Four experiments on the relative contributions of rehearsal, modeling, and coaching to assertion training.

Reports results of 4 experiments in which nonassertive undergraduates (N = 264), as measured by the Conflict Resolution Inventory, participated in an assertive-training program under various conditions of rehearsal, modeling, and coaching. The training components of rehearsal and coaching both made significant additive contributions to improved performance on self-report and behavioral assertion measures. However, symbolic modeling added little to the effects of rehearsal alone or rehearsal plus coaching, regardless of the particular type of assertive models employed (tactful vs abrupt) or the media employed in presenting the models (audiovisual vs auditory only). There also were no differences between conditions of covert rehearsal, overt rehearsal, or a combination of covert and overt rehearsal. Positive treatment-effects generalized from trained to untrained situations, and there was evidence that the treatment effects transferred from the laboratory to real-life situations. (41 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Multimodal assessment of rehearsal treatments in an assertion training program.

50 nonassertive undergraduate Ss participated in a study designed to assess the efficacy of several behavior rehearsal procedures in an assertion training program. In addition, 15 highly assertive undergraduates also participated in the pretest assessment, which included behavioral, cognitive, and physiological measures. Following pretest, the nonassertive Ss were randomly assigned to a no-treatment control group or to groups that received 2 sessions of behavior rehearsal, exaggerated rehearsal, role-reversal training, or a treatment consisting of a combination of behavior rehearsal, modeling, and coaching. Pretest results indicate that the nonassertive Ss were rated as responding less assertively in the behavioral role play test and also reported themselves as being more anxious than the assertive Ss. Posttest data indicate that the role-reversal group was the least effective treatment in modifying self-reports of assertion behavior, while the exaggerated-rehearsal and full-treatment groups demonstrated the largest gains on several measures. (15 ref) (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     

Instructions, modeling, and rehearsal: Implications for training.

Studied the effects of instructions, modeling, and rehearsal in training 48 college students in empathic communication. Ss were assigned to 1 of 8 groups representing all possible factorial combinations of the variables which included instructions vs no instructions, modeling vs no modeling, and rehearsal vs no rehearsal. Training gains were assessed using written responses to the pre- and posttest administration of the Carkhuff Communication Index. Generalization effects were assessed using empathy ratings of a critical-incident interview. Analysis of written responses indicated that improvement in empathic communication occurred for all training groups. Specific instructions appeared to be a criticial factor in facilitating written performance. The interviews showed that a combination of training variables facilitated empathic responses during an interview more than each variable alone. Modeling seemed to be an effective procedure for the interview task. The instructional effect did not generalize very well. (31 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Anger induction in assertion training.

Randomly assigned 45 nonassertive female university students (Rathus Assertiveness Schedule) to 1 of 3 individual counseling programs: placebo counseling, standard assertion training, or assertion training incorporating anger induction procedures. The standard method proved superior on a self-report measure, but on 1 of 4 behavioral ratings the anger induction method was most beneficial. (This rating involved the withholding of $4 from Ss' $16 deposit, contrary to agreement.) Low interrelationships among the measures of assertiveness suggest that the "trait" assertiveness may well be situation specific. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Group versus individual assertion training.

16 nonassertive community women (mean age 39.1 yrs) participated in a study that compared the effectiveness of group assertion therapy with the effectiveness of individual assertion therapy. A clinical treatment procedure that included behavioral rehearsal, modeling, and coaching was used in both treatment modalities. Prior research using almost identical treatment procedures, screening requirements, and assessment batteries demonstrated the greater effectiveness of this therapeutic procedure as compared with a no-treatment control condition, in which Ss did not change over time. Results of this study indicate that there are no significant differences between group versus individual assertion training. Pre-, post-, and 3-mo follow-up measures (e.g., Rathus Assertiveness Schedule, S–R Inventory of General Trait Anxiousness) demonstrated that both treatments were effective in increasing assertive behavior skills and in reducing hostility and anger. When compared with the no-treatment control condition of an earlier comparable study, the 2 treatment conditions of the present study are shown to be superior. (6 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A microtraining approach to assertion training.

Evaluated a microtraining approach for training situationally nonassertive clients in assertive expression. Ss were 24 18-23 yr old young adults. The procedure included individualized training situations and a test of generalization. Microtraining, regardless of feedback type, increased self-rated and objectively rated assertiveness, compared to an insight-oriented counseling control. The use of videotape feedback in the training had little additive effect. (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Conceptual level matching and effects of assertion training.

