Pretesting effects in the evaluation of social skills training.

Evaluated the effects of pretesting in conjunction with a group social skills training program, using a wide variety of outcome measures. Half of the 46 undergraduate Ss were self-referred, while the other half were volunteers from an introductory psychology class. A Solomon 4-groups design was used to evaluate the effects of pretesting, the skills training program, and their interaction. Strong evidence of pretesting effects was found for measures associated with a behavioral forced interaction task. Implications of the results for selection of outcome measures are discussed. (4 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social skills training with schizophrenics: A meta-analytic evaluation.

A meta-analytic review of 27 studies on social skills training with schizophrenics was conducted to address 3 critical issues in the literature: (1) the magnitude of treatment effects relative to different outcome measures; (2) the extent of the generalization and maintenance of treatment effects; and (3) the impact of 2 methodological issues: diagnostic clarity and training variations. Social skills training has a strong, positive impact on behavioral measures of social skill, self-rated assertiveness, and hospital discharge rate, and a moderate impact on relapse rate. In addition, when behavioral measures are used, the data support generalization and maintenance of skill gains. However, effects are only marginally significant for broader ratings of symptoms and functioning. Diagnostic homogeneity, the number of techniques used, and the amount of training do not appear to be significantly associated with outcome. Specific directions for future research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Development of a model for training and evaluation of laparoscopic skills

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To determine the incidence of and reasons for prolonged length of stay in the postanesthesia care unit and unplanned hospital admissions of children scheduled for outpatient surgery. DESIGN: Prospective, observational cohort study. SETTING: C. S. Mott Children's Hospital, a tertiary care setting. PATIENTS: 168 ASA physical status I, II, and III children (birth to 18 years), 130 of whom experienced a prolonged length of stay and 61 who had an unplanned hospital admissions. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: 3.9% of annual outpatient population experienced a prolonged length of stay, and 1.9% had an unplanned outpatient admission. Prolonged length of stay was most commonly due to postoperative nausea and vomiting (19%) or respiratory complications (16%), whereas unplanned hospital admissions were primarily for respiratory or surgical reasons (32% and 30%, respectively). Higher ASA status had a significant direct relationship with the incidence of unplanned outpatient admission and respiratory complications. Although most families were satisfied with the length of their child's care, 28% of parents whose children were sent home after a prolonged length of stay would have preferred a short hospital admission, and 16% of parents of children with an unplanned hospital admission would have preferred a longer stay in recovery and discharge home. CONCLUSION: Prolonged length of stay and unplanned hospital admissions were uncommon outcomes following pediatric outpatient surgery. However, the impact of such outcomes on hospital staffing and family convenience may have implications related to cost containment and patient satisfaction.     

Behavioral training for increasing effective job-interview skills: Follow-up and evaluation.

Presents data concerning the social validation of an empirically based training model for increasing job-interview skills. The model combined role-playing, modeling, and guided discussion. 46 master's-level counselors trained in the use of the model conducted over 320 workshops for approximately 4,100 secondary and postsecondary students. Data generated by these counselors indicate that the model was easily employed as an effective training procedure. Also, student participants reported high levels of consumer satisfaction and identified several components of the model as being most beneficial. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An evaluation of helping skills training: Effects on helpers' verbal responses.

Evaluated the impact of a training program designed by S. J. Danish and A. L. Hauer (1973) for basic helping skills on 126 undergraduate and graduate students in a course on helping relationships. In particular, changes in the verbal responses used by human service workers in training were investigated. Using a rating system, based on the training program's goals, helpers' responses in simulated helping interviews were categorized. Responses which summarized the helpee's statements and which focused on feelings increased significantly over training. Leading responses, such as advice and closed questions, decreased significantly. Helpers talked less at posttesting. Similar changes were found for 2 consecutive sets of trainees. (26 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Meta-analytic evaluation of skills training research for individuals with severe mental illness.

