Caregivers as Interventionists and Trainers: Teaching Mands to Children with Developmental Disabilities

The Analysis of Verbal Behavior - We evaluated the use of behavioral skills training (BST) to train caregivers to conduct procedures commonly associated with mand training. We trained two...     

Computation of the Two-Sample Smirnov Statistics

A simple method is given for evaluating the one- or two-sided Smirnov statistic for comparing two independent samples from continuous populations.     

A two-sample distribution-free scale test of the smirnov type

The two-sample, distribution-free statistics of Smirnov (1939) are used to define a new statistic. While the Smirnov statistics are used as a general goodness-of-fit test, a distribution-free scale test based on this new statistic is developed. It is shown that this new test has higher power than the two-sided Smirnov statistic in detecting differences in scale for some symmetric distributions with equal means/medians. The critical values of the proposed test statistic and its limiting distribution are given     

Location and Scale Estimation with Correlation Coefficients

This article shows how to use any correlation coefficient to produce an estimate of location and scale. It is part of a broader system, called a correlation estimation system (CES), that uses correlation coefficients as the starting point for estimations. The method is illustrated using the well-known normal distribution. This article shows that any correlation coefficient can be used to fit a simple linear regression line to bivariate data and then the slope and intercept are estimates of standard deviation and location. Because a robust correlation will produce robust estimates, this CES can be recommended as a tool for everyday data analysis. Simulations indicate that the median with this method using a robust correlation coefficient appears to be nearly as efficient as the mean with good data and much better if there are a few errant data points. Hypothesis testing and confidence intervals are discussed for the scale parameter; both normal and Cauchy distributions are covered.     

Representations of Parent–Child Alliances in Children's Family Drawings

The purpose of this study was to investigate relationships between children's representations of parent–child alliances (PCA) and their peer relationship quality, using a new scale that was developed to rate representations of PCA in children's family drawings. The parent–child alliance pattern is characterized by a relationship between parent and child that is stronger than the marital relationship. We used family drawings to assess children's (at the ages of 4–8 years) representations of alliances because it is often difficult for children to express their perceptions of family dynamics verbally. Children whose drawings were rated higher in PCA were rated lower in prosocial behavior and assertiveness and higher in social problems by their teachers. These relationships were stronger for boys than for girls.     

The legal rights of LGBT youth in state custody: what child welfare and juvenile justice professionals need to know

Youth in state custody, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, have federal and state constitutional and statutory rights. These rights guarantee a young person safety in their placement as well as freedom from deprivation of their liberty interest. Many lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth have these rights violated on a regular basis. Many cases in both the child welfare and juvenile justice contexts have resulted in extensive and time-consuming consent decrees as well as sizable damages awards. Knowledge of a youth's legal rights can help providers avoid legal liability while creating a safer and healthier environment for LGBT youth. This article provides a general overview of the successful federal legal claims that youth in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems have made, discussion of the rights generated as a result, particle application of these rights to the experiences of LGBT youth with hypothetical scenarios, a focus on specific rights that emanate from certain state laws, and a focus on specific concerns of transgender youth.     

Conversion to the world view of Alcoholics Anonymous: A refinement of conversion theory

Most empirical studies of the conversion process have focused on individuals who have come to espouse the world view of a deviant religious denomination or sect. Using observational data our research analyzes the conversion process by which individuals come to identify with the ideology propounded by Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.). A.A. provides prospective alcoholics with both a solution to drinking problems and an overarching world view with which to reinterpret their past experience. The A.A. conversion process can be divided into six phases: hitting bottom, first stepping, making a commitment, accepting your problem, telling your story, and doing Twelfth Step work. Each of these phases is described in detail. Similarities and differences are noted between the observed A.A. conversion process and the model generally described in the sociological literature on religious conversion. Our analysis indicates certain weaknesses in the process-model explanation of conversion and points to the necessity of taking into account organizational context and situational variables.An earlier version of this paper was presented at the Annual Meetings of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, San Antonio, Texas, October, 1979.     

How does inequality aversion affect inequality and redistribution?

We investigate the effects of inequality aversion on equilibrium labor supply, tax revenue, income inequality, and median voter outcomes in a society where agents have heterogeneous skill levels. These outcomes are compared to those which result from the behavior of selfish agents. A variant of Fehr-Schmidt preferences is employed that allows the externality from agents who are “ahead” to differ in magnitude from the externality from those who are “behind” in the income distribution. We find first, that inequality-averse preferences yield distributional outcomes that are analogous to tax-transfer schemes with selfish agents, and may either increase or decrease average consumption. Second, in a society of inequality-averse agents, a linear income tax can be welfare-enhancing. Third, inequality-averse preferences can lead to less redistribution at any given tax, with low-wage agents receiving smaller net subsidies and/or high-wage individuals paying less in net taxes. Finally, an inequality-averse median voter may prefer higher redistribution even if it means less utility from own consumption and leisure.     

Voices of Children from Around the Globe; An International Analysis of Children's Issues at Child Helplines

Child helplines around the world are an important mental health resource for many children. In this study, an international database was analysed with a total of 25 million registered calls at a total of 111 helplines affiliated with Child Helpline International. The research was aimed at discovering if there are differences between the reasons for calling of children from different parts of the world, and if shifts in the studied 10‐year period can be observed. The data show that all child helplines are contacted by young people seek support with questions concerning abuse, sexual matters and school issues. The results from a mixed model also show significant differences in the reasons for calling between Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America, the Pacific region and the region Middle East and North Africa. Child helplines in Africa and other developing parts of the world received many calls related to safety and health (e.g. HIV/AIDS, commercial exploitation), whereas children and young people from Europe, North America and the Pacific more often discussed social and psychosocial issues with the helpline (e.g. mental health, peer and family relations). The reasons for calling were relatively stable for the studied period.