Comparing the effects of an affective and a behavioral counselor style on client interview behavior.

Examined the effects of affective and behavioral interview styles on client environmental contingency; goal-related, action-step-related, and self-reference affect; and time-oriented statements. 24 female student teachers were assigned to 2 treatment conditions for 2 25-min interviews scheduled 1 wk apart. Only half of the Ss experienced the counselor style they had preferred during an earlier sampling study. The 7 verbal dependent variables were subjected to an analysis of variance for a 2 (Styles) * 2 (Preference) * 2 (experimenters) factorial design. The behavioral style significantly increased client environmental contingency, goal-related, and action-step-related statements. Results show that counselor interview styles differentially prepare clients to describe their behavior in specific behavioral terms and engage in goal-setting and action-step-planning phases of counseling. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Racial effects in counseling-like interviews: An experimental analogue.

Examined racial E effects in counseling-like interviews employing the verbal operant-conditioning paradigm. The general objective was to determine whether significant differences in the conditionability of 12 Black and 12 White female college students, as measured by their emission of positive and negative self-reference emotional affect statements, would obtain when the verbal reinforcement was provided by 2 Black and 2 White Es. A postexperimental inquiry assessed Ss' perceptions of the interviews and their level of awareness of the Es' to influence their verbal behavior. While no definitive conclusions were reached, this study demonstrates that the verbal operant-conditioning paradigm can be used to investigate racial effects on verbal behavior in the counseling interview. Through the use of multiple, biracial Es and Ss, this study goes a step further than other verbal operant-conditioning studies that have explored racial E effects. The absence of significant differences in the E-S racial interaction suggests that race, per se, may not be the most important variable in the E-S (or counselor-client) relationship. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Counselor trainee anxiety during the initial counseling interview.

Investigated the nature and extent of anxiety experienced by beginning practicum students in their initial client interviews. Ss were 20 of 21 students enrolled in a master's level course in supervised counseling experience. Anxiety was assessed by self-report, skin conductance, and heart rate measures obtained in anticipation of and during stimulus situations of reading an article and counseling a client. The design was a 2–2 (Periods?×?Sessions) within-Ss factorial. Results indicate that Ss were more anxious on physiological and self-report measures of anxiety during the counseling interview than during reading. Although most of the self-report data were not related to autonomic arousal during the interview, baseline autonomic data were highly related to autonomic response during the interview. Also, self-report predictions of anxiety were related to self-report anxiety during the interview. It is concluded that (a) the counseling interview is an anxiety-evoking situation, (b) much of the anxiety can be accounted for by Ss' expectations, and (c) anxiety is most meaningfully discussed within the framework of response dimensions. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Counselor power base, influence attempt, and behavior change in counseling.

Gave a 30-min individual interview to 48 college males, all of whom described themselves as "procrastinators." The interview explored current and historical difficulties stemming from Ss' procrastination, and ended with an interviewer attempt to influence Ss to take some specific action on the procrastination issue of greatest current concern. 8 experimental conditions were defined by (a) the 2 interviews, (b) "expert" or "referent" roles, and (c) delivery of influence attempt in a manner congruent with the "expert" or "referent" power base. Results show that (a) Ss perceived interviewers as intended, (b) Ss were induced to perform important behaviors outside the interview situation, (c) the expert and referent power bases were not differentially effective in inducing S compliance, and (d) the frequency of differential conformity in the power-congruent vs power-incongruent conditions approached statistical significance. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Behavioral analysis of client learning style during counseling.

Examined differences in the verbal behavior of 17 undergraduates classified as deep–elaborative learners and 13 undergraduates classified as shallow–reiterative learners on the basis of their scores on the Inventory of Learning Processes. Ss discussed personal problems in 2 30-min interviews with 1 of 2 female counselors. Verbal behavior of deep–elaborative Ss was rated as clearer, deeper, and more conclusion-oriented and personal than that of shallow–reiterative Ss by 2 male trained raters. Solely on the basis of this verbal behavior, both the raters and the counselors correctly identified the information-processing group to which each S belonged. There were no differences between groups on counseling satisfaction. Discussion of relationship problems was rated most deep–elaborative and discussion of academic problems most shallow–reiterative. (26 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An evaluation of empathic listening in telephone counseling.

