Approaches to empathy training: Programmed methods versus individual supervision and professional versus peer supervisors.

Examined the effects of training method (programmed vs individual supervision) and supervisor experience (peer vs professional) on the learning of empathy. Eight supervisors (4 professional and 4 peer) were assigned 3 Ss in each of 3 groups: individually supervised, programmed, and control. Ss listened to 3 sets of recorded client statements and responded as counselors. The 2 experimental groups received training after the 1st and 2nd sets. The control group received no training. An analysis of recorded responses indicated that the individually supervised Ss achieved a significantly higher level of empathy than the controls. Ss receiving programmed training were intermediate in learning between individually supervised and control Ss. Supervisor experience was not found to be a significant factor as no posttraining differences were noted between professional and peer-trained groups. This result supports the use of peers in such interpersonal skills training. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of matching treatment approaches and personality types in group vocational counseling.

40 university students were identified as either people oriented (PO) or task oriented (TO), on the basis of their responses to the Vocational Preference Inventory. Half of the PO Ss were given group vocational counseling using a learning through interaction method (LTI), and the other half were counseled through a learning through individual problem solving method (LTIPS). Similarly, half of the TO Ss were counseled through LTI and half through LTIPS. Counseling approaches that were congruent with personality types (i.e., LTIPS approach with TO Ss and LTI with PO Ss) were more effective than counseling approaches that did not match personality type. Effectiveness was measured in terms of amount of occupational information sought by Ss, Ss' evaluation of the group experience, and scores on the Attitude scale of the Career Maturity Inventory. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relationship between variety of work experience and personality.

Compared Omnibus Personality Inventory (OPI) scores and a measure of the variety of precollege work experience (Student Profile Report of the American College Test) for 1,330 male and 1,046 female undergraduates. Ss (separated by sex) were randomly selected in groups of 100 each from populations divided into below average, average, and above average work experience. Ss with above average work experience had higher OPI scores on Thinking Introversion and Social Extraversion than Ss with average or below average work scores. Ss with many work experiences had higher scores on Complexity and Impulse Expression and lower scores on Masculinity-Femininity than those Ss with few or average work experiences. There were no sex differences. Findings are interpreted as operationally defining the "work personality." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Those who can, tutor: High-ability students' conceptions of fair ways to organize learning.

When conceptions of fair learning practices of high-ability (HA) students (aged 6–18 yrs) were compared with those from a more representative group, the HA Ss typically chose peer tutoring as fairest. This was the case even though they regularly experienced acceleration and enrichment programs. The 2 groups held equivalent conceptions of fair learning practices. It was not until late adolescence that students in both groups articulated a rationale for placing HA students in accelerated learning programs. HA students were also no more likely than those in the representative group to select the acceleration and enrichment practices they experience as fair. Findings suggest that HA Ss do not emphasize self-interest when evaluating fair practices and are consistent with the cognitive-developmental position that children's evaluations of institutional practices reflect their developing conceptions of social justice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of assertion training on acceptance of disability by physically disabled university students.

This pilot study focused on the effects of assertion training on 14 physically disabled undergraduates' acceptance of disability. A pretest–posttest control group design was utilized. Ss were randomly assigned to either a treatment group or a no-treatment control group. The hypotheses analyzed were that Ss given assertion training would show increases in Acceptance of Disability Scale scores, self-concept/esteem scores (Rathus Assertiveness Scale), and social interaction skills scores (Behavioral Observation Scale) when compared with individuals who did not experience assertion training. Significant results were obtained for all hypotheses indicating that the groups differed in acceptance of disability, self-concept, and social interaction. The study suggests that assertion training may be effective for increasing acceptance of disability in physically disabled students. (11 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Manifest anxiety as a contributing factor in religious conversion.

Investigated the relationship between manifest anxiety and religious conversion. 3 groups of 20 residents in a predominantly Protestant town were identified by the community's 2 ministers: (a) Ss having had a sudden religious conversion experience, (b) Ss having had a more gradual religious development, and (c) Ss who were not religious at all. The MA scale was administered to the members of each group. Group b and Group c did not differ significantly from each other on manifest anxiety, but Group a obtained significantly higher scores on the MA scale than the other 2 groups combined. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Influence of spatial organization in prose learning.

