Training related changes in the ways that group trainees structure their knowledge of group counseling leader interventions.

Pathfinder Network Analyses (Schvaneveldt, 1990) was used to examine changes and convergence in the knowledge structure of group counseling interventions, for 33 group counseling trainees and three experienced group therapists. The similarity of each pair of 19 group interventions was obtained by examining the co-occurrence of these interventions across 21 situations depicted in the Group Therapy Questionnaire (GTQ; Wile, Brown, & Pollack, 1970). The Pathfinder analyses of these similarity matrices were used to infer the knowledge structure of group counseling interventions of the trainees (pre and post group practicum class) and the three experienced group therapists. Analyses of the structural features of the pre- and post-training knowledge structures suggested that prior to the practicum class, novice group counselors’ knowledge structures were linear and simplistic and contained fewer circular patterns among the interventions compared with the knowledge structures of the experienced group therapists. As hypothesized the novices’ maps became more complex, hierarchical, evidenced more circular patterns, and were more similar to the experienced therapist’s knowledge structure after the practicum class. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Why do high school students lack motivation in the classroom? Toward an understanding of academic amotivation and the role of social support.

The present series of studies sought to develop and conceptually validate a taxonomy of reasons that give rise to academic amotivation and to investigate its social antecedents and academic consequences. In Study 1 (N = 351), an exploratory factor analysis offered preliminary support for an academic amotivation taxonomy comprising four dimensions: ability beliefs, effort beliefs, characteristics of the task, and value placed on the task. In Study 2 (N = 349), the proposed taxonomy was further corroborated through 1st- and 2nd-order confirmatory factor analyses, and its discriminant validity and construct validity were documented. Study 3 (N = 741) offered evidence for a model of the relationships among social support (from parents, teachers, and friends), amotivation, and academic outcomes (e.g., achievement, academic self-esteem, intention to drop out). Results are considered in terms of an increased conceptual understanding of academic amotivation, and implications for curricula and interventions are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Varieties of groups and the perception of group entitativity.

Three studies examined perceptions of the entitativity of groups. In Study 1 (U.S.) and Study 2 (Poland), participants rated a sample of 40 groups on 8 properties of groups (e.g., size, duration, group member similarity) and perceived entitativity. Participants also completed a sorting task in which they sorted the groups according to their subjective perceptions of group similarity. Correlational and regression analyses were used to determine the group properties most strongly related to entitativity. Clustering and multidimensional scaling analyses in both studies identified 4 general types of groups (intimacy groups, task groups, social categories, and loose associations). In Study 3, participants rated the properties of groups to which they personally belonged. Study 3 replicated the results of Studies 1 and 2 and demonstrated that participants most strongly valued membership in groups that were perceived as high in entitativity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A brief feedback intervention for diagnostic overshadowing.

Clinical decision-making errors are well-documented among both experienced clinicians and students. One robust clinical decision-making error is called diagnostic overshadowing (DO), which occurs when the presence of one diagnosis interferes with the detection of other diagnoses. This study tested whether two types of instruction and brief feedback interventions reduced the likelihood of DO. Specifically, content-based feedback and principle-based feedback significantly reduced the likelihood of DO among doctoral students in clinical and counseling psychology (N = 220). An intervention effect was found when the training task and the target task were highly similar. Recommendations for improving diagnostic decision-making among trainees in professional psychology are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Differential perceptions of counselor behavior: Replication and extension.

Conducted 2 studies with 141 undergraduates in an attempt to replicate and extend the 1976 findings of M. B. LaCrosse and A. Barak (1976). In both studies the Counselor Rating Form was shown to be sensitive to perceived differences among and within counselors of moderate and minimal levels of training/experience. In both studies a significant positive relationship was noted between perceived counselor expertness, attractiveness, and trustworthiness and willingness to refer oneself to the observed counselor for a variety of counseling problems. The provision of a common baseline for S judgment (Study 2) resulted in expertness ratings more consistent with actual counselor training/experience than those of Study 1. The implications of this latter finding for methodological improvements in counseling analog studies are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Does ethnicity explain functioning in group counseling? The case of Arab and Jewish counseling trainees in Israel.

