Cognitive modification of test anxious college students.

Assigned 15 male and 6 female test anxious 17-25 yr. olds (1 high school student and 20 undergraduates) to a group cognitive modification treatment, group desensitization, or a waiting list control group. The cognitive modification group combined an insight-oriented therapy which was designed to make test anxious Ss aware of their anxiety-engendering thoughts with a modified desensitization procedure which employed (a) coping imagery on how to handle anxiety and (b) self-instructional training to attend to the task and not ruminate about oneself. Results indicate that the cognitive modification group was most effective in significantly reducing test anxiety as assessed by (a) test performance obtained in an analog test situation, (b) self-reports given immediately after posttreatment and later at a 1-mo follow-up, and (c) GPA. Following treatment, the test anxious Ss in the cognitive modification group did not differ from a group of 10 low test anxious Ss, and in fact the cognitive modification Ss reported a significant increase in facilitative anxiety. (63 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive modification and systematic desensitization with test anxious high school students.

30 10th-grade, test anxious (Achievement Anxiety Test) students were randomly assigned in equal numbers to either a cognitive modification, systematic desensitization, or waiting-list control group. The Raven Standard Progressive Matrices (RSPM), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory—State form (STAI-S), and the Anxiety Differential were administered as pre- and posttests. Statistically significant Treatment?×?Time interactions emerged on the RSPM and the STAI-S, favoring an increase for the systematic desensitization treatment on the RSPM and a decrease for the cognitive modification treatment on the STAI-S. (11 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Measuring university students' self-efficacy to use drinking self-control strategies.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 25(2) of Psychology of Addictive Behaviors (see record 2011-11646-004). There is an error in Table 3. Item 8 in the table should have read: “Start off with at least 1 nonalcoholic drink before you start drinking alcohol.”] Using a Web-based, self-administered questionnaire, we assessed 498 university-student drinkers' self-efficacy to use 31 different behavioral strategies to reduce excessive drinking in each of three different locations (bar, party, own dorm/apartment). Averaging all 31 items within each drinking situation to create a single scale score revealed high internal consistency reliabilities and moderate inter-item correlations. Testing the association of self-efficacy with drinking location, sex, and frequency of recent binge drinking, we found that respondents reported higher self-efficacy to use these strategies when drinking in their own dorm/apartment than when drinking in bars and at parties; women reported higher mean self-efficacy than men; and drinkers who engaged in 3-or-more binges in the previous 2 weeks reported lower self-efficacy than those who reported either 0 or 1-or-2 binges in the same time period. This questionnaire could be used to identify self-efficacy deficits among clients with drinking problems and as an outcome measure to assess the degree to which interventions influence reported confidence to use specific drinking-reduction strategies in high-risk drinking situations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive and behavioral targets in a self-control therapy program for depression.

One-hundred-four women who met Research Diagnostic Criteria for nonpsychotic, nonbipolar Major Affective Disorder were treated in 21 therapy groups for 10 weekly 1? hr sessions. Three versions of the self-control therapy program for depression, one with a behavioral target, one with a cognitive target, and one with a combined target, were used to treat 7 groups each. All conditions improved significantly and equally on self-report and clinician rating scales of depression. All conditions improved equally on measures of both behavioral and cognitive target variables, and initial level on these variables was not related to outcome. (41 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive strategies and the client conceptualization process.

Used perspectives from cognitive psychology to (1) examine the manner in which 27 doctoral-level counseling psychology students formulated conceptualizations of a client and (2) describe cognitive strategies employed to accommodate additional information about, and observations of, the client over time. Ss read a brief paragraph about and viewed a 5-min videotape of a client being interviewed. Ss then answered questions about the foci for counseling this client and the questions they would ask. Convergent or divergent conceptual strategies were identified and were found to be associated significantly with Ss' amount of previous counseling experience and with the extent of their formal training. Ss with more experience showed greater early convergence. Ss' confidence in their conceptualizations was related significantly to gender and to amount of exposure to the client. Females were consistently more confident than males. Findings are discussed in terms of cognitive capabilities and of students' self-perceptions and expectations. (7 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Causal attributions of hyperactive children: Implications for teaching strategies and self-control.

The combined influence of attribution and self-control training on the short- and long-term maintenance of strategic behavior, impulsivity, and beliefs about self-efficacy was assessed in 77 underachieving, hyperactive children. During 4 sessions, children in a self-control condition received self-management training and instructions in the use of interrogative and clustering rehearsal strategies. Children in a self-control plus attribution condition received the same instructions plus training designed to enhance general and program-specific beliefs about the importance of effort in improving performance. Children in a control condition were given strategy training but received no self-control or attribution instructions. Analysis of short-term treatment effects showed that children who received attribution training used more complex strategies, demonstrated higher personal causality scores endorsing effort, and displayed reduced impulsivity. Ten months following training, children in the self-control plus attribution condition persisted in their use of acquired strategies, maintained beliefs about the importance of effort, and displayed more mature memory knowledge. Severely hyperactive children, who had received the attributional boost, showed decreased hyperactivity in the classroom and improved self-control. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Teacher motivational strategies and student self-determination in physical education.

