THE INFLUENCE OF TRAINEE ATTITUDES ON TRAINING EFFECTIVENESS: TEST OF A MODEL

Studies of the influence of trainee characteristics on training effectiveness have focused on the ability level necessary to learn program content. Motivational and environmental influences on training effectiveness have received little attention. The purpose of this study was to test an exploratory model describing the influence on trainee career and job attitudes on training outcomes (learning, behavior change, performance improvement). Results of the study suggest that job involvement and career planning are antecedents of learning and behavior change. Future research directions and practical implications of the results are discussed.     

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF INTERPERSONAL SKILLS TRAINING ON THE SOCIAL SKILL ACQUISITION OF MODERATELY AND MILDLY RETARDED ADULTS

Sixteen moderately and mildly retarded adults were selected from a group residential facility and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group received a 12-session interpersonal skills training program consisting of instruction in the following areas: (1) Introductions and Small Talk, (2) Asking for Help, (3) Differing with Others, and (4) Handling Criticism. The social skills instructional package included verbal instruction, modeling, role playing, feedback, contingent incentives, and homework. As a result of this training program, moderately and mildly retarded adults acquired new social skills as evidenced by performance on a situation role play assessment. These gains generalized to untrained role play situations but did not result in significant group differences when assessed in a more natural setting (i.e., local grocery store).     

THE INFLUENCE OF TRAINING METHOD ON SELF-EFFICACY AND IDEA GENERATION AMONG MANAGERS

This field experiment examined the influence of two training methods on self-efficacy and performance during training for innovative problem solving. A training method composed of cognitive modeling with practice and reinforcement generated significantly higher participant self-efficacy than a method involving lecture and practice alone. Participants in modeling training significantly outperformed those in the lecture condition on measures of the quantity and divergence of ideas generated. Findings are discussed in terms of training designs for innovative problem solving.     

EVALUATION OF A TRAINING MANUAL FOR THE ACQUISITION OF BEHAVIORAL ASSESSMENT INTERVIEWING SKILLS

Two procedures were used to teach behavioral assessment interviewing skills: a training manual and one-to-one instruction that included modeling, rehearsal, and feedback. Two graduate students and two advanced undergraduates were trained with each procedure. Interviewing skills were recorded in simulated assessment interviews conducted by each student across baseline and treatment conditions. Each training procedure was evaluated in a multiple baseline across students design. The results showed that both procedures were effective for training behavioral interviewing skills, with all students reaching a level of 90%-100% correct responding. Finally, a group of experts in behavior analysis rated each interviewing skill as relevant to the conduct of an assessment interview and a group of behavioral clinicians socially validated the outcomes of the two procedures.     

THE PERILS OF PARTICIPATION: EFFECTS OF CHOICE OF TRAINING ON TRAINEE MOTIVATION AND LEARNING

This study presents an empirical test of the effects of trainee choice of training on subsequent motivation and learning. 207 trainees were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: (a) no choice of training; (b) choice of training–but choice not received; (c) choice of training–with choice received. A pilot study was used to create a unique training context whereby trainees could be differentiated on the three conditions of choice, while all ultimately received the identical training module. Results indicated that, after controlling for cognitive ability, those trainees having a choice of training did have greater motivation to learn, provided they were ultimately given the training of their choice. On the other hand, trainees allowed to choose but whose choice was not the training module subsequently delivered were less motivated and learned less than those not asked to participate in the choice of training at all. These findings suggest that, in an organizational training context, there may be some "perils of participation." Implications for future research and practice are discussed.     

EFFECTS OF SELF-EFFICACY AND POST-TRAINING INTERVENTION ON THE ACQUISITION AND MAINTENANCE OF COMPLEX INTERPERSONAL SKILLS

This study examined the effects of self-efficacy and a two-stage training process on the acquisition and maintenance (i.e., retention) of complex interpersonal skills. In stage one, all participants received basic training in negotiation skills; behavioral measures of negotiation performance were taken following this training. During stage two, alternative post-training interventions (goal setting and self-management) were offered to facilitate skill maintenance. Six weeks later, behavioral measures of performance were repeated. Results indicated that pre-test self-efficacy contributed positively to both initial and delayed performance. While training condition contributed to skill maintenance, self-efficacy also interacted with post-training method to influence delayed performance. Specifically, self-management training attenuated the self-efficacy performance relationship, while goal-setting training accentuated performance differences between high and low self-efficacy trainees. Implications of these findings are discussed for researchers and practitioners concerned with interpersonal skills training.     

