Essay Review: Marital Therapy, Monogamy, and Menagés

Fitzgerald, R. V. Conjoint Marital Therapy .
Foley, V. An Introduction to Family Therapy .
Smith J. & Smith L. Beyond Monogamy .     

“Did I just do that?”—Six-month-olds learn the contingency between their vocalizations and a visual reward in 5 minutes

It has been shown that infants can increase or modify a motorically available behavior such as sucking, kicking, arm waving, etc., in response to a positive visual reinforcement (e.g., DeCasper & Fifer, 1980; Millar, 1990; Rochat & Striano, 1999; Rovee-Collier, 1997; Watson & Ramey, 1972). We tested infants to determine if they would also change their vocal behavior in response to contingent feedback, which lacks the social, emotional, and auditory modeling typical of parent-child interaction. Here, we show that in a single five-minute session infants increase the rate of their vocalizations in order to control the appearance of colorful shapes on an iPad screen. This is the first experimental study to demonstrate that infants can rapidly learn to increase their vocalizations, when given positive reinforcement with no social element. This work sets the foundations for future studies into the causal relationship between the number of early vocalizations and the onset of words. In addition, there are potential clinical applications for reinforcing vocal practice in infant populations who are at risk for poor language skills.     

Singular and plural objects: Thoughts on object relations theory

Object relations theory has been dominated by the concept of the mother as the primary and most influential object in infancy. New considerations of the role of the father are questioning this premise and raising issues about the influence of multi-object relationships in very early life. Illustrations are drawn from different cultures with a wide variety of child rearing practices. Implications for theory, assessment, and treatment are illustrated through case material.in private practice. This article is a revised version of an address to The New Jersey Society for Clinical Social Work, May 22, 1983.     

Appendix

Social Indicators Research -     

A United States History Card Game

Learning social studies curriculum can present challenges for English-language learners (ELLs). The language used to present concepts is often decontextualized and abstract, making it difficult for these students to understand the content and have successful learning experiences. In this article, the authors describe strategies elementary teachers can use to make social studies content more comprehensible to ELLs and engage them to become active participants in their learning. They discuss three strategies in-depth and explain particular teaching techniques, such as the use of graphic organizers. Teaching vignettes illustrate ways these strategies can be implemented in the classroom to help ELLs be successful in acquiring social studies knowledge and inquiry skills while developing critical English language arts proficiencies.