Self-esteem and causal attributions for success and failure in children

In a comparison of causal attributions following success and failure in hypothetical social, athletic, and academic situations, high self-esteem grade school children were more likely than low self-esteem children to attribute their success to ability and their failure to either lack of effort or bad luck. Low self-esteem children, on the other hand, attributed their success more often than high self-esteem children to good luck (and in social situations to effort and task ease as well) and their failure to lack of ability. Whereas prior studies that focused only on the internal-external dimension found that low and high self-esteem children differed in their attributional style to success but not to failure, the present study found that when distinctions between behavioral and characterological attributions (stability and globality dimensions) were included, the two groups differed significantly in response to both success and failure. Although perhaps not generalizable beyond the present attribution measure, the most pronounced attribution differences between low and high self-esteem children were observed in the social domain, the least in the academic domain, with athletics falling in between. Finally, it was found that sex and age (within the limited fourth- to sixth-grade range examined in the present study) did not alter the overriding difference in attributional style between low and high self-esteem children.This study is based on a doctoral dissertation submitted by the first author under the supervision of the last author in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Ph.D. degree at the University of Vermont.     

Breast feeding: success or failure

Awareness of the important role of breast feeding in child health and the reproductive cycle, which is well documented elsewhere, necessitates an examination of the changing practice of breast feeding. This paper reviews these changing practices both in Western and developing societies, examines the problems which lead to lactation failure, and looks at factors related to success in breast feeding.
In the light of the need for practical help for successful breast feeding, the present system of support both in hospital and at home is then discussed. An alternative system of structured home support for post-natal women, which has been shown to increase the success rate of breast feeding, is outlined. The way in which this system acts is discussed and the implications for both mothers and health staff are considered.     

Exploring the influence of students' attributions for success on their self-regulation in pathophysiology

Pathophysiology is a difficult course both for students to take and for instructors to teach. However, little research has explored learner characteristics that teachers may address through targeted instruction to make both the teaching and learning experience better. This study examined the influence of students' causal attributions for success on their self-regulated learning, which is strongly associated with positive learning outcomes. Results indicated that ability, effort, and luck attributions for success collectively influenced Pathophysiology students' self-regulated learning and that ability was the most potent influence. The findings and the implication for teaching are discussed.     

Peptide-binding macromolecules in the blood of seriously ill or mentally retarded patients.

This report describes macromolecules that bind (des-aspartic acid1)-angiotensin II, the des aspartic acid1 derivative of angiotensin I, and several biologically active and inactive analogues of these polypeptides. The macromolecules were found in the plasma of approximately 2 per cent of ambulatory adults and hospitalized children and 32 per cent of the patients at two institutions for the mentally retarded. The binding properties of these macromolecules were studied by incubating with peptides labeled with 125iodine, and separating bound from free labeled peptide using small gel filtration columns. The peptide-binding macromolecules from several patients were compared. They showed very similar specificity for a group of arginyl peptides of the des-aspartyl1-angiotensin sequence. The plasma binders differed from one another in their optimum pH and their mobility in electrophoretic fields. Those with more acid pH optima displayed more rapid electrophoretic mobility. The binders fell into two classes based on apparent molecular weight, approximately 140,000 and 250,000. Those with the higher apparent molecular weight contained a large proportion of binder that could be precipitated with antiserum to human IgA. Kinetic measurements showed that the plasma binders were somewhat heterogeneous with respect to affinity for (des-asp1)-angiotensin, with apparent association constants ranging from 10(7) to 10(8) M-1. Binding activity was labile to heat, and to treatment with pepsin or trypsin. It was inhibited by calcium, protamine, streptomycin, and some other cationic compounds. The plasma peptide binder differed in specificity and molecular weight from soluble angiotensin-binding molecules extracted from tissues, and from properties expected of a receptor for angiotensin. These macromolecules may be useful reagents for measuring (des-asp1)-angiotensins. Their presence in plasma samples may interfere with angiotensin assays in some circumstances.     