In Exp I, 40 undergraduates either did or did not create a map-like representation while learning a passage. Learners who generated a map exhibited significantly greater retention than did control Ss. In Exp II, 120 undergraduates were either forced to study the map, instructed to study, or given no map prior to reading. Learners who were forced to process performed significantly better than other groups on retention measures. Ss not forced to study performed no better than the control group who received no map. Free-recall data showed that forced map study benefited learners with low vocabulary scores more than Ss with higher vocabulary scores. This was not true for multiple-choice or constructed response measures. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Individual differences in learning: Visual versus auditory presentation.

Investigated the possible interaction of individual differences in learning with mode of presentation. Ss were college students; data analyses were replicated by conducting separate analyses for 2 groups of 77 and 83 Ss, respectively. Each S learned 4 test lists of 20 words each, 2 under auditory and 2 under visual presentation. The main analyses indicated that individual differences in learning were reliable and that individual differences were just as predictable across as within modalities. A complementary analysis showed that Ss could not be reliably classified in terms of auditory–visual preference scores. The findings give no support to the contention that Ss can be classified as auditory learners or visual learners. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Utility of WISC-R subtest analysis in discriminating among groups of conduct problem, withdrawn, mixed, and nonproblem boys.

Examined the ability of WISC-R subtest scores to distinguish among 3 groups of behaviorally disordered boys and a group of nondisordered Ss. The 100 7–16 yr old Ss were assigned to 1 of the 4 groups, based on their scores from the Behavior Problem Checklist. Results suggest that although WISC-R subtest scores distinguished among the groups, their use as a classification metric would be highly misleading. (14 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Tacit knowledge as a predictor of managerial success: A field study.

Tested R. K. Wagner's (1985) tacit knowledge model regarding managerial success. Male volunteers from a large Canadian organization participated in an in-house assessment center as prospective 1st-level supervisors. Ss were from 2 functional areas within the organization: 96 Ss were in engineering and 55 were in equipment. The groups were comparable in age and work experience. Data were collected using performance in a management simulation (MS) and Wagner's Business Management Tacit Knowledge Measure. Tacit knowledge scores were related to performance in the MS, but no evidence was found in support of the proposed substructure of the model. The level and significance of the intercorrelations between actual and ideal scores indicate Ss did not clearly distinguish between these 2 orientations despite the fact that the mean scores on these scales were significantly different for both groups. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Two, three, or four heads are better than one: Modification of college performance by peer monitoring.

Two studies with a total of 621 undergraduates assessed the effects of a peer-monitoring procedure on student performance in a college course. In the 1st study, Ss were assigned a learning partner and informed that their final grade would be determined by the average of their individual performances. A class with traditional grading served as the control group. In the 2nd study, grade averaging was again employed for experimental peer-monitoring groups of 2, 3, or 4 Ss. Here, experimental and control Ss were students in the same course. Both studies indicated the superiority of the peer-monitoring method over the typical individual performance contingency. Peer-monitoring procedures can be implemented in college courses with no added expense and minimal increases in bookkeeping. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of prior group memberships on subsequent reconnaissance activities.

1,134 college freshmen completed an orientation questionnaire assessing their experiences in high school groups and expectations about college groups. 220 Ss were also interviewed later about their behavior toward campus groups at an activities fair. Ss whose experiences in high school groups were more positive tried harder to identify potentially desirable college groups, primarily because they believed that belonging to such groups would be useful for achieving personal goals. Ss with prior experience in relevant high school groups used that experience to evaluate similar college groups and thus made more realistic (less optimistic) evaluations of those groups than did Ss without prior experience. Among Ss who wanted to join a college group, those who had belonged to a relevant high school group behaved differently at the activities fair than did those who had not. Ss with prior experience were more likely to approach their chosen group at the activities fair and to avoid other groups there of a similar sort. (52 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Group therapist self-disclosure: Development and validation of a scale.

Developed the Group Therapist Orientation Scale consisting of 20 Likert-type items designed to measure attitudes toward therapist self-disclosure in group psychotherapy. With an original sample of 143 Ss the scale demonstrated reasonable internal consistency or item homogeneity. Validity data from 5 separate additional samples suggest that scores on the Group Therapist Orientation Scale related meaningfully to actual behavior in a group therapy context. Moreover, scores on the scale were associated with number of years experience as a group psychotherapist, involvement in encounter groups as both a leader and participant, and theoretical orientation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Time allocated and time spent relative to time needed for learning as determinants of achievement.

