Counseling expectations of rational, intuitive, and dependent decision makers.

In order to examine the relation between decision-making style and counseling expectations, the Assessment of Career Decision-Making Styles Scale and the Expectations About Counseling (Form B) Questionnaire were administered to 416 volunteers. Of these volunteers, 208 had rational, 26 intuitive, and 13 dependent decision-making styles. The remaining mixed types were not included in the data analysis. Following a significant multivariate analysis, univariate analyses of variance identified significant differences on four of the subscales: Acceptance, Nurturance, Attractiveness, and Expertise. Pair-wise comparisons using Duncan's multiple-range test indicated that those with dependent styles scored significantly higher than the rationals on Acceptance and Nurturance. The intuitives scored significantly higher than the rationals and the dependents on Attractiveness. Both the intuitives and dependents scored higher than the rationals on Expertise. Implications of these findings are discussed with regard to counseling interventions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Decision-making styles and problem-solving appraisal.

Administered measures of decision-making styles and problem-solving appraisal to 243 undergraduates and a canonical analysis was employed to examine the relationships between the 2 sets of variables. Three significant canonical roots suggest that (a) individuals who employ rational decision-making strategies are likely to approach (rather than avoid) problematic situations, (b) individuals who endorse dependent decisional strategies are likely to report that they approach problematic situations but do so without particular confidence in their problem-solving abilities, and (c) the endorsement of both rational and intuitive strategies for decision making is likely to be accompanied by appraisals of both greater confidence and diminished personal control. (27 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sex role self-concept and career decision making.

The influence of sex-role-related aspects of students' self-concept on their progress in making a decision about choice of college, choice of a major, and choice of an occupation, as well as their use of both the rational and intuitive decision-making styles, was investigated. For 289 male and 283 female college students, their sex-role self-concept as measured by the Bem Sex-Role Inventory was related to their progress on all 3 decisions. Test scores were compared with those of 300 other Ss from 3 colleges, and no significant variance was found. The patterns of results were different for men and women. Sex-role self-concept was related to the use of both decision-making styles for women, whereas it was a factor only on the rational style scale for men. The implications of these findings for differential counseling based on sex-role self-concept rather than on gender are discussed. Counselors are cautioned against overlooking the potential influences of factors not related to sex roles on students' career decisions. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sex and career decision-making styles.

Reports 3 studies with 116 undergraduates, 717 high school students, and 116 undergraduates, respectively, testing the hypothesis of greater reliance on the "intuitive style" by females and on the "planning" style by males in making career decisions. Ss in Study 1 took the Vocational Rating Scale and the Assessment of Career Decision-Making. Ss in Study 2 took the Career Decision Making Questionnaire (CDMQ) which included the 2 measures in the 1st study. Ss in Study 3 took the CDMQ and the Work Values Inventory. There were no sex differences in the high school and college Ss for stage or style of decision making, vocational self-concept crystallization, or self-rated vocational decisiveness. The planning style was most highly associated with vocational decisiveness, the "choice" stage of choosing an occupation, and with stronger "super" work values, particularly management, security, and prestige. Differential career counseling for the sexes does not appear indicated. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Multiple outcome evaluation of a life-career development course.

Examined the multiple effects of a life-career development course on 74 university students. The treatment was based on a comprehensive counseling model of "change agent career decision making." A modification of D. T. Campbell and J. C. Stanley's (1963) institutional cycle design and MANOVA was used for evaluating Ss' performance on 8 career inventories. The Ss were significantly more rational and less intuitive and dependent in their decision-making styles, more certain of their major and career choices, and more crystallized in their vocational self-concept. They also collected more career information and had fewer vocational identity problems as a result of the course. Inconsistent results were found with regard to the external locus of control and overcoming career barriers measures. The treatment did not seem to have an immediate impact on internal locus of control. (27 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of computer-assisted instruction in using formal decision-making strategies to choose a college major.