Physical education teachers can influence students' self-determination through the motivational strategies they use. In this study, the authors examined the relationship between teachers' perceptions of class average self-determination, the teachers' self-determination, and their reported use of 3 motivational strategies: autonomy support, structure, and involvement. They examined the relationship between the 3 motivational strategies, students' perceptions of psychological need satisfaction, and students' self-determination. They also investigated the relationship between teachers' and students' self-determination. Multilevel and standard regression analyses revealed that teachers' perceptions of class average self-determination predicted their reported use of the motivational strategies, and this relationship was mediated by their own self-determination. Student perceptions of the three strategies had a positive effect on their own self-determination, and this relationship was mediated by their reported satisfaction of autonomy and competence. Finally, teachers' self-determination did not predict students' self-determination. The importance of promoting an adaptive motivational climate for both teachers and students is discussed with reference to self-determination theory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Conserving self-control strength.

Individuals may be motivated to limit their use of self-control resources, especially when they have depleted some of that resource. Expecting to need self-control strength in the future should heighten the motivation to conserve strength. In 4 experiments, it was found that depleted participants who anticipated exerting self-control in the future performed more poorly in an intervening test of self-control than participants who were not depleted, and more poorly than those who did not expect to exert self-control in the future. Conversely, those who conserved strength performed better on tasks that they conserved the strength for as compared with those who did not conserve. The underlying economic or conservation of resource model sheds some light on the operation of self-control strength. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive style effects on sex status in student work groups.

Studied the mediating effect of field independence on sex difference in activity and influence in 27 task groups, each composed of 2 male and 2 female 9th-11th graders. All Ss were administered the Group Embedded Figures Test, portable rod-and-frame test, and Extended Range Vocabulary Test, Form B-3. Ss, matched for verbal ability and field independence within groups, were videotaped discussing a decision-making task. Videotapes were coded for individual verbal activity and influence. A hierarchical analysis of variance design was used, with the effects of cognitive style group, sex, and replication assessed in order. Results indicate Sex * Cognitive Style interaction effects, with males more active and influential than females in field-dependent groups, males more active but not more influential than females in middle-range groups, and males and females equally active and influential in field-independent groups. (33 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive strategies and strategic learning: The socio-instructional approach.

Recent developmental studies have focused on children's learning strategies and on the socio-instructional dynamics that foster strategic learning. The introduction of Vygotsky's concept of the zone of proximal development has been central to this research effort. Zone theory is discussed in the context of traditional cognitive strategies research and in terms of its practical applications. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Construal levels and self-control.

The authors propose that self-control involves making decisions and behaving in a manner consistent with high-level versus low-level construals of a situation. Activation of high-level construals (which capture global, superordinate, primary features of an event) should lead to greater self-control than activation of low-level construals (which capture local, subordinate, secondary features). In 6 experiments using 3 different techniques, the authors manipulated construal levels and assessed their effects on self-control and underlying psychological processes. High-level construals led to decreased preferences for immediate over delayed outcomes, greater physical endurance, stronger intentions to exert self-control, and less positive evaluations of temptations that undermine self-control. These results support a construal-level analysis of self-control. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Testing the cognitive content-specificity hypothesis with anxious and depressed youngsters.

A. T. Beck's (1976) cognitive model of psychopathology stipulates that each emotional disorder can be characterized by a cognitive content specific to that disorder. Although other aspects of Beck's theory have been empirically supported with youngsters, few have tested the applicability of the cognitive content-specificity hypothesis to children. 45 youngsters in Grades 4–7 who met diagnostic criteria of the DSM-III—R for a depressive or anxiety disorder and 18 controls completed measures of anxious and depressive cognitions. Analysis revealed that the valence of depressive cognitions played an important role in distinguishing the anxious group from the depressed and mixed groups. Specifically, negatively worded items did not differentiate between groups as well as positively worded items. The anxious, depressed, and mixed depressed-anxious groups were not differentiated on the basis of the anxious cognitions. The results provide partial support for Beck's cognitive content-specificity hypothesis and the broader positive–negative affectivity construct. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The relationship between drinking control strategies and college student alcohol use.