36 unassertive women (aged 20–52 yrs), assessed through Quick Test scores as high or low on conceptual level (CL), were randomly assigned to high-structure-behavioral or low-structure-cognitive forms of assertion training (AT). Low-CL Ss who received the "matched," high-structure AT were expected to make greater gains in assertiveness and to report more satisfaction with counseling than were Ss who received the "mismatched," low-structure AT. High-CL Ss in the matched, low-structure condition were expected to gain more benefit from AT and to express more satisfaction with counseling than were high-CL Ss in the mismatched, high-structure condition. After 4 2-hr sessions of AT, low-CL Ss in the matched condition showed more improvement in assertiveness of verbal responses and evaluated the counselor as more expert and trustworthy than did low-CL Ss in mismatched condition. No matching effects were found with high-CL Ss. (38 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An experimental investigation of behavior rehearsal in assertive training.

Developed a standardized, semiautomated, behavior rehearsal treatment procedure, and compared 2 variations of this procedure, 1 with performance feedback and 1 without, with 2 control procedures, a placebo therapy, and a no-treatment condition, in training 42 undergraduates to be more assertive. Behavorial, self-report, and psychophysiological laboratory measures, as as an unobtrusive in vivo assertive test, revealed that the 2 behavior rehearsal procedures resulted in significantly greater improvements in assertive performance than did the control conditions. There was a nonsignificant tendency for behavior rehearsal coupled with performance feedback to show the strongest treatment effects. (19 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Behavior rehearsal and social competence: A pilot study.

Investigated the effects on socially incompetent college students of a group program that used social-learning theory and behavior-rehearsal techniques. 20 students referred from a university mental health clinic were assigned to 1 of 2 treatment groups (Groups 1 and 2) or a control group (Group 3). Groups 1 and 2 participated in 8, 2-hr sessions involving behavior-rehearsal and modeling procedures, whereas Group 3 was given readings on social skills and assertiveness training. All groups were given pretests, posttests, and follow-up tests on Forms A and B of the 16 PF. Data were analyzed with a repeated measures analysis of variance. Significant gains in social competence were shown by Groups 1 and 2 on the posttest and the follow-up test. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of serial rehearsal training on memory search.

Examined the effects of storage processing on short-term memory search. 32 moderate and 32 high IQ 4th-5th graders were given an S. Sternberg (1966, 1969) recognition memory task. Half of the Ss were trained to use a serial rehearsal strategy during target set storage, and half were given no specific strategy training. The training variable was crossed with rehearsal requirement (overt or covert) so that storage processing could be monitored directly. Dependent measures included S-paced study times, overt rehearsals, and reaction times. Results indicate IQ-related differences in the rate of memory search in the absence of differences in rehearsal during storage. In addition, serial rehearsal training facilitated memory search when rehearsal was covert, particularly for high IQ Ss. The data are discussed with regard to target set storage resulting from a serial rehearsal pattern and to the apparent inverse relationship between IQ and memory-search rate. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of assertion training on aggressive behavior of adolescents.

The effects of assertion training on aggressive adolescents' behavior were examined. 30 9th-grade students judged by peers to be aggressive were randomly assigned to assertion training, placebo, and no-treatment control groups. The experimental group received 8 50-min assertion training sessions, and the 2 other groups received either no contact or placebo sessions concerning decision-making. Results show that the assertion training yielded significant improvement on the assertion scale, but it had little effect on peer-judged aggression. The implications of the findings are discussed. (6 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Autonomic nervous system responses correlate with mental rehearsal in volleyball training

The proliferative rate of a tumor has been considered predictive of its clinical course. We evaluated the expression of the proliferative marker Ki-67 and its relationship to survival, disease-free survival and other clinicopathologic variables in both stage I and stage II non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). A total of 260 patients with surgically resected stage I (n = 193), and II (n = 67) NSCLC with at least 5 years follow-up were identified. The median survival for patients with low expression of Ki-67 (< or = 25%) was 54 months, while for those with high expression (> 25%), it was 45 months (P = 0.1). The disease-free survival in patients with low expression of Ki-67 was 59 months while it was only 32 months for patients with high Ki-67 (P = 0.1). Out of 136 patients, 84 (62%) had both increased S-phase (> 8%) and high Ki-67 (P = 0.001). A total of 28 of 30 patients who had loss of antigen A had high expression of Ki-67 (93.3%) (P = 0.03). Ki-67 expression was also higher in squamous cell (54/63, 85.7%) compared to nonsquamous cell cancer (70/108, 64%) (P = 0.03). We also analyzed for the presence of symptoms with survival. The presence of symptoms was not found to be statistically significant, for overall survival (P = 0.33) or disease-free survival (P = 0.72). When individual symptoms were analyzed, the presence of cough was statistically significant for both overall and disease-free survival. The median survival was 39 months for patients with cough, and 57 months for patients without cough (P = 0.04). Multivariate analysis showed higher N and T stages, presence of cough and loss of antigen A, predicted for poorer overall survival. Higher N and T stages, loss of antigen A, presence of mucin and cough and increased expression of Ki-67 predicted decreased disease-free survival. Although we did not find a statistically significant difference between low and high Ki-67, there was a trend for a poorer overall and disease-free survival in patients with high Ki-67 expression. Larger studies may be needed to prove a statistically significant effect of Ki-67 on survival. Future studies should assess the potential prognostic significance of the presence of symptoms (particularly cough) in addition to clinical-pathologic variables (such as T and N stage) and biological markers in patients with early stage NSCLC.     