Compared the effects of using formal decision-making strategies on the quality of students' decisions about choice of a college major. The interaction of students' decision-making characteristics, stage, and style on treatment outcomes was also examined. University freshmen (n?=?113) were randomly assigned to 3 groups: the Elimination by Aspects Strategy (EBA), the Subjective Expected Utility Strategy (SEU), and the control group. The results showed that the "rational" decision style students who used the EBA scored significantly higher on choice certainty. They also scored lower on choice anxiety and career indecision than rational style students in the control group. The "explorers" who used the EBA sought more information than their counterparts in the control group. Rational style students who used SEU scored significantly higher on cognitive complexity than their counterparts in the control group. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effectiveness of a counseling intervention program for teaching career decision-making skills.

Developed a career decision-making model and program to provide a counseling intervention and teaching materials to aid students in improving their career maturity and decision-making skills. The model and program were piloted and evaluated to determine program effectiveness. 334 academic and nonacademic student groups were part of a quasi-experimental–control design to measure career maturity and decision making. Data indicate that students in the program significantly increased their Career Maturity Inventory scores, career maturity was significantly related to decision making, and more nonacademic program than academic groups increased their decision-making scores. Students reported they found the program useful in evaluating future career choices. (30 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Integrative interpretation of vocational interest inventory results.

Examined the effectiveness of 3 procedures for interpretation of vocational interest inventory results. After completing the Strong-Campbell Interest Inventory, 83 undergraduates participated in a 1-hr test interpretation and responded to 2 sets of dependent measures—(a) Counselor Evaluation Inventory and the Counselor Rating Form, and (b) the Career Choice Inventory and the Career Decision Scale. Three different approaches to relate test information to clients were represented by the experimental groups: (a) traditional individual interpretation (with test materials), (b) integrative individual interpretation (without test materials), and (c) traditional group interpretation (with test materials). Two control conditions were also employed. The dependent measures assessed clients' self-knowledge of vocational interest patterns, degree of vocational choice certainty, and ratings of counselor performance and of the counseling experience. The data provide limited support for the hypotheses that (a) integrative interpretation would be most effective and (b) significant interactions would exist between counselors and interpretation procedures. Failure to find significant differences between the traditional–individual and traditional–group approaches suggests that the more economical group technique could be used effectively. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relation between ego identity statuses and decision-making styles.

We examined the proposition that individual variations in career decision making are related conceptually to the identity formation process of late adolescence. To investigate this proposition 2 studies were conducted to identify the relations between ego identity statuses and decision-making styles. The findings suggested that persons who have achieved a stable identity tend to use rational and systematic decision-making strategies. Those whose identity status is foreclosed tend to rely on dependent strategies and do not endorse systematic and internal strategies. Persons in the diffusion status tend to rely on intuitive and dependent styles or exhibit an absence of systematic and internal styles. The moratorium status was not consistently associated with variations in decision-making styles. We relate the results to previous theory and to implications for practice and research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Congruence and vocational identity: Outcomes of career counseling with persuasive power.

A study with 84 female and 52 male community-college students with specific occupational choices tested whether congruence between occupational choice and inventoried interests and vocational identity are related to typical career counseling outcomes. Ss completed the Self-Directed Search congruence scale, a vocational identity scale, several scales from the Career Development Inventory, and the IPAT. Ss were categorized as congruent or not congruent and high or low in vocational identity. ANOVA tested whether the Ss differed on estimated career management skill, general and specific career information, decision making, and anxiety. Analyses were not significant for males but showed that females higher in identity estimated higher career maturity. Females high in congruence reported less anxiety, and females high in both congruence and identity had higher career decision-making skills and tended to have more general information. Findings suggest that congruence not accompanied by a sense of vocational identity is a transitional state, whereas high identity without congruence reflects an incomplete evaluation of self in relation to career. Implications for using congruence and vocational identity as outcome measures of counseling are discussed. (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The efficacy of supportive learning environments for returning women: An empirical evaluation.