171 Ss in Grades 4 and 5 who read at grade level were given 3 task presentations, each of which yielded a trials score (trials needed, trials spent, trials allocated) as well as a retention score. In addition to these scores, degree of learning or achievement scores were obtained. Degree of learning was the level of accuracy attained by the last learning trial of each task presentation. Achievement was set for 100% for the time-needed presentation; 91% of Ss reached this criterion. Degree of learning under the time-spent and time-allocated presentations varied from 30 to 100%. The trials-spent:trials-needed ratio scores were calculated for each S. Results show that spending and/or allocating insufficient learning time had a direct negative effect on achievement. Both degree of initial learning and 1-wk retention dropped significantly when Ss spent or were given fewer trials than needed to learn the experimental task. (30 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Accuracy of process consultants and untrained observers in perceiving emergent leadership.

Compared the accuracy of 13 process consultants and 41 untrained undergraduates in judging target group members' consensus on leadership hierarchies. Ss viewed videotapes of student research groups and were asked to judge the group members' rankings of one another along 4 leadership dimensions: vote for coordinator, contributing to a harmonious atmosphere, liking, and participation rates. On the average, Ss were in high agreement with target group members and each other. The process consultants failed to achieve greater accuracy than the untrained undergraduates. In addition, 13 of 16 correlations between the accuracy scores and the consultants' training and experience were negative. Implications are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparison of computer-based versus counselor-based occupational information systems with disadvantaged vocational students.

Based on the rationale that occupational information is an educational essential, 72 Ss, who were occupational work experience 10th-12th graders, were randomly assigned to individual guidance from either a computerized occupational information system or a counselor-based information system or assigned to a control group. Ss were posttested on the Assessment of Career Development to determine which group learned the most information. Results demonstrate a hierarchical learning effect: The computer group learned more than the counseled group, which learned more than the control group. Only the treatment effects were significantly different between the groups, since there was no interaction of IQ and treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Awareness of crime-relevant information and the Guilty Knowledge Test.

The effects of awareness of crime-relevant information on the detection of deception with the Guilty Knowledge Test were examined. Student Ss were assigned to 1 of 3 groups: a guilty group, members of which committed a mock crime; an innocent group aware of details about the crime; or an innocent group unaware of such information. After following instructions, Ss were tested on the polygraph with a 10-item Guilty Knowledge Test and were offered $20 for an innocent test outcome. Skin resistance response scores of guilty Ss lying about crime-relevant information were higher than the scores of innocent informed Ss, whose scores in turn were higher than those of innocent unaware Ss. This replicated findings of an earlier study in which similar procedures were used and supported the view that Ss aware of crime-relevant information can appear less deceptive than Ss lying about crime-relevant information. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of discussion and role-play activities in the acquisition of consultant interview skills.

15 graduate students in each of 2 experimental groups were enrolled in a consultation course in which they received a didactic explanation and viewed a videotaped demonstration of consultant interview skills. Ss in the 1st experimental group participated in role-play practice activities; Ss in the 2nd experimental group participated in discussion activities. 15 graduate students not enrolled in the course comprised a 3rd group, and they received no training. Interview skills of all groups were assessed by rating Ss' oral responses to simulated videotaped consultation interview segments. Results indicate that Ss in the role-play group made a significantly higher mean number of appropriate responses than Ss in either the discussion or control groups. No significant differences were found between Ss in the role-play and discussion groups on degree of satisfaction with the course. (7 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Oral discussion, group-to-individual transfer, and achievement in cooperative learning groups.

75 2nd graders were randomly assigned to cooperative learning groups in which oral discussion was structured or unstructured or to an individualistic learning group so that daily achievement, postinstructional achievement, and retention could be compared. Groups were stratified for sex and ability level. Results show that Ss in cooperative groups performed significantly higher on the accuracy of daily work than did Ss working individually. In addition, the high-, medium-, and low-ability Ss in the structured oral discussion cooperative condition scored higher on the postinstructional and retention tests than did Ss in the other 2 conditions. Ss in the unstructured oral discussion cooperative condition scored higher on these tests than did Ss who learned individually. Findings suggest that group-to-individual transfer takes place within cooperative learning groups and that orally summarizing the material being learned and the monitoring of others' summaries contribute to the efficacy of cooperative learning. (33 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The subject pool.

Ethical principles regarding the research participation of undergraduate students in a required psychology course were formulated, implemented, and evaluated over 3 semesters. Because S participation was in essence voluntary and dependent on the experimenter's decision to solicit certain course sections and because explanation of the research was given to Ss, it was not possible to design studies, draw a random sample, and assign Ss to a treatment condition. Overall, few problems were found. Few students chose not to participate. 71% of Ss felt participation was a valuable learning experience, and this assessment was more likely when an explanation of the experiment had been given to Ss. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)