School-age children are particularly susceptible to operant conditioning, including learning by observation, or modeling. Children who imitate those they admire (parents, teachers, sports and entertainment figures) derive reinforcement from “being like” their heroes. A potent source of models for the school-age child, like the younger child, is television. By watching television, for example, children learn a great deal about the various roles they may play during their lives, including gender roles, parental roles, and friendship roles. Unfortunately, many of the behaviors modeled on television reflect undesirable stereotypes and antisocial behaviors that may cast a shadow on the child’s future social development. The good news is that prosocial behaviors, when they are modeled on television, are just as influential and apt to be imitated as are antisocial behaviors.

For this activity, I’m going to ask that you watch several hours of kid-friendly television, noting the incidence of aggressive behaviors (defined as overt use of force against others) and differences in how males and females are portrayed. Then answer the below questions:

1. Was there a difference in how often males and females played lead roles in the various programs? If so, what impact do you feel this has on school-age viewers?

2. How often was aggressive behavior modeled by males and females? When aggressive behavior occurred, which sex was more likely to use physical force? nonphysical force?

3. How often were prosocial behaviors (helping, praising, sharing) modeled by females? males?

4. What were the consequences of aggression in the programs you watched? Was aggressive behavior reinforced? Was there a gender difference in the consequences of aggression?

5. What were the consequences of prosocial behaviors in the programs you watched? Was prosocial behavior reinforced? Was there a gender difference in the consequences of prosocial behavior?

6. What differences did you observe in how males and females were portrayed in the various categories of TV programs?

7. What other values, prejudicial attitudes, or stereotypes were reinforced in the programs you watched?

The Case of Lonnie and Dorothy

Individuals or families who need case management services do so because they have a number of problems. Like Lonnie and Dorothy, they may “get by” for a period of time. At some point, their problems escalate, multiply, or both, making it difficult to cope. It is at the end of this case, when Lonnie is beginning to experience some serious medical problems, that you enter their lives as a case manager.

Lonnie and Dorothy live in the southern part of town in a low-income area. At one time, the neighborhood was nice. This was long before Lonnie and Dorothy arrived. They have two grown sons, John and Leroy, who occasionally come by to visit, and a grown daughter they never talk to. Lonnie, 62, works at a nursing home as a janitor. Dorothy, 60, does not work due to health problems, though she has worked as a personal nurse at some time in the past. They have been married for thirty-nine years but do not get along very well. They bicker constantly, and Dorothy has talked of times when Lonnie would lock her in the house due to jealousy while he was at work. Now, they basically coexist together without much substantial interaction.

Lonnie’s job is rough on him—he works seven-day shifts and then has three days off. He drives forty-five minutes to work in his 1985 pickup, on which he is still making payments. He spends all day on his feet and is exhausted when he gets home. For years, Lonnie was the head janitor at a truck stop and enjoyed the job. Unfortunately, he was laid off due to cutbacks and has been trying to find a job with better pay. He has found that his age has kept him from getting better work. He has been working at the nursing home since. He has talked of finding better work, but because he and Dorothy live from paycheck to paycheck, they cannot afford for him to take any kind of pay cut, even temporarily. Lonnie spends most of his spare time in front of the television.

This is hard on Dorothy. Due to heart problems, she is on disability and rarely gets away from the house, often spending days alone in the house. This causes her to be lonely and to have a limited view of the world—the “other side of town” is like another world to her. If she does get away, it is only to go to the grocery store or the pharmacy. She also has a tendency to be paranoid. For instance, if her disability check does not come on the exact day it did the previous month, she spends the afternoon on the phone talking to the disability office and the post office, positive someone has “made a mistake” or has “taken her check.” In some ways this is understandable, since Lonnie and Dorothy need the check to pay their bills. Dorothy’s check pays the rent and what little spending money she gets, while Lonnie’s covers the car payment, food, utilities, and medical bills. They spend every penny each month, leaving nothing for savings. Last month, Lonnie started to have medical problems himself and has had to go the doctor more frequently than usual.

1. Identify the necessary case management roles and purposes for each of the three most important needs Lonnie and Dorothy have.