Valjean M. Cashen

PREFERENCE FOR AN APPROACH TO COUNSELING

350 students in a general psychology class were given Rotters Locus of Control Scale. Based on ± 1 SD from the mean, 48 were classified as Internals and 46 as Externals. In a Latin square design groups of equal size viewed 15-min. audiovisual tapes of a simulated first counseling session. The same client, same counselor, and same presenting concern were portrayed as representative of a humanistic, psychoanalytic, and behavioral approach to counseling. The subjects were asked to identify which film they preferred and why. A chi square analysis showed no differences between Internals and Externals. However, there was a statistically significant preference for the behavioral approach by both Internals and Externals. The major factor in the preference appeared to be the “structure” of the behavioral frame of reference.

Type of Highlighted Material and Examination Performance

AbstractThe present study asks whether laboratory findings, that isolation of an item facilitates its recall, extend to formal educational settings. Four groups of students from a General Psychology class were differentiated in terms of the type of material which was isolated in assigned readings. Principles, examples of principles, or trivial statements were selected for isolation by underlining; readings of the remaining group did not contain underlinings. Class examinations included questions directed at knowledge of each type of material. Slight support was obtained for the prediction that exam performance on a particular type of material depended upon whether the material was isolated. There was no evidence for an overall facilitation by isolation. That is, underlining of one type of material did not appear to aid exam performance on non-isolated materials.

The Effect of Previous Experience on Preference of Approach for Effective Counseling

Students in a general psychology class viewed four videotapes of initial vocational-educational and initial personal concern counseling sessions. The sessions were presented from a client-centered approach and from a behavioral approach, and employed the same client and counselor. After viewing the tapes, the students were asked to indicate which approach they thought would be more effective in helping a client. Results showed that students who had previously experienced counseling preferred a behavioral approach for both the vocational-educational concern and the personal concern. Students with no experience of counseling did not exhibit a preference.

Effects of Temporal Sequencing of Student Study and Teacher Presentation on Examination Performance

Whether students should read class materials prior to or after teacher presentation was investigated. One hundred twenty-eight General Psychology students were assigned to the two conditions, 64 per condition. Students in the prior-reading condition read two reprints, 10 minutes per reprint. The post-reading group was then assembled with the prior-reading group for a teacher presentation of reprint materials. Following teacher presentation, the post-reading group was retained and read the reprints. One day later both groups were given multiple-choice tests on the reprints. No difference in test performance was found for the two groups.

Generated Expectancies and Counseling Modality

Abstract A Survey of Attitudes of Client-Centered Therapy (SACT) was administered to students in an introductory psychology class. The 153 identified as having a client-centered orientation were separated into a high-expectancy, a low-expectancy, and a control group. High expectancy was generated by extolling the virtues of client-centered therapy; low expectancy was generated by disparaging the same approach. The control group was told nothing. Each group was exposed to a vocational counseling film, a personal counseling film, and a game show film. Immediately after viewing all three films, each group was again administered the SACT. Analysis showed that the high-expectancy group maintained their original orientation to a greater extent than both the low-expectancy group and the control group.

NEEDS AND PRESS OF TEACHER-EDUCATION STUDENTS, A 10-YEAR STUDY

This article describes a 10-yr. comparison study of needs and press scores for those students enrolled in a teacher-education program at one university. Responses on the Activities Index and College Characteristics Index were contrasted for the years 1961 and 1971. Current prospective teachers exhibited less intellectual and dependency needs but greater needs for impulse expression than those of 10 yr. ago. Correspondingly, current students perceived their college environment to exert less press for intellectualism and dependency. However, in apparent conflict with their needs, present day teacher-trainees perceived their environment as demanding less impulse expression. Some comparisons indicated that teacher-education students have become somewhat more like the general student population in terms of needs and press.