Two counseling-analog studies compared empathic-listening and active advice-giving styles of telephone counseling; Ss were 88 undergraduates (81 "callers" and 7 "helpers"). Nonsignificant trends of preference for the advice-giving style in Study 1 led to the comparison in Study 2 of these same styles with a 3rd combined counselor role. Results consistently indicate significant participant preference for active advice giving on overall call evaluation and on the 2 major factors (Helpfulness of Call and Helper Likability) of the evaluation questionnaire. Implications of the findings for paraprofessional training and outcome evaluation of ongoing telephone-counseling services are discussed. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Trustworthiness and influence: A reexamination in an extended counseling analogue.

An extended counseling analog interview study was designed to evaluate the effects of counselor trustworthiness on counselor influence in an interview setting. 36 college males rated their achievement motivation (a) 1 wk before, (b) immediately following, and (c) 1 wk after the 2nd of 2 20-min individual interviews in which they explored their achievement motivation. Both interviews ended with an attempt by an interviewer to influence their achievement-motivation ratings. Four conditions were defined by (1) 2 male interviewers and (2) trustworthy and untrustworthy interviewer role performance. Results indicate that the role manipulation was successful. These role discriminations continued to persist, as measured by the 2nd role ratings taken 1 wk after the original ratings. Results indicate that interviewer trustworthiness had no immediate effect on interviewer influence but did exert a significant influence at the 1-wk follow-up testing. (12 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Countertransference behavior and management with survivors of sexual assault.

Examined the impact of therapist gender on countertransference behavior toward rape survivors and tested a 2-step model of countertransference management. The model recommends awareness of countertransference feelings (ACF) followed by employment of theoretical framework to understand these feelings. 47 counseling and clinical psychology graduate students (aged 20–44 yrs) completed measures of ACF and of theoretical framework. 1 wk later, countertransferential "approach" and "avoidance" behaviors were assessed as Ss responded to videotapes of an actress portraying a client survivor of date rape. Based on hierarchical regression analysis, an interaction effect was identified between ACF and theoretical framework. A combination of high ACF and high theoretical framework yielded the least avoidance behavior. As hypothesized, male therapists provided significantly more avoidance responses to the rape survivor than did female therapists. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Changes in counseling skills during graduate and undergraduate study.

Compared 13 graduate students in a 1-yr counseling psychology program with 13 psychology undergraduates. 20-min counseling sessions were held on a pre- and postacademic year basis, and counselor verbal responses were analyzed using the C. E. Hill et al (1981) counselor verbal response category system. Undergraduate and graduate Ss both decreased their use of minimal encouragers and increased their information responses, closed questions, and restatements. Graduate-trained Ss used more open questions and more confrontations and tended to use fewer interpretations than did undergraduates when postinterview responses were compared with preinterview responses. Undergraduates increasingly used other responses, whereas graduates virtually eliminated these irrelevant responses from their postyear verbal behavior. In addition to changes in verbal behavior, graduates increased their inner-directedness and self-acceptance as measured by the Personal Orientation Inventory. (30 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interactional structure of interviews conducted by counselors of differing levels of cognitive complexity.

Investigated (a) the probabilistic interactional structure of counseling interviews conducted by 2 groups of counselors of differing levels of cognitive complexity and (b) the consistency of that structure within each group across sequences of 2 interviews. 26 master's level counselor trainees served as Ss. Analysis of the counselor–client interaction patterns between the 2 groups of counselors and across the 2-interview sequences was done using chi-square tests of homogeneity on the sequential verbal response–response transitions of the counseling interviews. The results provide evidence of (a) interactional process differences between counselors of differing levels of cognitive complexity and (b) consistency of interactional response patterns across counseling interviews. (30 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of locus of control, instructions, and verbal conditioning on self-referenced affect in a counseling interview.

Examined the relationships between locus of control, specificity of instruction, and verbal conditionability on self-referenced affect in a counseling analog interview. 118 female undergraduates were administered Rotter's Internal–External Locus of Control Scale. On the basis of scores tabulated for H. L. Mirels's factor of personal internality, 40 Ss were classified as internals or externals and were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 conditions: general instructions or specific instructions. All Ss then participated in an interview with a counselor. The interview was divided into 3 sections: baseline, conditioning, and extinction. During the conditioning period, the counselor verbalized self-referenced affect and reflection of feeling on a 2-min interval schedule. Results indicate that specific instructions combined with verbal conditioning procedures produced the greatest increase in self-referenced affect for both internal and external Ss. Findings are discussed in relation to the directive and instigational functions of instructions on internal/external Ss. Implications for future research are outlined. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An assessment of the gap between counseling theory and practice.

