The hypothesis testing behaviors of 50 boys with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) were compared to those of 50 boys without ADHD. The two groups were randomly assigned to one of two feedback conditions: a) boys in the "instruction and rule" condition learned additional strategies to aid their performance on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST); b) children in the "verbal only" condition learned no additional strategies. There were no significant group or condition differences between the boys on the primary dependent measures used. The results from the WCST were also evaluated according to five aspects of problem solving: (a) selective attention, (b) stimulus differentiation, (c) response generation, (d) response execution, and (e) responding appropriately to feedback. The study showed a tendency for the children with ADHD to respond according to a position or hypothesis set. Similarly, children in the "verbal only" condition tended to respond to feedback less appropriately than did children in the instruction and rule condition. These tendencies however, did not differentiate between the boys with ADHD and boys without ADHD.

This research project was designed to demonstrate the usefulness of a supportive intervention program for 17 nine to 14 year old siblings of autistic children. Current clinical practice has begun most recently to include the siblings of handicapped children in treatment services as a preventive measure to help maximize families' coping abilities and to increase the chances that they will be strengthened by their unique circumstances. Although research evidence suggests that most siblings are not at risk for serious psychopathology, it seems reasonable to assume that few remain unaffected by living with a handicapped brother or sister. Siblings report that they have increased responsibilities, many unanswered questions, and parents who typically are caught up in the stresses of caring for a handicapped child and have limited time to attend to their needs. It was hypothesized that an intervention program providing information about the handicapping condition, autism, and offering support through participation in a discussion group with other siblings of autistic children would effect improved coping in the participants. Three time-limited interventions (information plus support, information plus activity, and activity control) were compared under controlled conditions. Sibling coping was measured by a) a battery of self-report and parent ratings of behavior …

Career burnout has been recognized as a syndrome marked by mental, physical and emotional exhaustion which is especially prevalent among teachers. Teacher burnout is currently a widely researched phenomenon and controversy over its definition, causes and interventions has been great. Meanwhile, the burnout construct has gained little clarity. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether identifiable personality characteristics, as measured by the Personality Research Form, were consistently associated with burnout in teachers, as measured by the Maslach Burnout Inventory and the Cognitive Burnout Scale. Moderately strong relationships were found between specific personality characeristics and reported levels of burnout. However, individual factors were not concluded to be as critical as the interaction between such factors and the environment. Future directions are discussed.