Scott W. Minor

Evaluation of a family life education program for rural high‐risk families: A research note

Seventy-nine participants attended a 16-session family life education program for high risk rural families. The program was based on an ecological model of child abuse; its components included education, communication skills training, ancillary income support, and childcare services. The participants met weekly and attended both large-group presentations and small-group discussions. The Child Abuse Potential Inventory and a questionnaire were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the program. The Inventory, which was administered as a pre- and posttest, showed a significant decrease in abuse scores across the program. A seven-week follow-up with the same inventory indicated the decrease in abuse scores was maintained. Data from the questionnaire showed that participants enjoyed the program and indicated that they acquired information about child development, parenting skills, and available community resources.

A comparison of cognitive and performance-based treatment analogues: Constrained thought versus performance accomplishments

The relative effectiveness of treatment analogues was compared. Based on Tessers self-generated attitude change model, thought with the presence of reality and process constraints was hypothesized to decrease exaggerated affect; thought in the absence of reality and process constraints was expected to enhance exaggerated affect. Based on Banduras self-efficacy theory, performance accomplishments were hypothesized to reduce exaggerated affect. These hypotheses were tested by randomly assigning individuals, who previously indicated a strong fear of snakes, to one of four treatment conditions: participant modeling, constrained thought, unconstrained thought, or a no-treatment control. Behavioral approach was used to assess the effects of treatment. Results provided support for the predictions based on the self-generated attitude change model as well as the predictions based on the self-efficacy theory. Explanations for the findings and directions for future research are discussed.

Hemispheric asymmetries in interpreting forms vs colors in ambiguous patterns

Prior to receiving briefly lateralized presentations of ambiguous visual patterns (Rorschach inkblots), 28 normal right-handed males heard two words, each describing a different interpretation of the pattern, e.g., one word might describe an interpretation based on attending to shapes or forms (form choices) and the other might describe an interpretation based on attending to chromatic color (e.g., color choices). Color choices were more frequent than form choices on left-hemisphere (LH) presentations of the patterns, and form choices were more frequent than color choices on right-hemisphere (RH) presentations. These results were interpreted as consistent with the theory that the LHs favored mental representation is semantic (i.e., frequent choices of concepts associated with names of colors in the patterns) and the RHs favored representation is imaginal (i.e., frequent choices of concepts associated with difficult-to-label forms in the patterns).

Daydreaming, Self Concept and Academic Performance

A continuous interaction model was proposed to explain the relationship among daydreaming, self concept and academic performance. Daydreams were hypothesized to both influence performance and attitudes and in turn be affected by performance outcomes and self concept. A second aim of the study was to evaluate the usefulness of a semantic differential scale as a method for subjects to rate their own daydreams. Subjects recorded school-related daydreams during two time periods in a semester, completed three self concept scales and took four psychology exams. Multiple regressions were used to analyze the proposed model. The second self concept score was predicted by the initial self concept score, daydream activity, and gender. The third self concept score was explained by the second self concept score and an exam score. The three summary dimensions of the semantic differential were independent and stable over seven weeks.

School Related Daydreams and Test Anxiety

Current models of test anxiety emphasize the mediating role of negative and disruptive internal cognitive activity. Highly test anxious students have been reported to engage in more negative thoughts and fewer positive thoughts during an actual exam. The present study examined the relationship between school related daydreams and level of test anxiety. It was hypothesized that daydream outcome and mood would be correlated with self reported test anxiety, grade point average and self reported arousal and self talk during an exam. Overall the grade point average was the measure most relevant to daydreams. Students with high grade point averages tended to have more happy and successful daydreams and fewer failure daydreams. Self talk during the exam was unrelated to daydream measures. Suggestions for further research were presented.

Behavior of test anxious students across time

Abstract The study investigated the stability of the internal dialogue and self-reported arousal of test anxious students during an actual college examination. Based on procedures and measures developed by Galassi, Frierson and Sharer (1981) data were collected during a psychology exam and again 1 week later. It was found that high test anxious students have more negative thoughts and report more arousal during an exam than less test anxious students. Further, negative thoughts and self-reported arousal were found to be consistent across time, while positive thoughts were unstable. Results were consistent with those previously reported and support cognitive models of test anxiety.

Effects of Congruence between Locus of Control and Task Instructions on Self-Efficacy

Although self-efficacy theory has generated research, investigations concerning how individual difference variables may influence self-efficacy have been lacking. The present study addressed the relationship between locus of control and self-efficacy. Subjects were 40 undergraduate females (20 with internal locus of control and 20 with external locus of control) who were asked to solve five single-solution anagrams. Prior to exposure to the anagrams, half of the subjects received a set of skill instructions and the rest were given chance instructions. When instructions were congruent with locus of control (e.g., internal-skill, external-chance) subjects expended more effort to solve the anagrams. Locus of control and instructions did not significantly affect estimates of self-efficacy, but means were ordered as predicted.

A Comparison of In-Vivo and Imaginal Participant Modeling.

Recent research indicates that effective treatments of phobic reactions are often performance-based and involve exposure to the phobic object. The present study was designed to determine whether both of these components were necessary for the effectiveness of participant modeling procedures (N = 26). Phobic individuals were assigned randomly to one of two forms of participant modeling: In-vivo vs. imaginal. Both treatment analogues were identical except that the in-vivo version involved actual exposure to a phobic object, while the imaginal version simply required individuals to imagine that the phobic object was physically present. Results on behavioral and self-report measures indicated that both in-vivo and imaginal participant modeling were effective in generating increased approach behavior, but neither produced generalization beyond the laboratory setting. Explanations were discussed.

A Participant Modeling Procedure to Train Parents of Developmentally Disabled Infants

Most of the procedures employed in parent training programs for handicapped children have been based on an operant conditioning model in general and contingency management procedures in particular. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the efficacy of a participant modeling procedure in training parents to work with their developmentally disabled infants. Fourteen such parents received training in which a therapist initially modeled the activities with the infant and then guided the parent as she or he mastered the procedures. Five developmentally disabled infants received a more traditional early intervention program in which the therapist provided all child training. The results indicated that those infants whose parents were trained by the participant modeling procedure evidenced significantly more developmental gains than those infants receiving traditional child training. The results suggest that cognitive behavioral procedures, such as participant modeling, are an alternative to strict operant procedures in training parents of handicapped children.

Hemispheric resource limitations in comprehending ambiguous pictures

Ambiguous pictures (Roschach inkblots) were lateralized for 100 msec vs. 200 msec to the right and left hemispheres (RH and LH) of 32 normal right-handed males who determined which of two previously presented words (an accurate or inaccurate one) better described the inkblot. Over the first 32 trials, subjects receiving each stimulus exposure duration were less accurate when the hemisphere receiving the stimulus also controlled the hand used to register a keypress response (RH-left hand and LH-right hand trials) than when hemispheric resources were shared, i.e., when one hemisphere controlled stimulus processing and the other controlled response programming. These differences were eliminated when the 32 trials were repeated.