Application of the elaboration likelihood model of attitude change to assertion training.

Applied the elaboration likelihood model (ELM) of attitude change to the structured group training of assertive attitudes and behaviors. 113 college students participated in a study comparing the effects of an ELM-based assertion workshop with those of a typical assertion workshop. The ELM-based workshop was significantly better at producing favorable attitude change (semantic differential rating, p?p?p?p?p?p?     

Effectiveness of booster sessions in the maintenance and enhancement of treatment gains following assertion training.

46 unassertive Ss were randomly assigned to assertion training (AT) or waiting-list control conditions. Ss receiving AT showed significantly greater improvements from pretreatment to posttreatment on 8 out of 10 questionnaire measures of assertiveness and 3 out of 5 direct behavioral observation measures compared with the waiting-list group. 27 Ss who had completed the AT program were then randomly assigned to 1 of 3 booster conditions, namely, monthly AT boosters (ATB), monthly attention placebo boosters (APB) or no boosters (NB). At the 3-mo follow-up there was minimal difference between booster conditions. By the 6-mo follow-up the results favored the ATB condition. Although the APB procedure was effective in preventing the relapse shown by the NB Ss, the ATB group actually showed further improvements on some measures of assertiveness during the 6-mo follow-up period. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Differential outcome from automated assertion training as a function of locus of control.

72 low-assertive (Conflict Resolution Inventory) college students, classified as either internal or external in locus of control (Rotter's Internal–External Locus of Control Scale), participated in an analog therapy outcome study that assessed whether Ss' locus of control orientations would differentially affect their reactions to an automated assertiveness training procedure. Results indicate that as a group, treatment Ss improved more on all self-report and behavioral measures than either placebo or no-treatment control Ss. As predicted, however, externals in the treatment condition showed significantly greater generalization of the treatment effects to untrained social-skills assessment items than did their internal counterparts. Internals in the treatment condition actually failed to improve on these items relative to the performance of internals in the placebo and no-treatment control conditions. Data also support the predictions that internals in the treatment condition would perceive treatment as taking too much control away from them and would feel more uncomfortable in treatment sessions than externals. Data are interpreted as generally confirming the importance of accounting for the role of patient variables in therapy outcome research. (28 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of assertion training on acceptance of disability by physically disabled university students.

This pilot study focused on the effects of assertion training on 14 physically disabled undergraduates' acceptance of disability. A pretest–posttest control group design was utilized. Ss were randomly assigned to either a treatment group or a no-treatment control group. The hypotheses analyzed were that Ss given assertion training would show increases in Acceptance of Disability Scale scores, self-concept/esteem scores (Rathus Assertiveness Scale), and social interaction skills scores (Behavioral Observation Scale) when compared with individuals who did not experience assertion training. Significant results were obtained for all hypotheses indicating that the groups differed in acceptance of disability, self-concept, and social interaction. The study suggests that assertion training may be effective for increasing acceptance of disability in physically disabled students. (11 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Retrieving for rehearsal: An analysis of active rehearsal in children's memory.

Two experiments with 96 2nd graders and 24 6th graders explored the operation of retrieval processes in Ss' active rehearsal strategies. Both experiments used free-recall tasks, in which Ss were given instructions in active rehearsal as well as supports that might facilitate the retrieval operation and thus enhance both rehearsal and recall performance. In Exp I, 2nd and 6th graders were given visual or auditory access to an 18-item stimulus-word list. Results show that, by providing 2nd graders with an opportunity to view previously presented words, rehearsal activity and recall increased substantially, whereas the performance of the 6th graders was not affected. In Exp II, presentation time and visual access to a similar 18-word list were manipulated for 2nd graders. Results show that the provision of extra time for an item enabled Ss to execute a more active rehearsal strategy. Extra time had only minimal effects on recall, except when it was combined with visual access to the items. Findings suggest that retrieval per se is not necessary for the beneficial effects of active rehearsal, if other procedures can be followed to permit the juxtaposition of several items in rehearsal. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)