A meta-analysis of 68 studies examined the effectiveness of skills training for individuals with severe mental illness and the influence of such factors as methodological rigor, choice of outcome measures, and service settings. The methodological quality of these studies was generally very good. Skills training was found to be moderately to strongly effective in increasing skill acquisition and reducing psychiatric symptoms. However, effect size varied by type of outcome measure, with situationally specific measures yielding larger effects than measures of skill usage and role functioning. Studies rarely examined whether acquired skills were used outside the training setting. Surprisingly, most studies were confined to inpatient settings, and most focused exclusively on social skills. Implications are discussed for future research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Objective evaluation of Papanicolaou staining

Altered endothelium-dependent vasodilation has been observed in congestive heart failure (CHF), a disease characterized by a sustained adrenergic activation. The purpose of our study was to test the hypothesis that chronically elevated catecholamines influence the nitric oxide (NO) pathway in the human endothelium. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) were exposed for 7 days to a concentration of noradrenaline (NA, 1 ng/mL) similar to that found in the blood of patients with CHF. Kinetics of endothelial constitutive NO synthase (ecNOS) and inducible NO synthase (iNOS) activity, measured by [3H]L-arginine to [3H]L-citrulline conversion, and protein expression of ecNOS and iNOS, assessed by Western blot analysis, were unaffected by chronic NA treatment. Furthermore, no changes in subcellular fraction-associated ecNOS were found; this indirectly shows that chronic NA did not cause phosphorylation of the enzyme. Moreover, [3H]L-arginine transport through the plasma membrane was conserved in chronically NA-treated cells. The data demonstrate that prolonged in vitro exposure to pathologic CHF-like NA does not affect the L-arginine: NO pathway in human endothelial cells.     

Communication skills training for divorcees.

Examined the effects of a weekend training program in communication skills for divorced persons. 13 experimental Ss—5 males, 8 females 24–50 yrs old, separated for 1–24 mo—received 2 days of interpersonal skills training, while 14 control Ss—5 males, 9 females 25–50 yrs old, separated for 1–26 mo—received no training. After training, the experimentals increased their perceived level of social support and their self-disclosure and empathy skills significantly more than the controls. (9 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social skills training for withdrawn unpopular children with physical disabilities: A preliminary evaluation.

Examined changes in self-concept, perceptions of support from close friends and classmates, and loneliness in 11 8.6–14.6 yr old withdrawn unpopular children with cerebral palsy or spina bifida who had been involved in a social skills training program. The program targeted 5 basic skills: interpersonal problem solving, verbal and nonverbal communication, initiating interactions with peers, conversational skills, and coping with difficult others. To assess the impact of the program, Ss were evaluated before the intervention, after the 10-wk intervention, and at a 6-mo follow-up. Findings indicate that group social skills training may be effective in decreasing feelings of loneliness and increasing perceptions of social acceptance in children who are withdrawn and unpopular at school. Ss' feelings of loneliness were associated with lower ratings of social acceptance and lower ratings of classmate support. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social skills training: Behavior rehearsal in groups and dating skills.

Minimal dating, identified as a significant target problem, generally has been thought to result from either conditioned anxiety or negative self-evaluations. In the present study, minimal dating was formulated as the result of a social skills deficit. In accord with this formulation, 2 direct skill-training programs involving behavior rehearsal with and without extrasession tasks were evaluated against attention-placebo and waiting-list controls. 48 college males reporting anxiety and shyness about meeting females were carefully screened and assigned to 1 of 2 groups included in each of 4 treatment conditions. Results indicate that 3 of the 4 skill-training groups showed significant (p     

Interpersonal skills training for premedical students.

Premedical students participated in a 2?-hr orientation to 1 of 2 programs of communication-skills training: Interpersonal Process Recall or Human Relations Training. Ss were assessed on personality characteristics with the Rokeach Dogmatism Scale, Adjective Check List, and a scale measuring intolerance of ambiguity before the orientation session; following the session they indicated the perceived effectiveness of and satisfaction with the 2 programs. Although both programs were very positively evaluated by Ss, anxious and defensive Ss perceived the Interpersonal Process Recall program as potentially more effective and satisfying. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Coping skills training: An evaluation of a psychoeducational program in a community mental health setting.