This study compared the functioning in group counseling of two ethnic groups--Arab and Jews in Israel. All participants were counseling trainees in a university program, led by one group leader. Variables included self-disclosure, goals for therapy, client behavior, and therapeutic factors, measured repeatedly (at least twice), either through questionnaires or through analyses of transcribed sessions. Statistical analyses were performed by means of a hierarchical model (mixed), with the individual nested within the small group and the ethnic cohort. In contrast to our expectations, results indicated more similarities than differences between the two cohorts. Moreover, Arab trainees intended to disclose more in group and actually did (based on a questionnaire) compared with their Jewish counterparts. On the Client Behavior Scale (C. E. Hill & K. O'Brien, 1999) there were a few differences revealed: Arab trainees displayed more simple responses, more cognitive exploration, and less resistance, insight, and therapeutic change. Two differences were revealed also on the therapeutic factors. The discussion cautions against unnecessary modifications made in interventions with different cultural groups in counseling. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Counselor trainees' perceptions of supervisor roles: Two studies testing the dimensionality of supervision.

Two studies were conducted to assess the dimensionality of supervision. The purpose of Study 1 was to identify the salient dimensions of supervision from the counselor trainee's perspective and to determine if dimensions for trainees corresponded to the dimensions found previously for supervisors. In doing so the dimensionality and construct validity of Bernard's (1979) model was examined by using 15 doctoral trainees. For Study 2 Bernard's model was expanded to incorporate the self-supervisor role and was tested in combination with Littrell, Lee-Borden, and Lorenz's (1979) model. Counselor trainees from a master's (n?=?25) and a doctoral (n?=?23) program participated. The three dimensions that emerged in Study 1 and in Study 2 were remarkably consistent in content and label across the two studies. In terms of dimensionality, Bernard's model and the extended model were modestly supported, whereas Littrell et al.'s model received minimal support. Little evidence was found to suggest that trainees from master's and doctoral programs differed at all in terms of their cognitive maps of supervision. Implications and limitations of the studies were discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A Study of Hogan's Model of Counselor Development and Supervision: Correction.

Reports an error in the original article "A Study of Hogan's Model of Counselor Development and Supervision" by G. N. Reising and H. M. Daniels (Journal of Counseling Psychology, 1983, Vol. 30, No. 2, pp. 235-244). 244). Errors appear in the placement of asterisks (*) denoting significance level in Tables 1 and 2. Significance levels should read as follows: For the Table 1 comparison (A vs. B): Factor 1 = as shown. For the Table 1 comparison (C vs. D): Factor 1 = ns; Factor 2 = ** (p 1983-26518-001): The construct validity and developmental structure of R. A. Hogan's (see record 196600843-001) model of counselor development and supervision were studied using a sample of 141 counseling psychology graduate student trainees, interns, and professional staff in 20 university counseling centers. Counselor development questionnaire items were developed into 2 arrangements: one based on Hogan's concepts as he organized them into levels, and another derived empirically using factor analysis. The 2 configurations were compared for their ability to predict experience level of Ss using discriminant function analysis. Each empirical factor was also examined for relationship with experience by means of 1-way ANOVA with preplanned comparisons. Results indicate that counselor development is best described by a complex rather than a simple model and that it involves factors of Anxiety/Doubt, Independence, Method/Skills Training, Work Validation, Commitment Ambivalence, and Respectful Confrontation. Developmental profiles of these issues are described, and implications for supervision and training programs are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adaptability in the workplace: Development of a taxonomy of adaptive performance.

The purpose of this research was to develop a taxonomy of adaptive job performance and examine the implications of this taxonomy for understanding, predicting, and training adaptive behavior in work settings. Two studies were conducted to address this issue. In Study 1, over 1,000 critical incidents from 21 different jobs were content analyzed to identify an 8-dimension taxonomy of adaptive performance. Study 2 reports the development and administration of an instrument, the Job Adaptability Inventory, that was used to empirically examine the proposed taxonomy in 24 different jobs. Exploratory factor analyses using data from 1,619 respondents supported the proposed 8-dimension taxonomy from Study 1. Subsequent confirmatory factor analyses on the remainder of the sample (n?=?1,715) indicated a good fit for the 8-factor model. Results and implications are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychosocial costs of racism to white counselors: Predicting various dimensions of multicultural counseling competence.

