Enhancing academic achievement in college students through attributional retraining and instruction.

Attributional retraining is a therapeutic method for reinstating psychological control that may be useful for improving students' achievement in the college classroom. After attributional retraining or no training, internal- and external-locus students observed a videotaped lecture presented by either a low- or a high-expressive instructor in a simulated college classroom. One week later they wrote a test on the lecture and on a homework assignment. Attributional retraining improved external, but not internal, students' performance on both the lecture and homework tests. Expressive instruction also enhanced lecture- and homework-related achievement in external students but not in internal students. These results suggest that cognitive factors influencing students' perceived control (e.g., internal/external locus) must be taken into consideration when remedial interventions for academic achievement are developed. The results are interpreted within a social cognition framework. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of trainer expressiveness, organization, and trainee goal orientation on training outcomes.

This laboratory experiment investigated the effects of trainer expressiveness, lecture organization, and trainee goal orientation on training outcomes. Participants (N?=?135) listened to lectures that differed in organization and trainer expressiveness. Participants completed recall and problem-solving tests immediately and 2 days later. The results indicated that participants had the highest recall after an expressive and organized lecture. The findings for problem-solving performance were more complex. Participants with a high mastery orientation had their poorest problem-solving performance after listening to an organized and inexpressive lecture, whereas participants with a low mastery orientation did not respond to the effects of organization or expressiveness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Teaching psychotherapy in an academic setting.

Describes a psychotherapy training program that includes 4 sequentially arranged courses: individual, group, marital, and family therapy. The sequence exposes students to a wide range of therapeutic modalities and interventions. Groups, led by an advanced graduate student, learn through written assignments, oral and written critiques of practice sessions, conferences with leaders and/or the instructor, individual assessment, and corrective feedback during practice sessions. Although it is not a substitute for supervised practicum or internship, the sequence bridges the gap between classroom study and the later performance of psychotherapy in a supervised setting. (13 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Parentline: A demonstration program for graduate practicum training and community service in clinical child psychology.

Describes a telephone consultation service for parents with questions about their children's developmental, behavioral, and learning problems. First-year graduate students participate as staff after having completed an intensive 10-wk training program that provides a knowledge and skill base in assessment, empathic responding, child development, parenting techniques, and change theory. Staff members learn to propose interventions that include providing information, developing individualized management programs, or offering referral assistance. Community utilization of the program as well as the impact of this practicum training experience on graduate students' professional development are discussed. (6 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An information-processing approach to leniency in performance judgments.

The traditional rendering-bias explanation of leniency in performance judgments was postulated to be incomplete. To demonstrate this insufficiency, an encoding-bias model of leniency was proposed, and hypotheses generated from both models were tested in a laboratory experiment. 60 students viewed a videotape of a lecture, and their expectations of providing face-to-face feedback to the instructor were manipulated preobservation, postobservation, or not at all. Dependent variables included measures of encoding, private appraisals, retrieval, and public appraisals. As expected, results supported both explanations of leniency. However, the pattern of results suggests that a retrieval bias may also contribute to leniency in performance judgments. A more complex view of leniency effects is proposed on the basis of principles of motivated cognitive processing. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Teaching evidence-based interventions: Perceptions of influences on use in professional practice in school psychology.

This study examined perceptions of school psychologists regarding their use of evidence-based interventions in school settings after completing a graduate course in school-based psychosocial interventions. Ninety-four individuals who completed the course during the 10 years prior to the study were asked to complete a survey that focused on personal and organizational factors affecting the implementation of evidence-based interventions through assessment of (a) the extent of their use of interventions in professional school psychology practice, (b) perceptions of facilitators to implementation, and (c) perceptions of barriers to implementation. Fifty-four responded (a 57% response rate); analyses were conducted on the responses of 34 individuals who indicated that they were currently school psychologists working in schools. Results indicated that school psychologists’ personal beliefs about the interventions influenced their decisions to implement them. Several evidence-based interventions were less likely to be used in urban practice settings. Training in evidence-based interventions should address the personal and contextual issues that are related to implementation, as well as the procedures of the interventions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Validity and generalizability of student ratings from between-classes and within-class data.

Examined the generalizability and validity of student (N?=?485) ratings by studying within-class and between-classes correlations of ratings with other variables for regular faculty teaching lecture courses as well as for graduate assistants teaching recitation sections. Results indicate that most ratings were highly generalizable but only some were related to learning and that certain aspects of both generalizability and validity varied with instructor's role and with level of data. The implications of these findings for the evaluation of teaching are discussed with reference to 2 alternative paradigms: construct validity and criterion development. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Do prospective workday appraisals influence end-of-workday affect and self-monitored performance?

