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Antisocial Children in a Summer Camp
Environment:
A Time-Sampling Study
Feldman, R.A., Wodarski, J.S., & Flax,
N.
Community Mental Health Journal, 11.1
(1975 )10-18
Purpose:
To integrate children labeled as antisocial
into a residential camp for prosocial children
and examine the effects on both groups of
children. The hypothesis is that antisocial
children can benefit from being placed with
prosocial children rather than placement
among other antisocial children for treatment.
Sample:
Five boys, ages 9a
to 12 ½, classified as antisocial, randomly
chosen from a group of 53 children who were
referred to a community based treatment
program, were placed in a coed summer residential
camp with a clientele of 81 boys and 75
girls age 9-16 years. Only the boys groups
participated in the research. The subjects
were broken up into 8 groups; 3 groups included
placement of one antisocial subject, 1 group
included placement of 2 antisocial subjects,
and 4 groups had no antisocial subject placement.
Three categories of subjects were available
for study by this placement:
- Prosocial groups with no antisocial
subjects assigned.
- Prosocial groups with antisocial subject
assignment.
- Antisocial subjects assigned to prosocial
groups.
Methods/Instruments:
- Behavioral checklists of mean number
of antisocial behaviors for antisocial
subjects estimated by:
- Personnel at the referral agencies
- Parents
- Children
Mean scores of the antisocial subjects
were compared with mean scores for a sample
of 260 children who were normally served
by the sponsoring agency of the camp.
- Nonparticipant observation, time sampled
over three periods, by two trained observers
: random selection of observation times,
all children in the group observed, observers
not informed that any children were antisocial,
each subject in the group observed at
10 second intervals. Rating scaled on
prosocial, antisocial and nonsocial behavior.
Results:
- No evidence of long term negative effects
on prosocial children was found.
- No evidence of long term positive effects
on antisocial children was found.
- Prosocial children in unmixed groups:
- Little incidence of antisocial behavior
- Prosocial behavior increased over
time
- Nonsocial behavior decreased over
time
- Antisocial children in mixed groups:
- Relatively low antisocial behavior
- Relatively consistent prosocial
behavior over time
- High incidence of nonsocial behavior
over time.
- Prosocial children in mixed groups:
- Slightly higher antisocial behavior
in first time period, decreased continually
over time.
- Prosocial behavior similar to children
in mixed group, though decreased in
third time period.
- More frequent nonsocial behavior
in third time period.
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