School Refusal Behavior Profiles, Optimism/Pessimism, and Personality Traits in Spanish Children

The relationship between school refusal behavior (SRB) profiles and personality traits has received little attention from investigators. Identifying the profiles of students with school attendance problems may improve the understanding of the characteristics defining these students. The aim of this study was to identify different SRB profiles and analyze the relationship between these profiles, and optimism/pessimism and personality traits. The School Refusal Assessment Scale-Revised, the Youth Life Orientation Test, and the Big Five Questionnaire were administrated to 739 Spanish students aged 8–11 (Mage = 9.92; SD = 1.12). Pearson’s correlation coefficients revealed a significant association between personality dimensions and SRB. Three distinct profiles were identified: (1) SRB by negative reinforcement (high scores on avoiding school-related stimuli provoking negative affectivity), (2) SRB by positive reinforcement (high scores on pursuing positive tangible reinforcement outside of school), and (3) Low SRB. The SRB profile by positive reinforcement scored higher on Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Openness, and Optimism, whereas the SRB profile by negative reinforcement scored higher on Neuroticism and Pessimism. More statically significant differences were found between the negative and positive reinforcement profiles. The role of negative personality traits and pessimism as risk factors for students who are truant or refuse to attend school are discussed.

School Refusal Behavior and Aggression in Spanish Adolescents

In order to reduce school attendance problems and aggressive behavior, it is essential to determine the relationship between both variables. The aim of this study was twofold: (1) to examine the mean differences in scores on aggression, based on school refusal behavior, and (2) to analyze the predictive capacity of high scores on aggression, based on school refusal behavior factors. The sample consisted of 1455 Spanish secondary school students, aged 13–17 (M = 14.85; SD = 1.56). The School Refusal Assessment Scale-Revised (I. Avoidance of negative affectivity, II. Escape from aversive social and/or evaluative situations, III. Pursuit of attention from significant others, and IV. Pursuit of tangible reinforcement outside of school) and the Aggression Questionnaire (I. Physical Aggression, II. Verbal Aggression, III. Anger, and IV. Hostility) were used. Results indicated that students having high levels of Physical Aggression, Verbal Aggression, Anger, and Hostility received significantly higher scores on school refusal behavior. In most cases, school refusal behavior was found to be a positive and statistically significant predictor of aggression. Students that base their school refusal on the pursuit of tangible reinforcements outside of school earned higher scores, and other functional conditions underlying school refusal behavior were found to be associated with aggression issues. The role of aggression as a risk factor for school refusal behavior is discussed.

Comparative Analysis of the Effectivenessof the Using of Direct and Generalized Conditional Reinforcement in the Development of a Skill of Solving of Simple Arithmetic Problems in a Child with ASD

Within the framework of the applied behavior analysis, a comparison of the effectiveness of the direct and the generalized reinforcement was made during the teaching the skill of distinguishing arithmetic operations in mathematical problems. The study was conducted in two phases over two weeks with a 9-year-old girl with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The first phase included training of multiplication and addition tasks, using tangible reinforcement, compared to the training of the arithmetic performance in division and subtraction tasks, using generalized reinforcement. The second phase included the training of discrimination between different arithmetic operations, but tangible and generalized reinforcements were used in variable mode. The results showed no differences in the effectiveness of both generalized and tangible reinforcements in the teaching process. The participant successfully learned to discriminate between different arithmetic operations as addition, multiplication, subtraction and division in single-component tasks.

School Refusal Assessment Scale–Revised Chilean Version: Factorial Invariance and Latent Means Differences Across Gender and Age

The School Refusal Assessment Scale–Revised (SRAS-R) is a self-report measure designed to assess four functional factors of school refusal behavior: avoidance of stimuli that provoke negative affectivity (Factor I), escape from aversive social and/or evaluative situations (Factor II), pursuit of attention from significant others (Factor III), and pursuit of tangible reinforcement outside of school (Factor IV). The aim was to analyze the scale’s factorial invariance and latent means differences across gender and age in a sample of 2,678 Chilean adolescents aged 13 to 17 years ( M = 15.23; SD = 1.26). The hypothesized model revealed the best-fit model and remained invariant across gender and age. Good internal consistency was obtained for the four factors (.75, .72, .77, and .71). Latent means differences were found across gender and age.

Improving a Cerebral Palsied Child's Typing with Operant Techniques

A 7-yr.-old cerebral palsied girl was taught to correct responses on two typing tasks using reinforcement contingent on number of correctly typed words. Maintenance of the behavior remained contingent on the presence of tangible reinforcement.