Children's depressive symptoms,negative self-statements,and causal attributions for success and failure

On the basis of the reformulated model of learned helplessness, we tested relationships among level of depression, negative self-statements, causal attributions for success and failure, and mood states among schoolchildren. The experimental manipulation of success and failure on an anagram task was an extension of previous work with depressed and nondepressed college students. Results showed, first, that depressive symptoms were related to impaired performance. Second, there were no significantly different responses to success and failure by children with depressive symptoms versus those without such symptoms. Neither causal attributions, self-statements, nor postanagram mood was affected by the presence of depressive symptoms, regardless of whether the child succeeded or failed. On the other hand, across conditions, subjects responded differentially to success and failure. Those in the success condition attributed their performance more to ability and luck and less to task difficulty than did those in the failure condition. Additionally, successful subjects reported a more elevated mood than did unsuccessful subjects. Future research is suggested, based on these results and the different patterns of correlations that emerged among negative self-statements, causal attributions, and mood for successful and unsuccessful subjects.Special thanks are due to Kenneth Kimball for his help in organizing the data collection and to Annetta Burke for her help in collecting and scoring the data. The suggestions made by two anonymous reviewers are gratefully acknowledged.     

MECP2 mutations or polymorphisms in mentally retarded boys: diagnostic implications.

BACKGROUND: Among the well characterized X-linked conditions causing mental retardation, mutations in the methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 gene (MECP2) in Xq28 have been found in up to 85% of patients with Rett syndrome, a neurologic disorder which, in addition to other symptoms, severely affects higher cognitive functions in females. Mutations in the MECP2 gene are involved in a broad spectrum of phenotypes from classical Rett syndrome to mild intellectual difficulties in females and neonatal encephalopathy in males. Recently, mutations in the MECP2 gene were reported in males with non-specific mental retardation suggesting that defects in MECP2 could be responsible for up to 2% of X-linked mental retardation. METHODS: We screened by denaturing high-pressure liquid chromatography the entire coding region and flanking intronic sequences of the MECP2 gene in a cohort of 354 mentally retarded males found negative for an expansion across the FRAXA CGG repeat and in a family in which a boy and his sister were mentally retarded. RESULTS: We identified mainly silent polymorphisms within the MECP2 gene, together with four sequence alterations of unknown significance, i.e. three missense mutations (T197M, T228S, and P376S) and one substitution at position -19 in intron 3 (378-19delT). Further familial investigations allowed us to ruled out a pathogenic effect for the intronic variant, the T228S and the P376S missense mutations. CONCLUSIONS: These results confirm that MECP2 mutations in males are far more rare than initially thought and call for a careful evaluation of the pathogenicity of the MECP2 missense mutations identified in mentally retarded males before genetic counseling is proposed to the relatives.     

Medical care of the deinstitutionalized mentally retarded

Community-based group homes for the deinstitutionalized mentally retarded are becoming more common. Individuals in this setting have unique acute and chronic medical conditions. Long-term use of medications, exposure to hepatitis B, problems with sexuality and special contraception needs are commonly encountered. The physician who provides care for patients in this setting can serve as a central referral source and coordinator of medical services, as well as an educator to staff and family.     

Interpreting success or failure of peanut oral immunotherapy

Peanut oral immunotherapy (OIT) was recently approved by the US FDA. However, not all patients respond to OIT, and there is a high likelihood of regaining sensitization to peanuts after cessation of treatment. It is important, therefore, to identify biomarkers that impact and predict OIT outcomes. In this issue of the JCI, Monian, Tu, and colleagues describe distinct subsets of peanut-reactive CD4⁺ Th cell phenotypes and gene signatures with relevance to OIT outcomes using single-cell RNA-Seq and paired T cell receptor (TCR) α/β sequencing. The insights obtained will inform the development of therapeutics that target these Th cell phenotypes or deplete peanut-specific Th2 cells to achieve sustained nonresponsiveness in food allergy.     