Conducted 2 studies of 103 women to evaluate the efficacy of programs designed to meet the needs of today's changing women. The studies sought to determine whether changes that would influence women's life styles could occur by providing a supportive learning environment, rather than through traditional individual or group counseling. Pre–post, experimental–control group designs were employed for both studies. One experiment examined the effects of the treatment in a university setting, with the outcome measures being vocational decision-making attitudes, learning attitudes, attitudes toward women, and receptivity to new information. The 2nd study examined treatment effects in a community setting, with the measures being vocational decision-making, self-concept, and attitudes toward women. Results suggest that the 2 programs did affect certain vocational and psychological attitudes. Specifically, in Exp I Ss exhibited greater maturity in vocational decision making, while in Exp II self-concept was enhanced. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Career development status as a predictor of career intervention outcomes.

Relates career status measures (the Career Decision Scale, the Vocational Identity Scale, and the Career Maturity Inventory), goals for participating in career intervention, and ego strength (Barron Ego-Strength Scale) to 6 outcomes of the administration of the Self-Directed Search (SDS). Outcomes include satisfaction with the SDS, satisfaction with posttest career choice, congruence of expressed and measured interests, and 3 self-reported behavioral indices. 48 male and 64 female undergraduates served as Ss. Stepwise regressions indicated that outcomes for males could not be predicted as effectively as those for females. The Career Decision Scale, the Vocational Identity Scale, and ratings on the goal of obtaining training information were the best predictors. Most change occurred for females high on vocational identity; most satisfaction with the SDS and job choice was attained by those low in indecision on the Career Decision Scale. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Expressed vocational choice and vocational indecision.

Equally divided 232 male and female college students into 4 groups based on their responses to the Occupational Alternatives Question. Groups were composed of Ss who had a 1st choice and no alternatives, a 1st choice plus alternatives, no 1st choice but alternatives, and neither a 1st choice nor alternatives. The hypothesis tested was that these groups would differ on dependent variables related to vocational decision making. No significant differences were found on socioeconomic status or on J. L. Holland's constructs of consistency, differentiation, or congruence with career choice. Significant group differences were found on congruence with college major, total number of Vocational Preference Inventory responses, and scales measuring satisfaction with college major and career choice. Significant differences were also found on 2 recent scales measuring vocational indecision; the Vocational Decision Making Difficulty Scale and the Career Decision Scale. Significant sex differences indicate that females were more congruent and satisfied with their college majors. Implications of the results for future research and vocational counseling are examined. (43 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Influence of sex role attitudes and cognitive styles on career decision making.

Examined the relative influence of gender, sex role attitudes, cognitive styles and decision-making process on choice of major by means of path analysis procedures. 578 college students from all classes completed the Assessment of Career Decision Making, the Paragraph Completion Method (a measure of conceptual level), the Cognitive Differentiation Grid, and the Bem Sex Role Inventory. It was found that progress in the decision-making process most directly influenced choice of major. Gender, sex role attitudes, and cognitive styles had little direct influence on choice of major; rather, their influence was indirect, via the decision-making process. These results support the following causal inferences: Gender influences sex role attitudes; sex role attitudes and cognitive styles influence progress in the decision-making process; and the latter directly influences whether a satisfying choice of major has been made. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A canonical analysis of career choice crystallization and vocational maturity.

Whereas career development theory has proposed that the crystallization of career choices occurs as individuals resolve relevant career development tasks, the supporting empirical evidence has been inconclusive. To develop a clearer understanding of the nature of the career decision-making process, this study assessed the degree to which career choice crystallization is associated with vocationally mature attitudes, behavior, and knowledge. Measures of vocational maturity and career choice crystallization (which was defined by measures of career decidedness and commitment to career choice) were administered to 158 community college students (mean age?=?21.35). A canonical analysis was employed to identify the relationships between age, gender, career choice crystallization, and vocational maturity. The analysis yielded one significant canonical root, which indicated that most of the shared variance between these two sets of variables was contributed by the relationship between the career planning component of vocational maturity and the two career choice crystallization scales. These findings were related to theory, research, and practice in career development. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Erik Erikson's theory of psychosocial development and vocational behavior.