基于示例学习的认知技能获得的研究

本文简要介绍了基于示例学习的认知技能获得的研究,涉及的问题包括示例学习的过程、影响认知技能获得的因素、认知技能获得中的练习和迁移等、在文章的最后,对这一领域的研究趋势进行了展望。     

THE EFFECTS OF BEHAVIOR SKILLS TRAINING ON CORRECT TEACHER IMPLEMENTATION OF NATURAL LANGUAGE PARADIGM TEACHING SKILLS AND CHILD BEHAVIOR

Natural Language Paradigm (NLP) is a naturalistic teaching strategy for children with autism that increases immediate and delayed imitative utterances, spontaneous utterances and new words, and production of utterances. NLP includes increasing child choice, varying stimulus items, loose shaping contingencies for communicative attempts, and providing reinforcers with a direct relationship to the response. Only one previous study investigated the effects of behavioral skills training (BST) on staff acquisition and generalization of implementation of NLP and child behavior. A BST package of instructions, modeling rehearsal and feedback, was used to train teachers to implement NLP teaching procedures with three pre‐school children with autism spectrum disorder. Training increased correct teacher performance systematically across all three teachers during NLP teaching sessions and with children for whom teachers did not directly receive training. Correct teacher performance increased appropriate child vocalizations and decreased maladaptive behavior for four of six children. BST is effective in quickly training teachers in the generalized implementation of complex NLP teaching procedures across children. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

EFFECTS OF VERBAL REGULATION AND AGE ON RULE ACQUISITION AND TRANSFER

The ability of 119 children (mean ages 6.2, 8.2, 10.1, and 12.3) to perform rule learning and subsequent transfer tasks was observed utilizing three experimental conditions: overt-verbal, covert-verbal, and control. The performance of the subjects suggests that the child who is forced to verbalize his conceptual strategies will reach criterion faster in the rule acquisition task, and will also be more successful in his attempts to transfer the acquired rule. With regard to the transfer tasks specifically, it was found that overt-verbal learning was significantly more effective than covert-learning, and that the covert-verbal condition yielded significantly higher scores than did the control condition. These results point to the effectiveness of verbal strategies in the acquisition and transfer of learning.     

THE INFLUENCE OF AGE AND SOCIAL CLASS ON AUTHORITARIAN FAMILY IDEOLOGY

The Authoritarian Family Ideology Scale (AFI,,) was administered to four hundred and thirty eight mothers towards the end of their confinement. Raw scores were analyzed by means of multiple linear regression. Chrono- logical age and social class scores were found to give substantial accounts of criterion variance. AFI,, scores tended to drop as age and social class rose. Interaction and curvilinearity did not increase R2 values to a substantial degree.     

THE INFLUENCE OF SUBORDINATE AGE ON PERFORMANCE RATINGS AND CAUSAL ATTRIBUTIONS

Three issues were examined in this study relative to the role of subordinate age in performance evaluations. First, it was found that supervisors rated older subordinates lower than younger subordinates doing the same job. Second, differences between self-ratings of performance and supervisory ratings seemed to be a function of the subordinate's age. Third, a significant age × performance interaction was detected on ability attributions.     

THE INFLUENCE OF RATER AND RATEE AGE ON TWO PERFORMANCE JUDGMENTS

The influences of rater age and rater age on performance evaluations of 513 exempt managers from a large manufacturing organization were examined. Two general performance criteria and six specific performance criteria were used. Results showed small but significant age influences on two of the specific performance measures, Self-Development and Interpersonal Skills. Older workers received lower ratings than younger workers on both of these dimensions. In addition, younger raters gave significantly higher ratings than older raters on Interpersonal Skills. Small but significant age interactions were found in both Interpersonal Skills ratings and Self-Development ratings. The findings were replicated in a second sample ( N =178). The influence of age on performance ratings is consistent with previous research and is compared. The extent of the influence is smaller in the present study than in previous research.     