In 2 interrelated investigations, the authors examined the extent to which affect, as measured by the Psychosocial Costs of Racism to Whites scale (PCRW; L. B. Spanierman & M. J. Heppner, 2004), would predict various dimensions of multicultural counseling competence (MCC). In Study 1, structural equation modeling was used to test a mediating model of PCRW predicting self-reported MCC among a sample of White trainees (n = 311) from 34 states across the country. The overall model was a good fit to the data, with affective variables (e.g., White empathy, White guilt, and White fear) mediating the associations between color-blind racial attitudes and MCC and multicultural training and MCC. In Study 2, self-reported, demonstrated, and observed MCC were assessed among a sample of White trainees (n = 59; 40 of whose clinical supervisors participated) from 20 states. White guilt significantly predicted multicultural case conceptualization, and White empathy significantly predicted supervisor ratings of participants' MCC. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of learning modules on the acquisition of counseling strategies.

Two studies investigated the effects of learning modules and classroom lecture on the acquisition of 3 counseling strategies. In Exp I, 42 students in introductory counseling courses were assigned randomly to classroom lecture and written self-paced module groups. Results indicate that the latter group performed significantly better than the lecture group on both a post- and retention test. In Exp II, 64 counselor trainees were assigned randomly to 1 of 3 treatment groups: classroom lecture, written module, and slide-tape module. No significant differences were found between treatment groups for acquisition of 2 counseling strategies: problem identification or developing goals. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Doctoral students' comparative evaluations of best and worst psychotherapy supervision.

68 male and 74 female advanced clinical and counseling psychology graduate students from 37 programs completed questionnaires comparing their best and worst supervisory experiences in terms of context, personal attributes of the supervisor, and specific interactional aspects. Results indicate that quality of supervision was not related to self-reported intellectual or emotional resources of trainees; training site; population serviced; or the gender, experience, sociability, or primary career activity of the supervisor. The best discriminators of quality were perceived expertise and trustworthiness of the supervisor, duration of training, and an emphasis on personal growth issues over the teaching of technical skills. Highly regarded supervisors were psychodynamic as opposed to behavioral, established supportive relationships, and communicated expectations and feedback clearly. Sexist behavior and authoritarian treatment were particularly detrimental to quality of supervision. These differences were not mediated by prior experience, gender, or theoretical orientation of the respondents. (28 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A taxonomic approach to Perls's Gestalt theory.

Applied content analysis and cluster analysis to the ideas of F. Perls to develop a taxonomy of Gestalt processes and goals. L. L. McQuitty's classification by multiple linkages method generated 3 goal clusters and 2 process clusters. The goal clusters were titled (a) the organism and environment, (b) self-awareness, and (c) maturation and autonomy. The process clusters were (a) skillful frustration of the client, and (b) the here-and-now. Summaries of the typal groups or clusters are presented, and the implications of taxonomic research in counseling are discussed. (26 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Test anxiety (worry and emotionality) changes during academic testing as a function of feedback and test importance.

Investigated the effects of feedback on fluctuations in immediately experienced test anxiety. In 2 studies, 55 and 144 college students responded to a brief test anxiety questionnaire in the context of a course examination, during which experimental Ss received item-by-item feedback. Worry, the cognitive component of anxiety hypothesized to be partially dependent on information available to the student during testing, was expected to decrease from preexamination to postexamination only in the feedback group. Study 1 results support the hypothesis. Emotionality, the physiological-affective component thought to be much less directly influenced by cognitive considerations, was not differentially affected by feedback conditions. Study 2 results indicate an interactive effect of test importance and feedback conditions on worry and emotionality. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Racial and Ethnic Microaggressions Scale (REMS): Construction, reliability, and validity.

Racial microaggressions are subtle statements and behaviors that unconsciously communicate denigrating messages to people of color. In recent years, a theoretical taxonomy and subsequent qualitative studies have introduced the types of microaggressions that people of color experience. In the present study, college- and Internet-based samples of African Americans, Latina/os, Asian Americans, and multiracial participants (N = 661) were used to develop and validate the Racial and Ethnic Microaggression Scale (REMS). In Study 1, an exploratory principal-components analyses (n = 443) yielded a 6-factor model: (a) Assumptions of Inferiority, (b) Second-Class Citizen and Assumptions of Criminality, (c) Microinvalidations, (d) Exoticization/Assumptions of Similarity, (e) Environmental Microaggressions, and (f) Workplace and School Microaggressions, with a Cronbach's alpha of .912 for the overall model and subscales ranging from .783 to .873. In Study 2, a confirmatory factor analysis (n = 218) supported the 6-factor model with a Cronbach's alpha of .892. Further analyses indicate that the REMS is a valid measure of racial microaggressions, as evidenced by high correlations with existing measures of racism and participants' feedback. Future research directions and implications for practice are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

A question of competence: The effects of competence and task feedback on intrinsic interest.

