A multicultural framework in counsellor training: A preliminary evaluation

The multicultural module of a postgraduate Diploma in Counselling was evaluated. The evaluation focused both on former students' experience of the relevance of multiculturalism to their counselling and on which of three perspectives on multiculturalism they most agreed with. The findings confirmed and illustrated the relevance of multiculturalism to practice. The counsellors also expressed a clear preference for an integrationist perspective, with a structuralist approach their second choice.     

Videoconference to supervise early intensive behavioral intervention: A preliminary evaluation of acceptability

At present, early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI) for children with autism spectrum disorders is the intervention that has the strongest empirical support. EIBI requires frequent supervision by qualified professionals. Norway, like many other countries, has a shortage of qualified supervisors, particularly in rural regions. This study used a reversal design to investigate how supervisors and supervisees perceive the quality of EIBI supervision and the local team's preparedness when supervision was provided either on-site or via videoconference. Calculations were made on how much time could be saved on travel when part of the supervision was provided via videoconference. There were no significant differences in the supervisors' and supervisees' ratings of on-site and videoconference supervision. Moreover, the supervisors found the local EIBI teams to be better prepared when supervision was provided via videoconference, and the videoconference supervision meetings were shorter. The study discusses the implications of these findings for the accessibility of EIBI and case capacity and proposes some areas for further research.     

The applicability of familism to diverse ethnic groups: a preliminary study

The author examined the extent to which familism, which is generally regarded as a Hispanic cultural value, is applicable to other ethnic groups as well. An ethnically diverse sample of 318 Hispanic, non-Hispanic White, and non-Hispanic Black young adults completed measures of attitudinal familism, collectivism, and interdependence. Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that the scoring algorithm for the familism measure fit the data well, both overall and across ethnic groups. The author conducted analyses to ascertain (a) differences in the factor structure of familism, (b) mean differences in endorsement of familism, and (c) differences in associations of familism with collectivism and interdependence between Hispanics and the other ethnic groups. Few significant or noteworthy differences emerged in any of these analyses, suggesting that familism may be applicable to and may operate similarly within diverse ethnic groups. The author discussed findings in terms of convergence between familism and other collectivist and interdependent value orientations.     

Collectively ill: a preliminary case that groups can have psychiatric disorders

Synthese - In the 2000s, several psychiatrists cited the lack of relational disorders (what I call “collective disorders”—disorders of groups rather than individuals) in the...     

Outreach with teenage fathers: a preliminary report on three ethnic groups

This article presents preliminary data on suggestions for reaching Anglo, black, and Hispanic unmarried adolescent fathers. Results reveal that reaching out to these young fathers may be complicated because their needs vary within and across their culture. The data suggest that these fathers need diverse information, practical help, and counseling.     

A preliminary evaluation of the emergence of novel mand forms

Strategies that produce generalized responding are valuable, especially with regard to language acquisition, because relatively little training may result in large behavior changes. Conditions that result in generalized manding were analyzed in the current study. We demonstrated in reversal designs that undesirable or single-word responses were the predominant mand forms of 3 preschool children. Multiple baseline designs with 2 participants and a reversal design with 1 participant were then used to demonstrate the extent to which differential reinforcement of single-word mands (e.g., "cars") or framed mands (e.g., "I want the cars, please") would result in the emergence of other single-word and framed mands for different items (e.g., mands for music, puppets, or puzzles). Results showed that prompting and differential reinforcement of one or two mand frames resulted in the emergence of other framed mands for all participants.     

Intergroup contact between professional groups: Two evaluation studies

We report two studies which evaluate practically-oriented programmes of interprofessional contact involving doctors and social workers. The evaluation is based on the ‘contact hypothesis’ in intergroup relations, and highlights four sets of dependent measures: background perceptions, ingroup and outgroup ratings, knowledge, and judgements about work with outgroup partners and experienced contact. Consistent with the contact hypothesis, both studies revealed an improvement in outgroup attitudes, evidence of mutual intergroup differentiation (acknowledged superiority of ingroup and outgroup on independent dimensions), and increased outgroup knowledge. Greater change in Study 2 is interpreted in terms of its longer duration, and the opportunity it provided for contact with multiple outgroup members, compared with a single outgroup partner in Study 1. These findings from field studies are consistent with results from published laboratory experiments.     

The preliminary analysis of emergent social structure in groups

The problem of detecting emergent social structure in small groups is examined in terms of establishing a baseline or expected structure. The standard proposed here is equalitarianism; that is to say, every member is equally likely to interact with every other member. Using information theory, a formal statement of the equalitarian argument is possible. In addition to detecting a deviation by a single group, the structural tendency of several groups assigned to some experimental condition is discussed. This technique is designed for the preliminary analysis of structure; it deals only with the general character of the total structure.The author is indebted to Frank Restle for valuable criticism and comment upon an earlier draft of this paper.This baseline problem is similar to one encountered in studies of group problem solving. Faust [5], Davis [3], and Davis and Restle [4] have proposed the statistical pooling model of Lorge and Solomon [13] as a proper standard against which to compare the group's product in certain cases. (See Restle and Davis [22] for a more extensive theoretical discussion of individual and group problem solving.)     