The current study uses self-regulation as the basis for a model that examines the influence of three types of workday appraisals (resource, task, and response). At the beginning of their workday, a total of 170 faculty, graduate students, and staff of a university completed appraisal ratings of their anticipated workday tasks, resources, and responses. At the end of the workday, they completed assessments of positive and negative affect and self-monitored performance. Results suggested that resource appraisals of control and skills were predictive of task appraisals of difficulty, threat, and ambiguity. Task appraisals were then predictive of both response appraisals, in terms of anticipated support and effort, and self-monitored performance at the end of the day. Anticipated effort and self-monitored performance were both positively related to positive affect at the end of the day. Anticipated support and self-monitored performance were both negatively related to negative affect at the end of the day, while threat task appraisals were positively related to negative affect. Implications of the results for workplace interventions are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The role of the consulting psychologist in the prevention, detection, and correction of bullying and mobbing in the workplace.

It is clear that psychological aggression is both common in workplaces and harmful to individuals and organizations. An emerging line of research examines organizational responses to allegations of bullying and mobbing. As a result, some researchers now identify processes for detecting, correcting, and preventing bullying and mobbing. Strategies to improve the quality of working life such as surveillance, policy development, training, coaching, and the development of selection, performance management, and reward systems that set standards for collaborative and supportive behavior at work are all necessary to move organizations toward eliminating tolerance of bullying and mobbing. Consulting psychologists have the expertise to provide such interventions because of their in-depth understanding of personality, testing, and assessment, and the application of these concepts to selection, coaching, and performance management. The consulting psychologist brings an attention to human factors that humanize the workplace. The author reviews research on bullying and mobbing, adds practitioner insights based on 13 years of practice in this area, and discusses interventions applied in practice settings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Observing leader behavior: Toward reciprocal determinism in leadership theory.

Developed and explored observational measures of leader behavior, relying on a "reciprocal determinism" viewpoint of causality (leader behavior is seen as both a cause of subordinate behavior and caused by it). In Exp I, 28 male undergraduates assumed the role of subordinate in groups of 2 Ss and took part in 1 of 5 experimental interchanges with a "supervisor" (1 of the experimenters). Results show that observational methods of leader verbal behavior were feasible. In Exp II, 10 graduate students performed the role of leader and were subjected to laboratory manipulations of subordinate performance. Results show that 80% of verbal behavior of Ss concentrated on a methods approach as opposed to about 20% effort oriented toward a motivational-verbal approach. Motivational behavior was the most responsive to the performance manipulations. (35 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of previous performance on evaluations of present performance.

In Study 1, 82 undergraduates viewed 3 videotaped lectures presented by the same lecturer. Ss in the good-performance condition viewed 2 good lectures, followed by a lecture of average quality. Ss in the poor-performance condition viewed 2 poor lectures, followed by the same average lecture. Results show significant contrast effects both for ratings of the frequency of several critical behaviors and for performance evaluations. Ss in the poor-performance condition assigned more favorable behavior ratings and higher performance evaluation ratings to the 3rd (average) lecture than did Ss in the good-performance condition. In Study 2, 71 Ss were used to test the hypothesis that memory biases were responsible for the contrast effects observed in Study 1. Ss viewed the same videotapes but rated the 3rd tape from memory the day after viewing the tape. Results show weak, nonsignificant contrast effects, suggesting that memory biases were not sufficient to explain the results of Study 1. (45 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of instructor-delivered sequential evaluative feedback upon student's subsequent classroom-related performance and instructor ratings.

128 college students were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 instructor-delivered evaluative feedback conditions (uniformly positive, uniformly negative, negative-to-positive, or positive-to-negative). Expectations for subsequent performance were effectively manipulated by false evaluative feedback. Ss then listened to an audiotaped lecture, after which they took an exam on the lecture (the performance measure). Finally, Ss rated the instructor who gave the audiotaped lecture. The instructor-delivered evaluative feedback manipulation had a significant effect on the Ss' performance and ratings of the instructor, such that performance was better and ratings of the instructor were higher in the uniformly positive condition, followed, respectively, by the negative-to-positive, positive-to-negative, and uniformly negative conditions. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Improving the undergraduate lecture class by use of student-led discussion groups.

To enhance the learning potential of a large undergraduate lecture class (N = 104) small heterogeneous groups of 5-6 Ss were formed. The groups were arranged on the basis of differences in background course experience, grades, leadership experience, major field, sex, ethnic group, and scores on Rotter's Internal-External Control Scale. Groups met regularly and were required to produce 4 open-ended discussion papers. Anonymous reaction forms completed at the end of the course support the hypothesis that Ss would perceive the groups as facilitative to both problem-solving and interpersonal learning. The obtained correlations between group performance and content-oriented final examination scores suggest the need for further investigation of the groups' value as an assessment device for content learning. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of subsequent performance on evaluations of previous performance.