Examined whether competence information is the feedback feature that affects intrinsic motivation and whether perceived competence is the process responsible in 2 studies in which 174 undergraduates compared competence feedback with meaningful task feedback. In Study 1, positive competence feedback and task feedback were manipulated independently. Findings indicate that although positive feedback resulted in the highest level of perceived competence, both positive and task feedback enhanced interest individually. In Study 2, an ego-involvement manipulation emphasized competence prior to task engagement. Path-analytic techniques were used to identify 2 processes that mediated the effects of positive, negative, and task feedback on interest: perceived competence and personal valuation. Results indicate that perceived competence enhanced enjoyment only when performance quality was stressed by the ego-involvement manipulation. When competence was not made salient, subsequent interest depended more on the degree the individual personally valued involvement. Both studies indicate that competence information can affect both perceived competence and personal valuation. Feeling competent itself enhanced intrinsic motivation only if attaining competence was a primary goal of the task. (49 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Counselor trainee anxiety during counseling.

Physiological and subjective anxiety measures were assessed to determine if counselor trainees experienced greater anxiety levels during a counseling interview than during a conversation. 28 counselor trainee volunteers from a graduate level practicum course participated in 10-min conversation and counseling sessions. Anxiety was assessed by self-report, skin conductance, and heart rate measures. Results indicated that on 2 of 3 indicants of anxiety, trainees were more anxious during counseling than during conversing: Covariance analyses indicated significant treatment and interaction effects for conductance data, no significant effects for heart rate data, and a significant treatment effect for self-report data. Habituation heart rate and conductance data were highly related to respective physiological data during anticipation and stimulus periods, and preexperimental self-report data were moderately related to postexperimental self-report data. Results suggest that (a) counselor trainees are more anxious during counseling than during conversing, (b) trainees' expectations account for much of their anxiety, and (c) habituation physiological and self-report data may be useful in identifying trainees who will experience anxiety during a counseling interview. (3 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Supervisees' perceptions of their development: A test of the counselor complexity model.

Examined the perceptions of 91 trainees in counseling and clinical psychology regarding their development of counseling and supervision behaviors. Ss were from 8 geographically diverse training programs and were categorized into 3 levels on the basis of a composite of their degree of experience in graduate school, counseling, and received supervision. Ss' responses to an instrument designed to assess constructs relevant to the 2nd author's (see record 1981-06282-001) counselor complexity model were examined across these experience levels. Results indicate that higher-level Ss reported greater self-awareness, autonomy, acquisition of counseling skills and understanding of theory than did Ss at a lower experience level. Implications for developmental models of supervision are discussed. (14 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Using client feedback in psychotherapy training: An analysis of its influence on supervision and counselor self-efficacy.

Tracking client outcome and the therapeutic relationship across treatment (i.e., client feedback) has become a recommended practice for clinicians. This study investigated whether the utility of this practice would extend to trainees if the data gained from clients was provided to their supervisor for use within supervision. Trainees (N = 28) were assigned to a continuous feedback condition or no-feedback condition for 1 academic year. Results indicated that trainees in both conditions demonstrated better client outcomes at the end of their practicum training than at the beginning, but those in the feedback condition improved more. However, those in the feedback condition did not rate the supervisory alliance or satisfaction with the supervision process differently. The relationship between counselor self-efficacy and outcome was stronger for trainees in the feedback condition than for those in the no-feedback condition, perhaps indicating that feedback may facilitate a more accurate assessment of one’s skills. Implications of how counseling self-efficacy, the supervisory alliance, and satisfaction with supervision are related to effective supervision are addressed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relationship between scores on the Omnibus Personality Inventory and counselor trainee effectiveness.

Compared the scores obtained on the Omnibus Personality Inventory by groups of relatively effective and relatively ineffective counselor trainees. The trainees (61 students in their 1st yr of a counseling psychology program) completed the tests prior to their 1st practicum experience and were evaluated by their practicum supervisors (PhD or master's-level counselors with more than 5 yrs of experience at supervision) at the end of each of their practica. Ss were classified as relatively effective, relatively ineffective, or indeterminant (ns?=?32, 30, and 12, respectively) on the basis of their practicum supervisor's evaluations. The scores of the relatively effective and relatively ineffective trainees were compared using 1-way analyses of variance. Data revealed significant differences in the personality characteristics of the groups. The relevance of these findings for the selection of counselor trainees is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)