40 21–60 yr old clients of a community mental health center were randomly assigned to either a coping-skills training program based explicitly on a psychoeducational model or a group-counseling control condition. Ss in the psychoeducational program were provided with 30 hrs of instruction and training in progressive relaxation, anxiety management, social skills, and self-reinforcement procedures. Group-counseling control Ss received an equal amount of attention devoted to analyzing personal problems with anxiety and interpersonal relations but with no direct skills training. Significant differences between the 2 groups on measures of general anxiety, fear, and assertiveness emerged immediately after treatment and at a 3-mo follow-up. Further analyses revealed that Ss were similar in terms of major demographic characteristics to clients who did not volunteer for training, that a greater percentage of program Ss than control Ss scored in the range of a sample of "normal" Ss on 2 of the 4 dependent measures, and that fewer program Ss were hospitalized within 1 yr after participation than were control Ss. (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The basic skills evaluation device

The outer surface protein, OspC, is highly variable in Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, the agent of Lyme disease. We have shown that even within a single population OspC is highly variable. The variation of ospA and ospC in the 40 infected deer ticks collected from a single site on Shelter Island, New York, was determined using PCR-SSCP. There is very strong apparent linkage disequilibrium between ospA and ospC alleles, even though they are located on separate plasmids. Thirteen discernible SSCP mobility classes for ospC were identified and the DNA sequence for each was determined. These sequences, combined with 40 GenBank sequences, allow us to define 19 major ospC groups. Sequences within a major ospC group are, on average, <1% different from each other, while sequences between major ospC groups are, on average, approximately 20% different. The tick sample contains 11 major ospC groups, GenBank contains 16 groups, with 8 groups found in both samples. Thus, the ospC variation within a local population is almost as great as the variation of a similar-sized sample of the entire species. The Ewens-Watterson-Slatkin test of allele frequency showed significant deviation from the neutral expectation, indicating balancing selection for these major ospC groups. The variation represented by major ospC groups needs to be considered if the OspC protein is to be used as a serodiagnostic antigen or a vaccine.     

A behavioral analysis of structured skills training.

Studied the effects of communications training using a frequency count method to measure trainee behavior. Results show increases in empathic responses in advanced and beginning structured training groups and increases in questioning and self-disclosure in encounter groups. Data are interpreted within a reinforcement framework. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Changes in trainees' intention use and volunteer clients' evaluations of sessions during early skills training.

Volunteer clients (N = 96) evaluated sessions conducted by prepracticum trainees prior to and after the trainees received instruction in interpersonal–psychodynamic therapy. The relationship between changes in therapeutic style, measured by intension use, and changes in volunteer clients' session evaluations were examined with growth curve analyses. After training, trainees increased their focus on client emotions and on the therapeutic relationship and decreased their verbal activity. Increased session smoothness was related to decreases in trainee verbal activity and to increases in trainee flexibility. Increases in volunteer clients' perceptions of trainee expertness, attractiveness, and trustworthiness were related to trainees' increased focus on client emotions and increased focus on the therapeutic relationship and to decreases in confrontation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Computer-assisted video evaluation of surgical skills

Compact video cameras have allowed the review of operations in self-directed learning sessions. Controlling the video viewing process by computer allows the selection of specific videotape segments containing the desired psychomotor skills to be evaluated--in this study, the steps involving laparoscopic tubal banding. Six faculty members were able to evaluate 23 videotapes efficiently without knowledge of the resident operator's identity. Because the computer allowed selection of only those frames of the videotape containing the skills to be evaluated, the duration of videotape seen was reduced by an average of 34% from the actual surgical time, with an increase in time saved as experience with the system was gained. Faculty members evaluated these events using a self-made checklist. It was possible to calculate the performance scores of each resident for the individual psychomotor skill components of the reviewed procedure. Computer-assisted video evaluation of surgical skills is technically feasible, allowing time-efficient review by multiple evaluators. With the development of psychometrically valid checklists for use with this technology, computer-assisted video evaluation of surgical skills may provide a new, innovative means of assessing surgical skills and training.