ADHD boys' performance and attributions following success and failure: Drug effects and individual differences

In a previous study, Milich, Carlson, Pelham, and Licht (1991) reported that, compared to placebo, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) boys on methylphenidate (MPH) showed greater persistence following exposure to insolvable tasks, and were more likely to attribute success to internal causes and blame failure on external causes. The current study, using the same task, provided evidence for the salutary effects of MPH on the performance and perceptions of ADHD boys following both solvable and insolvable puzzles and found that subjects exposed to insolvable puzzles showed greater persistence on a subsequent generalization task when receiving MPH as compared to placebo. In addition, a measure of attributional style predicted performance on the task, but not attributions for task-performance. Finally, the current study found no differences between placebo and a no pill condition, thus extending the results of Milich et al. (1991) by demonstrating that treatment effects on performance and self-rating measures were directly related to receiving active medication.This study was conducted during the 1990 Summer Treatment Program (STP) conducted by the Attention Deficit Disorder Program at the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic. We thank WPIC for its support, as well as the ADD and STP program staffs for their helpful cooperation, particularly Gary Vallano, and Mary Vodde-Hamilton. During this research, the first author was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (MH46754). The second author was supported in part by grants from the National Institute of Mental Health (MH48157), the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (AA06267), and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (DA05605). The fourth author was supported in part by grants from the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic Mental Health Clinical Research Center (MHCRC-R181), and the National Institute of Mental Health (MH48157 and MH47390).     

Tactile function of educable mentally retarded children.

The tactile perception ability of 29 seven-and eight-year-old educable mentally retarded children was evaluated by using the tactile perception portions of the Southern California Sensory Integration Tests. The children were also observed for tactile defensive behavior. Compared to normal children of the same age (as reported in normative data), this sample of children was significantly inferior in manual form, finger identification, graphesthesia, and perception of simultaneous stimuli, but not in the localization of single stimuli. During the testing, 62 percent showed tactile defensive behavior. The role of tactile perception in the development of symbolic communications is reviewed.     

Benefits and risks of success or failure of noninvasive ventilation

Objective Noninvasive ventilation (NIV) fails more frequently for de novo acute respiratory failure (de novo) than for cardiogenic pulmonary edema (CPE) or acute-on-chronic respiratory failure (AOC). The impact of NIV failure and success was compared between de novo and CPE or AOC after adjustment for disease severity.Settings Patients requiring ventilatory support were enrolled in a prospective survey in 70 French ICUs. Of 1076 patients requiring ventilatory support, 524 were eligible, including 299 de novo (NIV use, 30%) and 225 CPE-AOC (NIV use, 55%).Design and analysis Independent risk factors associated with mortality and length of stay were identified by logistic regression analysis. The adjusted outcome of NIV success or failure was compared to that with endotracheal intubation without NIV.Results NIV success was independently associated with survival in both de novo, adjusted OR 0.05 (95% CI 0.01–0.42), and CPE-AOC OR 0.03 (CI 0.01–0.24). NIV failure was associated with ICU mortality in the de novo group (OR 3.24, CI 1.61–6.53) but not in the CPE-AOC group. Nosocomial pneumonia was less common in patients successful with NIV. NIV failure was associated with a longer ICU stay in CPE-AOC only. The overall use of NIV was independently associated with a better outcome only in CPE-AOC patients (OR 0.33, CI 0.15–0.73).Conclusion The effect of NIV differs between de novo and CPE-AOC patients because NIV failure is associated with increased mortality for de novo patients. This finding should raise a note of caution when applying NIV in this indication.This study was performed for the SRLF Task Force Mechanical Ventilation.     

弱智儿童语言障碍相关因素

弱智儿童大多存在着语言方面的障碍,研究弱智儿童语言障碍的特点、原因有利于了解智力、环境和语言获得、发展的关系,寻找科学的语言训练和矫治方法,促进弱智儿童智力、语言的发展,以及社会适应能力的提高。从弱智儿童语言障碍的发生率、相关因素和语言矫治等几个方面对前人研究成果作了较详细的论述,扼要介绍了目前较有影响的实验设计和结果,分析了近来一些研究项目的不足及亟待解决的问题。