Two types of matching designs, static and dynamic, are differentiated. While all matching designs are logically the same in terms of the probability model which determines chance level of performance, an attempt is made to demonstrate that there is an interaction between the tactics, strategies, and actual knowledge of S and the type of design used which will, in turn, lead to different results even when S's knowledge is held constant. It is suggested that analogous situations may exist within the framework of the traditional psychometric model.

Professor Jay Spencer Birnbrauer peacefully passed away on November 1, 2017, aged 83, in Perth, Western Australia. Known to his friends and colleagues in Australia as ‘Birny’, he was a pioneer of applied behaviour analysis on both the Australian and world stage. He contributed to the development of behaviour-analytic technology for children with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the 1960s and played a central part in the formation of the Australian Behaviour Modification Association (known today as the Australian Association for Cognitive and Behaviour Therapy) in the 1970s. He was a purist in the field of applied behaviour analysis (ABA) and was relentless in his efforts to see ABA being provided to children with a developmental disability and their families. Birny's influence in Australia, and particularly Western Australia, was mainly imparted through his role with the Master of Applied Psychology program at Murdoch University. His most widely known piece of work, the Murdoch Early Intervention Program, was an early and important replication of Lovaas's evaluation of early intensive behavioural intervention for children with autism. Birny contributed significantly to our field and to many people's lives. He is remembered often and fondly by his many friends and colleagues.

FFQ are commonly used to examine the association between diet and disease. They are the most practical method for usual dietary data collection as they are relatively inexpensive and easy to administer. In Australia, the Cancer Council of Victoria FFQ (CCVFFQ) version 2 and the online Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation FFQ (CSIROFFQ) are used. The aim of our study was to establish the level of agreement between nutrient intakes captured using the online CSIROFFQ and the paper-based CCVFFQ. The CCVFFQ and the online CSIROFFQ were completed by 136 healthy participants. FFQ responses were analysed to give g per d intake of a range of nutrients. Agreement between twenty-six nutrient intakes common to both FFQ was measured by a variety of methods. Nutrient intake levels that were significantly correlated between the two FFQ were carbohydrates, total fat, Na and MUFA. When assessing ranking of nutrients into quintiles, on average, 56 % of the participants (for all nutrients) were classified into the same or adjacent quintiles in both FFQ, with the highest percentage agreement for sugar. On average, 21 % of participants were grossly misclassified by three or four quintiles, with the highest percentage misclassification for fibre and Fe. Quintile agreement was similar to that reported by other studies, and we concluded that both FFQ are suitable tools for dividing participants’ nutrient intake levels into high- and low-consumption groups. Use of either FFQ was not appropriate for obtaining accurate estimates of absolute nutrient intakes.

Measures of component behaviour have been put forward as valid and reliable predictors of social competency. This study assessed the consistency of verbal and nonverbal component behaviours across situations and time. Thirty-seven people participated in an informal conversation with a confederate and a mock job interview with a second confederate. This scenario was repeated three weeks later. Social competency ratings were obtained from the confederates and subsequently from two observers along with specific measures of nine component behaviours. While nonverbal component behaviours were quite consistent across settings and time, verbal behaviours were less so, although none consistently predicted competency ratings across settings and time. Subjects who received high competency ratings were found to behave more variably across settings than those who received low ratings. The findings support the notion that evaluation of social skills training will require measurement of functionally equivalent, rather than topographically defined, classes of behaviour.

The prevalence of depressive symptoms in Year 10 students in two metropolitan high schools, and the implication of a short-term, school-based group intervention to assist students in coping with depression are described. A total of 260 students were screened using a multistage, multimethod procedure that resulted in 16% and 20% of students in each school meeting criteria for depression. Nine students identified as depressed from one school formed an initial treatment group and a matched wait-list control group was formed from students in the second school. Dependent measures included self-report measures of depression and self-concept, teacher ratings of classroom participation and demeanour, and school records of academic performance and absenteeism. Clinical improvements that maintained were noted for just over half of those in the initial treatment group, whereas no such changes occurred in the control group. Differences at follow-up were statistically significant, although not immediately posttreatment. Some improvements were also recorded for participation and demeanour in class. A subsequent, less intensive intervention with 12 students with more severe depressive symptoms from the second school was less effective. The results are discussed in relation to variations in delivery of the intervention program, and the severity and nature of problems experienced by the students who participated in each intervention.

A system of assessing social competence based on empirical analysis of a sample of non-referred subjects was applied to a group of subjects referred for social skills training. Scores obtained with the system discriminated between the referred and non-referred subjects. Data also supported the use of the system to evaluate changes which occurred during the course of the training program. However, this finding was not uniform across all subjects. Discussion centres on the variables which might account for this lack of uniformity and on further applications for the system as a research and therapy tool.

