues, they typically respond to an abnormally limited number, usually one, of the available cues. This phenomenon, termed "stimulus overselectivity," has been implicated as a possible basis for many of the behavioral deficits characteristic of autism. The present investigation was conducted to systemically analyze the effects of changing the schedules of reinforcement during discrimination training on subsequent stimulus overselectivity. Twelve autistic children were taught a discrimination involving multiple visual cues, with a CRF schedule of reinforcement. The children were then overtrained on either the same (CRF) schedule or on a partial (VR:3) reinforcement schedule. Subsequent overselectivity on single-cue test trials was then assessed. Results suggested that significantly less overselectivity occurred when the children were presented with the VR:3 reinforcement schedule during overtraining. These results are discussed in terms of variables influencing overselectivity and in terms of implications for designing treatment procedures for autistic children.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Parental ratings of treatments of self-injurious behavior.

This study examined (a) how parents of autistic children, parents of other handicapped children, and parents of nonhandicapped children rate, as a whole, acceptability of time-out, differential reinforcement, overcorrection, and shock as treatments for self-injurious behavior, and (b) whether these parents show differences, as groups, in ratings of these treatments. On the Treatment Evaluation Inventory, all groups consistently rated differential reinforcement, time-out, and overcorrection as acceptable and shock as unacceptable. Differential reinforcement was consistently rated as the most acceptable, but the groups differed in ratings of acceptability of other treatments. On the Semantic Differential, ratings of differential reinforcement, overcorrection, and time-out did not differ. However, shock was consistently rated as the most potent and active of treatments as well as the most unacceptable. The implications of these findings for treatment of autistic and other handicapped children are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1980

Treatment of assaultive hair pulling in a multihandicapped youth.

The course of treatment for hair pulling in a moderately retarded, visually impaired 9-year-old male is described along with the effectiveness of an ammonia inhalation procedure to eliminate this behavior. However, before discovering this successful procedure, other well-known techniques such as DRO, TO, overcorrection, and shaping all failed. Since rapid treatment effectiveness could be assumed to be the norm, given the operant literature, the extensive course of treatment reported here serves to document that perseverance may also be a necessary component of successful behavior management strategies.

Aggression↗
PubMed1984

Suppression of pica by overcorrection and physical restraint: a comparative analysis.

Overcorrection and physical restraint procedures have been shown to be effective in controlling certain classes of maladaptive behavior in mentally retarded persons. In the present study, an alternating treatments design was used to measure the differential effects of overcorrection and physical restraint procedures in the treatment of pica. Changes in collateral behaviors were also monitored. Each occurrence of pica was followed by either an overcorrection procedure or a physical restraint procedure. Although both procedures reduced the occurrence of pica and had a similar effect on the occurrence of collateral behaviors, physical restraint was clinically more effective in terms of immediate response reduction.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

An abbreviated overcorrection program to reduce self-stimulatory behaviors.

An economical, abbreviated overcorrection procedure was implemented to reduce several self stimulatory and self abusive behaviors of a severely retarded child. These were monitored, along with a non-targeted behavior, tantrum screams, during treatment sessions, and during non-treatment sessions with the experimenter present or absent. A withdrawal design demonstrated that substantial reductions in essentially all the behaviors were achieved during treatment sessions, with visible though less dramatic reductions occurring at other times. Although long-term follow-up observations showed a recovery of baseline performance, the behaviors again were rapidly brought under control when a modified form of the procedure was re-instituted.

Behavior Therapy↗
PubMed1983

Elimination of nocturnal headbanging in a normal seven-year-old girl using overcorrection plus rewards.

An overcorrection procedure and rewards were implemented to eliminate nocturnal headbanging in a normal 7-yr-old girl. The treatment procedure involved immediate detection of headbanging by an alarm activated by a movement-sensitive switch attached to the child's bed headboard. The overcorrection procedure consisted of practicing intensively the correct form of the relevant behavior (positive practice) and applying a lotion to the irritated area of the scalp (restitution). Rewards were also made contingent upon the absence of headbanging. These procedures resulted in an immediate reduction and eventual total elimination of headbanging. Three- and six-month follow-up assessments showed that headbanging no longer occurred.

Behavior Therapy↗
PubMed1985

Operational specificity: implications for field-based replications.

This paper discusses problems with field-based replications of behavioral interventions. Major issues identified include operational specificity, mislabelling of procedures, relative contributions of components in multi-faceted treatment packages, and impediments to systematic replication. The paper concludes with a call for increased operational specificity in the reporting of both baseline and intervention procedures on the part of researchers and clinicians responsible for dissemination.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Treatment of constipation-caused encopresis by a negative reinforcement procedure.

During a baseline condition soiling and the cumulative number of bowel movements of a child suffering from retentive encopresis were recorded. Following this, a DRO (differential reinforcement of other behavior) alone, a DRO plus overcorrection procedure, and a negative reinforcement procedure were each evaluated using a reversal design. The negative reinforcement procedure, which involved having the child sit on the toilet three times a day for increasing time periods if no bowel movement occurred, suppressed soiling and led to regular unprompted daily bowel movements in a very brief period of time. The DRO alone and DRO plus overcorrection conditions produced only a small decline in soiling.

Behavior Therapy↗
PubMed1985

Comprehensive treatment of chronic fire setting in a severely disordered boy.

A comprehensive, multidimensional treatment strategy was designed for a severely behaviorally disordered 10-year-old boy with a 7-year history of setting fires. The study replicates a previous study designed to suppress fire setting, teach appropriate substitute behavior and increase awareness of the consequences of fire setting. Three additional components were added to the original treatment program: relaxation training, a response cost for fire setting, and a visit to a hospital burn unit (overt sensitization). Follow-up data 1 year later indicate that treatment was successful in extinguishing all fire-setting behaviors. The additional treatment components presented in this paper may add to the efficacy and sustained durability of treatment gains in difficult, low frequency fire setting behavior.

Behavior Therapy↗