Empirically explored the relationship between psychosocial development as described by E. H. Erikson (1963, 1968) and vocational-choice behavior and development. Ss were 123 male undergraduates. Stage resolution attitudes, derived from the 1st 6 stage crises outlined by Erikson, were explored as variables influencing problems in vocational choice and vocational maturity. Ss classified in different vocational-choice adjustment groups and Ss scoring at different levels on the Career Maturity Inventory were compared for differences among Eriksonian stage resolution attitudes as measured by the Inventory of Psychosocial Development and the Dignan Ego Identity Scale. Findings indicate that Ss who had made adjusted vocational choices and developed mature career attitudes had also been more successful in positively resolving the 1st 6 psychosocial stage crises outlined by Erikson. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Group decision making and social influence: A social interaction sequence model.

Discusses the social interaction sequence (SIS) model, which represents the group decision-making process in terms of the sequential choice behavior—changes in preference and certainty—of group members. This model states that the probabilities of preference and certainty changes are related to the current distribution of opinion in the group. An application of the SIS model to a study of jury decision making (G. Strasser, 1977) is presented, and results of earlier empirical studies are predicted by a computer simulation version of the model. Shift and opinion change versions of the model are proposed, with both extensions incorporating the concept of a characteristic certainty distribution. Characteristic certainty distributions are used to examine the expected effects of group size and assigned-decision rule on members' confidence in a group's decision. (57 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

People's intuitions about intuitive insight and intuitive choice.

How do people balance intuition and reason when making decisions? We report 6 studies that indicate that people are cued by the features of the decision problem to follow intuition or reason when making their choice. That is, when features of the choice resemble features commonly associated with rational processing, people tend to decide on the basis of reason; when features of the choice match those associated with intuitive processing, people tend to decide on the basis of intuition. Choices that are seen as objectively evaluable (Study 1A), sequential (Studies 1B and 3), complex (Study 2), or precise (Study 4) elicit a preference for choosing rationally. This framework accurately predicts people's choices in variants of both the ratio-bias (Study 3) and ambiguity-aversion paradigms (Study 4). Discussion focuses on the relationship between the task cuing account, other decision-making models, and dual-process accounts of cognition. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Vocational indecision: More evidence and speculation.

Samples of 1,005 high school juniors and 692 college juniors were assessed with measures of personality, decision-making ability, interests, and vocational attitude. Comparisons of undecided and decided students indicated that they were alike on most measures, but substantial and significant differences were found for the Identity and Vocational Attitude scales. In addition, student explanations of indecisiveness formed an internally consistent scale. This scale was, in turn, significantly correlated with measures of anomie (positive), identity (negative), interpersonal competency (negative), and some career maturity (Career Maturity Inventory) variables. The pattern of present and past significant findings implies that it may be useful to interpret some kinds of indecision as the outcome of a proposed indecisive disposition. The chief practical application appears to be the need to see undecided students as multiple subtypes who need different personal-vocational treatments. (30 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A longitudinal study of ego development.

Using the Washington University Sentence Completion Test of Ego Development, 32 lower-class and lower-middle-class 12th graders (Group A) who had been given the test by A. Blasi (1971) as 6th graders were retested. The relationship between ego development and vocational attitudes and plans was also examined using a vocational choice questionnaire and the Career Maturity Inventory (CMI). To increase sample size, an additional 23 12th graders (Group B) were also administered the 3 measures. Results of statistical analyses show an increase at the .0005 level between 6th and 12th grades. Among Group A, sex differences at both grade levels were not significant; however, among Group B, girls had significantly higher ego levels than boys. In addition, ego development was significantly related to vocational maturity but not to reasons for vocational choices. Ego levels for 6th and 12th graders were significantly lower than those of middle- and upper-class Ss of comparable ages tested in other studies, suggesting a significant relation between ego development and socioeconomic status. Results are seen as evidence for the developmental nature of the ego, and support the sequentiality hypothesis, which suggests that stages follow in an invariant order. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)