A preschool girl who displayed severe noncompliant and disruptive behaviour was taught to successfully complete a card-matching task, to verbalise the task requirements, and to report successful task completion by means of a time-out procedure in combination with correspondence training. In order to bring about this success, time out was successively introduced for three preparatory behaviours (sitting still, keeping hands down, and looking at the task materials), for completion of simple tasks interspersed between trials of card-matching, and for stating the card-matching task requirement. The conditions for implementing time-out were gradually changed from allowing two chances to comply (implemented only after a second request was not complied with) to allowing only one chance (implemented after the first request was not complied with). This changing criterion time-out procedure was used in place of the more commonly used, but possibly more lengthy procedure whereby tasks not performed adequately are broken down into smaller steps and successive approximations are contingently shaped. The success of the time-out procedure is discussed as a potential means of conducting powerful early interventions with young children at risk for diagnoses of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or similar disorders where a failure to correct severe behaviour problems observed at an early age is predictive of the need for more intrusive and expensive interventions later.

Socio-psycho-educational resource (SPER) centres were first established in Western Australia in 1977 for the purpose of educating and managing primary school-aged children with severe behaviour problems. Each centre functioned as a separate unit located on the campus of a host primary school. Selected children were initially withdrawn from their regular schools to attend the SPER centre where they received a specialised program aimed at decreasing their problematic behaviour. The host school assisted re-entry of SPER centre children into the mainstream by providing part-time integration within its regular classes prior to eventual return to the regular school. In 1988 the Coolbellup SPER Centre began to replace this withdrawal service model with an outreach model. By 1991 the preferred method was to deliver intervention programs within a child's home school. Data revealed that the outreach model was able to service in excess of three times as many children each year as the withdrawal model, with only a minimal increase in teaching staff and with an associated reduction in the length of waiting lists. Post hoc evaluation of student records demonstrated high levels of success for the outreach model, based on teacher ratings of improvement in rule following, peer interactions, and overall school behaviour and performance. Other benefits of the outreach program are discussed.

A home-based reinforcement programme was implemented to decrease classroom rule violations by a 16-year-old boy with a long history of disruptive behaviour in a secondary school classroom. The critical features of the intervention are described and discussed, including the fading procedure employed to maintain the behavioural gains exhibited during the programme's operation. The usefulness of minimal interventions, such as home-based reinforcement programmes, in the management of problem behaviour in schools is discussed, and comment is made on some possible benefits to behavioural practice of the collaborative style of intervention exemplified.

For those aiming to improve the social competence of others, the choice is usually between shaping specific micro-skills or more general problem-solving. While these are not mutually exclusive in practice, research has tended to investigate them separately. One of the major issues facing those targeting micro-skills is their validity in the setting of concern. For those targeting problemsolving, the issue is predominantly one of triggering problem-solving behaviour in the absence of trainer prompts. Other major issues which still have to be satisfactorily resolved include the identification and assessment of children requiring improved social skills and social competence. In addition, there is a need to remind ourselves that while improved social skills should lead to improved judgments about an individual's social competence, the latter is a somewhat abstract notion which tells us little about an individual's goals and objectives. While improved social competence should be one of our goals, it must be anchored to well defined behavioural objectives. One can be the life and soul of a party and receive high social competence ratings, yet be lonely and isolated once the party ends.

A structured diary was used to collect information about the informal peer interactions of 536 children in their final year at nine primary schools. Measures of self-concept, social avoidance, and popularity were also taken. Initially, seven different scores were derived from the information contained in the diary to produce the Adolescent Social Interaction Profile (ASIP). Previous research with the ASIP subsequently identified three factors labelled scale, scope, and enjoyment of peer interactions, that were separate from a fourth generic self-concept factor derived from self-report questionnaires. Inspection of the factor scores for 19 children with full data sets who received the fewest peer nominations showed considerable heterogeneity, with only 1 child scoring low on more than two of the four factors. More expedient composite scores were then derived that reflected the factor loadings for the two complex ASIP scores labelled scale and scope. The utility of these scores for identifying and monitoring specific aspects of peer interaction difficulties is discussed.

The mother of a 7-year old boy with Down's syndrome was taught to use and to instruct others how to implement a behavioural management program to eliminate tantrum behaviour at home and in other social settings which was both frequent and persistent. The mother was the only person contacted throughout the program, which comprised three brief visits to the home and three telephone conversations. The program consisted of the extinction of tantrum behaviour using time-out from reinforcement coupled with differential reinforcement of appropriate behaviour. The behavioural objective of three consecutive days without tantrums was reached 18 days after the program was implemented and was maintained for a further 7 days, with only one minor relapse which occurred in a new setting. Six months later the improvement was being maintained. A brief discussion of factors affecting generalization and maintenance is included.

A rationale is provided for the development of a small group instructional approach to improving the competence of adolescents who reportedly experience difficulty making and maintaining friendships. Social problem-solving studies are briefly examined to provide support for such an approach, which is based on incorporating gradated in vivo assignments into the training process and using progress in these assignments as feedback for further assignment setting. The program, named STAMPS (Social Training for Adolescents: Making Positive Steps) is described in some detail and illustrated with data from a single case. Discussion deals with aspects of the program requiring further investigation, including the selection of peers as potential friends, and the need to modify the program to deal with broader adolescent issues including conflict with authority, teachers, and parents.