Interventions designed to reduce heavy drinking among college students often contain suggestions for drinking control strategies. However, little is known about the relationship between the use of these strategies and alcohol consumption. The authors developed a measure of drinking control strategies and investigated its psychometric properties in a sample of 250 college drinkers. Strategies clustered into three factors: selective avoidance of heavy drinking activities and situations, strategies used while drinking, and alternatives to drinking. These three types of strategies were independently associated with alcohol use; however, the first and last types were negatively associated with alcohol consumption, whereas the second type was positively associated with alcohol use. The findings from this study suggest that the type of strategy recommended may be important when the goal is alcohol reduction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive and behavioral coping strategies in the reappraisal of stressful social situations.

Compared cognitive and behavioral coping strategies for eliciting reappraisal of stressful social situations in 22 male and 27 female 7th and 8th graders. In the cognitive coping condition Ss were trained to attend objectively to the aversive cues in the stimulus person and were encouraged to reconsider their aversiveness. In the behavioral coping condition Ss were trained to develop more adequate behaviors for coping with the stressful situation. These 2 strategies were tested alone and in combination against an identification-control condition. The coping strategies were more effective in eliciting positive reappraisal of the stressful situation than was the control condition. The behavioral coping strategy resulted in a greater reduction of cue aversiveness. Findings stress the importance of behavioral coping in the reappraisal of stressful stimuli. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive behavioral relapse prevention strategies and aftercare in alcoholism rehabilitation.

Examines the effect of aftercare on the outcome of alcoholism treatment and presents conceptual and practical similarities between the functions of aftercare services and cognitive-behavioral relapse-prevention (RP) approaches. Results of a previous study (J. R. Ito et al; see record 1989-02921-001) were examined. The study compared an RP therapy group with an interpersonal-process (IP) therapy group during the 2 mo following completion of inpatient treatment in a veterans medical center. Both interventions had similar impacts on drinking-related outcome measures. However, Ss in the RP group tended to have fewer drinking days, to be more likely to complete their contract for extended aftercare, and to show an increase in self-efficacy and a decrease in drinking-related temptation relative to those in the IP group. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Minority students' self-control of procrastination.

Examined the effects of self-monitoring alone and self-monitoring plus self-reward on 3 academic and 3 related procrastinative behaviors of 6 academically disadvantaged minority undergraduates. It was hypothesized that self-monitoring plus self-reward would increase academic behaviors and decrease related procrastinating behaviors. It was also predicted that self-monitoring alone would not be as effective as with reward. A 3rd hypothesis was that Ss would be able to maintain multiple self-reward contracts simultaneously. Research assistants recorded academic, procrastinative, and percentage of initial contract maintenance behaviors. Results indicate that Ss self-monitored consistently and accurately and self-rewarded frequently the occurrences of their academic behaviors. Self-monitoring alone did not reduce academic or procrastinative behaviors. Self-monitoring plus self-reward was effective in producing substantial increases in academic behaviors and grades and in producing decreases in related procrastinative behaviors. Ss were able to initiate sequential multiple self-reward contracts and to continue these self-reward contracts simultaneously. (40 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Counteractive self-control in overcoming temptation.

How do anticipated short-term costs affect the likelihood of engaging in an activity that has long-term benefits. Five studies investigated the factors that determine (a) how anticipated short-term costs elicit self-control efforts and (b) how self-control efforts eventually diminish the influence of short-term costs on behavior. The studies manipulated short-term costs (e.g., painful medical procedures) and assessed a variety of self-control strategies (e.g., self-imposed penalties for failure to undergo a test). The results show that short-term costs elicit self-control strategies for self rather than others, before rather than after behavior, when long-term benefits are important rather than unimportant and when the costs are moderate rather than extremely small or large. The results also show that the self-control efforts help people act according to their long-term interests. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Determinants of justification and self-control.

The authors propose that people use 2 routes in justifying self-gratification: 1st through hard work or excellence (entitlement) and the 2nd through the attainment of vices without depleting income. This framework was tested using real tasks and choices adopted from prior research on self-control. The results indicate that (a) higher effort and (bogus) excellence feedback increase preferences for vice rewards, but these effects are reversed or attenuated when the interchangeability of effort and income is implied; (b) willingness to pay in effort is greater for vices than virtues, but willingness to pay in income is higher for virtues; and (c) these effects are magnified among individuals with stronger (chronic or manipulated) guilt. The authors discuss the ability of the justification routes to explain the findings of prior self-control research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Weight gain through self-control procedures.

21 underweight (at least 10%) undergraduates were assigned to either a self-reinforcement condition, a self-punishment condition, or to a discussion-reflection control condition. Ss received 1 weekly treatment session over a 5-wk period. Following treatment, the self-reinforcement groups gained significantly more pounds (kilograms) than either the self-punishment or the control group. This effect was maintained at a 12-wk follow-up. The punishment and control groups did not differ significantly at posttest or at follow-up. Similar results were obtained when percentage of weight change was analyzed, with the treatment effect significant at follow-up. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)