PSYCHOTHERAPISTS'KNOWLEDGE ABOUT AND ATTITUDES TOWARD SEXUAL ASSAULT VICTIM CLIENTS

The present research investigated the question of how therapists'attitudes toward sexual assault victims predict their inferences about and treatment of clients. In addition, this study asked the following questions: (a) What percentage of female psychotherapy clients have been victims of sexual assault? (b) What treatment approaches are therapists using with victims and what attitudes toward victims do these therapists hold? (c) On the average, which demographic groups of therapists hold the most positive views of victims and are the most knowledgeable about working with victims? The results of the study indicated that therapists who held negative attitudes toward victims were more likely to endorse victim-blaming themes and therapeutic treatments which blame victims for sexual assault. Of therapists'current female clients, 18.5% ( n = 257) had been sexually assaulted at some point in their lives. On the average, therapists were knowledgeable about working with victims and showed positive attitudes toward victims.     

SEMANTIC INTEGRATION: A COMPARISON OF NORMAL AND DISABLED READERS

Abstract

This study examined comprehension of sets of related sentences from which inferences could be drawn. Subjects were 40 disabled and 40 normal readers (C.A. 10‐10 ‐ 11‐11) who were asked to read short paragraphs suggesting spatial relationships. After reading, they were given a recognition test containing items not previously read but which were structured in their relationship to the semantic content of the texts. Analyses of within and between group errors reveal significant differences due to sentence type and a strong tendency for both groups to “misrecognize” semantically congruent inferences. The results are discussed in light of past research on the memory capabilities of disabled readers and with respect to techniques of remediation.     

FLUENCY SNAPSHOTS: A QUICK SCREENING TOOL FOR YOUR CLASSROOM

In this article, the authors present a research-based, classroom tested assessment tool, the Classroom Fluency Snapshot (CFS). This assessment is grounded in the research that establishes fluency as an important component of initial reading instruction and in the work on the efficacy of curriculum based measurement. The article presents the case of one classroom in which a teacher uses the CFS as a pre-, post-assessment. Rich classroom examples, details of the teacher's interpretation, and instructional decision making are shared along with ideas for instruction.