Tested the hypothesis that subsequent performance levels would bias the recall and evaluations of a ratee's previous level of performance with 183 undergraduates, who rated 3 videotaped lectures in either immediate or delayed rating conditions. The 1st videotape depicted an average level of performance and was followed by either 2 good lectures or 2 poor lectures. A significant performance level?×?time of rating interaction was found, in which memory-based ratings were biased in the direction of subsequent performance (i.e., when there was a delay between observation and rating, Ss who had seen an average lecture followed by good lectures rated that average lecture more favorably than did Ss who had seen that same lecture followed by poor lectures). It is suggested that raters are biased in favor of recalling behaviors that are consistent with their general impression of a ratee and that subsequent performance may systematically alter the rater's recall of the ratee's previous behavior. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Major developments in behavioral diabetes research.

Over the past decade, there has been a major increase in behavioral diabetes research. This review focuses on 6 areas: self-treatment, psychosocial impact, diabetes-specific assessment, psychological stress, weight loss intervention, and neuropsychological effects. There has been great progress in identifying factors that predict self-treatment behaviors and psychological adjustment. This research has produced a number of diabetes-specific assessment tools. Psychological stress appears to affect both the etiology and the control of diabetes, but underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Weight loss studies demonstrate the potential benefits of behavioral interventions for diabetes management. Both acute and chronic abnormalities in diabetic blood glucose cause neuropsychological impairments and may cause permanent deficits. The challenge for the next decade is to translate these findings into interventions that improve the quality of life and physical well-being for individuals with diabetes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Test Anxiety and Academic Performance in Undergraduate and Graduate Students.

This study investigated the relationship between test anxiety and academic performance in 4,000 undergraduate and 1,414 graduate students and found a significant but small inverse relationship between test anxiety and grade point average (GPA) in both groups. Low-test-anxious undergraduates averaged a B+, whereas high-test-anxious students averaged a B. Low-test-anxious female graduate students had significantly higher GPAs than high-test-anxious female graduate students, but there were no significant GPA differences between low- and high-test-anxious male graduate students. Female undergraduates had significantly higher test anxiety and higher GPAs than male undergraduates, and female graduate students had significantly higher test anxiety and higher GPAs than male graduate students. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An Examination of the Structure and Nomological Network of Trainee Reactions: A Closer Look at "Smile Sheets".

Although D. L. Kirkpatrick (1959, 1996) popularized the concept of trainee reactions over 40 years ago, few studies have critically examined trainees' reactions to learning events. In this article, research on mood and emotion is used to develop a theoretical framework for research on trainee reactions. Two studies examine the factor structure of reactions and their nomological network. In Study 1, 178 undergraduate and 101 graduate students listened to a computer-delivered multimedia lecture. Results suggest that (a) reactions can be conceptualized as hierarchical, with overall satisfaction explaining associations among distinct reaction facets (enjoyment, relevance, and technology satisfaction), and (b) reactions are predicted by trainee characteristics. In Study 2, 97 undergraduates experienced the same lecture in 1 of 3 randomly assigned delivery technologies. Reactions were influenced by technology and were related to learning process (engagement) and outcomes (intentions regarding delivery technology, content, and learning). Both studies support the theoretical framework proposed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of sex guilt and sexual arousal on the retention of birth control information.

Tested the notion that high-sex-guilt individuals have difficulty retaining sex-related information. 28 male and 28 female undergraduates were assigned in equal numbers to a high and a low sex-guilt group. Within each group, 1/2 of the Ss were sexually stimulated by reading erotic passages, while 1/2 read neutral passages. All Ss then listened to a lecture on birth control and took an exam based on the lecture. Results indicate that high-sex-guilt Ss retained less lecture information than low-guilt Ss. In addition, sexually stimulated Ss displayed poorer lecture retention than nonstimulated Ss. Across all conditions, females retained more lecture information than males. Results support the hypothesis that guilt-generated anxiety raises arousal past the optimum level necessary for efficient recall performance. Females had a greater interest in learning about birth control than males. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The next generation: How are clinical child psychologists being trained?

A survey of doctoral programs in psychology examined the extent to which 17 key program components, derived from Roberts et al. (1998), are integrated into graduate training programs in clinical child psychology. Results from 29 programs indicate that training is comprehensive and addresses a variety of components related to development, assessment, intervention, context and community, diversity, and ethical and legal issues. In addition, 93% of the programs require exposure to, experience with, or expertise in evidence-based interventions, suggesting a robust focus on this issue. Programs vary in number of students admitted, number of faculty, and number of child-oriented practicum placements available; more than 80% offer practicum at program-administered clinics or centers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)