THE EFFECTS OF BEHAVIORAL SKILLS TRAINING ON CAREGIVER IMPLEMENTATION OF GUIDED COMPLIANCE

The effectiveness of a behavioral skills training package that consisted of modeling, rehearsal, and feedback was evaluated to increase correct implementation of guided compliance by caregivers of 3 children who exhibited noncompliance. Results showed that the training package improved performance of guided compliance. Generalization probes indicated that the skills learned were exhibited in different settings 3 to 6 weeks after training ended.     

年龄、作业难度和训练对成人记忆的影响

采用“联想学习”、“图象自由回忆”和“附加联想”三项目,对９０例成人（分为青年、老年和老老年组各３０例）进行记忆测查和训练,目的为探讨年龄,作业难度和训练对记忆的影响。结果表明：青年组记忆成绩明显高于老年和老老年组,后两组无显著差异;无关联想的年龄差异大于有关联想,作业难度扩大了年龄差异;各年龄组训练后记忆得到明显改善,并且训练扩大了年龄和作业易难的差异。由此可见,记忆受年龄、作业难度和训练三因素的相互作用,也再次证实了老年认知功能具有一定的可塑性。     

汉语图片命名中获得年龄的作用

不同语种的研究都发现获得年龄是影响图片命名和词汇命名的重要因素。该研究对汉语图片命名中获得年龄的作用进行了初步探讨。研究分为两部分,第一部分让20名大学生对187幅选自Snodgrass和Vanderwart图片集的线条画的名称的获得年龄进行了评定;第二部分以该187幅图片为刺激,30名大学生被试对图片进行命名反应。以命名反应时为因变量,采用多重回归分析,发现除了名称一致性和概念熟悉性,获得年龄是图片命名反应时的主要预测指标,并没有发现词频的效应。文章对此结果进行了讨论。     

THE EFFECTS OF BEHAVIORAL SKILLS TRAINING ON IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PICTURE EXCHANGE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

The effectiveness of a behavioral skills training (BST) package to teach the implementation of the first three phases of the picture exchange communication system (PECS) was evaluated with 3 adults who had no history teaching any functional communication system. A multiple baseline design across participants was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the training package, which consisted of a video, written and verbal instructions, modeling, rehearsal, and feedback. Results showed significant improvements relative to baseline in a short amount of training time and that skills generalized to a learner with a severe developmental disability. Skills were maintained at 1 month follow‐up for 1 participant.     

THE TRAINING AND GENERALIZATION OF SOCIAL INTERACTION SKILLS WITH AUTISTIC YOUTH

Two experiments were conducted to increase the initiations and duration of social interactions between autistic and nonhandicapped youths. Experiment 1 taught two autistic youths to initiate and elaborate social interactions with three age-appropriate and commonly used leisure objects; a radio, a video game, and gum. The students were first taught to use the objects and subsequently instructed in the related social skills. The youths generalized these social responses to other nonhandicapped peers in the same leisure setting. A second experiment trained a third autistic youth to emit similar social leisure skills. The use of the leisure objects and the related social skills were taught at the same time. The autistic youth learned these skills and generalized them to other handicapped peers in the same leisure setting. The importance of teaching generalized social responding in particular subenvironments was emphasized.     

THE INFLUENCE OF VERBAL ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE AND VERBAL ORGANIZING SKILLS ON SELECT MEASURES OF LEARNING

This study investigated the influence of verbal organizational structure and verbal organizing skills on recall of facts, ability to pattern, and ability to problem-solve. One hundred and fifty-nine college students, classified as high or low in ability to organize verbal material, heard recorded communications that consisted of either high-structure-sequence or low-structure-sequence messages. The results indicated that level of message structure and organizing skills were conjunctively related to the learning variables, with structure apparently accounting for more of the variance than organizing skills.     

THE INFLUENCE OF TRAINING ON THE LEVEL OF TEST PERFORMANCE AND THE FACTOR STRUCTURE OF INTELLIGENCE TESTS

An attempt was made to study whether it is possible by specific training on one test to produce changes in the level of performance on similar tests and in the factor structure of a set of intelligence tests. Considerable improvement occurred in the level of performance on the test on which training was given, but no significant transfer effects to the performance on other tests were found. Slight differentiation was observed in the factor structure.