Used microcounseling procedures to assess differences between intended counseling behavior and actual practice among 43 graduate students in counselor education. A paradigm developed by D. H. Frey was used to divide counseling behavior into 4 types: rational-insight counseling, affective-insight counseling, affective-action counseling, and rational-action counseling. Ss met with 1 of 2 distinctly different coached clients in a 4-min videotaped microcounseling interview in which both self- and peer ratings were obtained. No significant differences were found between intended and actual behavior as perceived by the counselors themselves, but their intended behavior was significantly different from peer perceptions of interview behavior. Client type had no effect. Results indicate that beginning counselors have a need to see their counseling as being theoretically consistent, even when peer ratings indicate a gap between the beginning theoretical stance and actual practice. (32 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Patient exposition and provider explanation in routine interviews and hypertensive patients' blood pressure control.

Studied the effects of verbal behavior by the patient and the health care provider on the subsequent control of hypertension in a sample of 217 Ss and 9 health care providers. It was hypothesized that both exposition of symptoms by the patient and explanation of illness and treatment by the provider would enhance subsequent control. Patient exposition was significantly correlated with a reduction in blood pressure from the initial to the subsequent home visit, but not with clinic or home interview pressures themselves. Provider explanation was significantly correlated with lower blood pressure at home interview, but not with a change in blood pressure between interviews. The hypothesis was partially confirmed, with implications for hypertension treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Teaching counselor trainees to respond consistently to different aspects of anger.

Examined the effects of verbal practice training procedures in teaching counselor trainees to consistently respond to 2 aspects of client anger: form (passive or aggressive manner) and direction (toward or away from the counselor). 48 graduate students were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 videotaped counselor training procedures. After training, each S was assigned to 2 of the 4 anger conditions and was asked to conduct 2 10-min counseling sessions. Ss in either of the 2 experimental conditions, verbal practice with modeling or verbal practice without modeling, were significantly more consistent in responding to the confederate clients' anger than were those in the control group. The treatment effects were maintained 1 wk later. Significant differences were also found for direction of client anger and the interaction between treatments and direction. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparison of professional versus student ratings of job interviewee behavior.

Designed a replication of research by T. McGovern and H. Tinsley (1978) which asked professional personnel representatives to rate a videotaped job interviewee. Nonprofessional undergraduates were used as the raters of job interviewee behavior. Content of the interviews was constant; nonverbal behavior was experimentally manipulated. The results obtained with the student raters closely parallel those of professionals. The student Ss were able to discriminate nonverbal behaviors such as eye contact, voice tone, and body movement in making their evaluations. The implications for future research with students as Ss and the development of peer counseling programs for job interview preparation are discussed. (9 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Increasing information-seeking behavior with a model-reinforced videotape.

Studied the effects of a model-reinforced videotape in increasing vocational information-seeking behavior (writing, observing, reading, listening, visiting, and talking) in an outreach, self-instruction-oriented career information resource center for 42 college students assigned to 1 of 3 treatments in a posttest-only design. Results show increased type and frequency of information-seeking behavior for Ss viewing the model videotape in comparison to other Ss using the program. Differential effects of the treatment categories were noted for males and females, with females seeking wider varieties and types of vocational information and males engaging in more frequent information-seeking behaviors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Help-seeking attitudes and perceptions of counselor behavior.

Evaluated with 219 female undergraduates the Fischer-Turner Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help inventory and its component factor scales in terms of their "known groups" validity and their predictive utility in counseling research. Ss reporting prior professional assistance for psychological problems espoused more favorable attitudes (including greater recognition of need, stigma tolerance, interpersonal openness, and confidence in mental health practitioners) than Ss without such professional contact. Ss listened to taped counseling interviews and rated the counselors on several perceptual and expectancy variables (including the Relationship Inventory). Help-seeking attitudes were found to represent a significant positive influence on the counselors' perceived expertise, trustworthiness, regard, empathy, genuineness, and general helpfulness; on Ss' expected willingness to return for a 2nd interview; and on their expectancies of improvement across a variety of personal problems. (29 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)