A preliminary evaluation of treatment duration on the resurgence of destructive behavior

Quantitative models of resurgence (e.g., Behavioral Momentum Theory, Resurgence as Choice) suggest that resurgence is partly a function of the duration of extinction exposure, with longer histories of extinction producing less resurgence. This prediction is supported by some laboratory research and has been partially supported by clinical translations that did not isolate the effects of extinction exposure prior to testing for resurgence. The degree to which different histories of extinction impact the likelihood of treatment relapse in therapeutic applications of differential reinforcement is of great interest to the clinical community, including insurance carriers and other financial providers. In the present study, we isolated the effects of extinction history for severe destructive behavior across 6 participants referred for treatment services and examined resurgence of destructive behavior when alternative reinforcement terminated. Our within-subject evaluation showed no difference in the level of resurgence or persistence of destructive behavior following short and long exposures to differential reinforcement with extinction. We discuss our failure to replicate in relation to experimental-design considerations for investigating this and other relapse phenomena in future research with clinical populations.     

Antidepressive behaviour: A preliminary report

Outside the psychological literature it is common knowledge that when people feel depressed they ordinarily try to do something about it. In the clinical literature, this commonplace fact is in danger of being forgotten. Using an empirically-derived checklist of activities consensually identified as being ‘the thing to do when feeling depressed’, the present study examines (1) the distribution of reported antidepressive behaviour (ADB) in a group consisting of depressed and non-depressed psychiatric patients and normals and (2) the relationship between an individual's sex, personality (locus of control), and patient status and (a) the amount of ADB he reports and (b) how much of it he regards as helpful. All Ss reported some ADB but not all reported any that was helpful. In an analysis of variance, no main effects of sex, personality or patient status were found, but sex interacting with personality was significantly related both to the overall amount of ADB reported and to the amount found helpful. The findings have implications for the sorts of concepts that a theoretical formulation of ADB will require as well as for the ways in which clinicians conceptualize depressed patients.     

Erotetic arguments: A preliminary analysis

The concept of erotetic argument is introduced. Two relations between sets of declarative sentences and questions are analysed; and two classes of erotetic arguments are characterized.     

Marriage encounter casualties: A preliminary investigation

Abstract

The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate the relationship between participation in Marriage Encounter, the largest marriage enrichment program in the world, and subsequent marital or family distress. Analyzing 13 case reports from seven marital therapists, the authors suggest that Marriage Encounter weekends can cause marital or family deterioration for some couples through increased marital conflict, avoidance of constructive problem solving, or marital enmeshment at the expense of children. It appears that the most harmful aspect of the Marriage Encounter experience is its induction of intense couple-centered communication, leading to emotional overload in some couples. The authors offer several recommendations intended to lower the risks associated with participation in Marriage Encounter.     

Women who farm: A preliminary portrait

Nearly 500,000 women are engaged in farm work. Although the majority are unpaid family workers, in recent years greater proportions are in salaried and managerial positions. In-depth interviews with farming women in Baca County, Colorado, however, suggest that wage classification has negligible predictive value in explaining a woman's attitude toward farm work. Satisfaction with doing men's work depends on early socialization experiences and the degree to which a woman adopts the traditional female value system. The relevance of a masculinity—femininity dimension to distinguish women with career versus homemaking proclivities is demonstrated.An earlier version of this article was presented at the New Horizons for Women in Work and the Professions Panel of the Sociologists for Women in Society sessions at the Hotel Roosevelt in New York City, August 28, 1976.     

Delineating generalized anxiety: A preliminary investigation

The present study examined the nature of generalized anxiety, which was defined as the constellation of symptoms listed as diagnostic criteria for generalized anxiety disorder in DSM-III-R. Generalized anxiety was assessed by means of a questionnaire that was especially constructed for this study. Although multidimensional scaling of symptoms reported by a clinically anxious sample produced orthogonal anxiety and panic dimensions, many symptoms were common to both dimensions. Whereas worry was found to be the cardinal feature of generalized anxiety, respiratory symptoms were found to associate closely with panic. These dimensions were replicated in a student sample. It is argued that while generalized anxiety symptoms constitute a unique dimension in the field of anxiety disorders, both panic and generalized anxiety may be linked with a basic anxiety response system. The findings also indicated that worry associated more closely with generalized anxiety than did apprehensive expectations. The heuristic value of the findings are discussed in light of the issue relating to an anxiety-panic continuum.