Relationship between locus of control, structure of therapy, and outcome.

Reports 2 studies that replicated a study by P. R. Kilmann and R. J. Howell (1974) to examine the relationship between locus of control and the structure of group therapy. Data from undergraduates who were assigned to either a 16-hr marathon or group therapy sessions tentatively suggest that external Ss may achieve the most significant therapeutic benefits from a structured therapist intervention within a spaced time format, while internal Ss may require a therapist model of minimal control and structure. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Crisis intervention: A review of outcome research.

Critically evaluates crisis intervention studies conducted (a) in community suicide prevention/crisis intervention programs, (b) in psychiatric settings, and (c) with surgical patients. In the 1st area, the impracticality of suicide as an outcome measure and the need for shifting evaluation emphasis from crisis worker performance to client behavior change measures is stressed. Also, the virtual impossibility of demonstrating overall program impact on the community and the need for developing overall program evaluation procedures is noted. Other criticisms are made as follows: Studies in psychiatric settings suffer from considerable methodological shortcomings that prohibit definitive conclusions; studies operationally specifying treatment components are greatly needed here. Studies with surgery patients indicate the necessity for developing intervention techniques most appropriate for individuals differing in their typical manner of dealing with stress. In all settings, outcome measures should be appropriate to the situation and logically related to the goals of intervention. (3? p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Developing a comparative measure of the learning climate in professional schools.

Developed the Learning Climate Questionnaire (LCQ) to assess the learning climate of professional schools. 7 populations of students from 4 business schools and 1 nonbusiness professional school participated in this study (N = 455). 5 factors were extracted from the LCQ (Grading Process, Physical Environment, Task Relationships with Faculty, Social Relationships with Faculty, and Course Material Presentation) which were fairly independent (average intercorrelations = .33) and had high internal consistency (average a = .84) across all samples. Comparisons of the objective properties of the schools and measures of overall student satisfaction with the LCQ factors suggest considerable validity of the instrument. Consequently, it seems appropriate to utilize the LCQ for substantive research investigations into the organizational dynamics of professional schools. (30 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Participative management in the college classroom.

Hypothesized that students encouraged to provide information and decision-making efforts for classroom procedures of importance to them give more favorable ratings to various aspects of the instructor's teaching effectiveness and to their perceptions of what they have learned than do students not given this encouragement and opportunity. 2 graduate classes of 25 students each designed their course within the latitudes of administrative constraints. As controls, 2 other graduate classes were presented the identical course design the following semester as dictated by the instructor. Results indicate reasonable support for the hypothesis. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Direct and nondirect marathon group therapy and internal-external control.

Investigated whether direct and nondirect therapist techniques within a 23-hr marathon format would differentially induce client shifts in locus of control (as measured by Rotter's Locus of Control Scale). Ss were 84 female narcotic addicts. The no-treatment control group experienced a significant shift toward externality, while the marathon Ss did not fluctuate significantly from pre- to posttherapy. No significant difference in shift was found between the direct and nondirect treatment conditions. A significant Periods * Locus of Control * Treatment Conditions interaction showed that internal Ss in the direct and control conditions shifted significantly toward externality. Future studies need to investigate whether a posttherapy shift in locus of control is associated with changes on other personality measures. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of marathon group therapy on trait and state anxiety.

Administered the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory to 84 institutionalized female narcotic drug addicts (mean age 25.6 yrs). Ss then participated in marathon-directive, marathon-nondirective, or no-therapy (control) groups. Combining all groups of Ss, State Anxiety (A-State) declined significantly from pretherapy to posttherapy, with the 2 therapy groups showing a far greater decline than the control group. Trait Anxiety (A-Trait) was unchanged from pre- to posttherapy when the scores for all groups were combined. Ss receiving nondirective therapy declined in A-Trait, directive therapy Ss increased, and control Ss showed virtually no change in A-Trait. Results support C. D. Spielberger's notion that trait anxiety reflects a dispositional tendency to respond with anxiety in ego-threat situations and suggest that personality trait measures may be more relevant outcome indicators than measures of transitory mood states in marathon therapy research. (32 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effect of structured and unstructured leader roles on internal and external group participants

This study assessed the impact of structured and unstructured leader roles on measures of outcome for Ss who differed on the pretest dimension "locus of control." On the basis of their pretest locus of control scores, Ss were assigned to a structured or an unstructured marathon group. The treatment in the two 16-hour -arathons consisted of a defined series of exercises; the only difference between the two groups was the degree of leader control over member participation. As predicted, internal Ss in the unstructured group rated the leader and the group more psoitively than did external Ss, while the reverse responsivity occured in the structured group. Significant Locus of Control X Treatment interactions indicated that internal and external Ss reflected differential shifts in general anxiety, general depression, and locus of control as a function of treatment. The relationship between changes in self-actualization and locus of control and changes in conflict-handling styles and negative affects differed as a function of locus of control and treatment condition. The overall results coupled with prior findings tentatively support the appropriateness of an unstructured leader role for internal scores and a structured leader role for external scorers.