QUESTIONING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF BEHAVIOR MODELING TRAINING IN AN INDUSTRIAL SETTING1

The intention of this study was to improve behavioral modeling's effectiveness by substituting managers for professional trainers and to evaluate the effect on 44 male supervisors using Kirkpatrick's four levels of evaluation: reaction, learning, behavior on the job, and performance. Twenty-two supervisors were trained with six behavior modeling modules and the effect was compared to a control group consisting of 22 supervisors. The research also examined the effects of trainees’ self-esteem and the perceived power of the trainers. The results showed that behavior modeling resulted in favorable reactions and an increase in learning, but did not produce behavior change on the job, or improved performance results. Power and self-esteem did not moderate the training effectiveness. The findings are compared with previous behavior modeling research. The discussion concludes with a recommendation for researchers to identify more complete theoretical models which explain behavioral change on the job (e.g., Maltz's theory of psycho-cybernetics) as opposed to relying solely on Bandura's social learning theory.     

Do remedial programs really work?

The results of an evaluative study demonstrate that the remedial reading-writing program at a large urban community junior college did not produce any meaningful differences in student withdrawals from college or in grade point averages during the second semester of college; did not improve achievement in social science, humanities, or English courses; and did not result in higher scores on writing and reading tests for those students in the remedial program than for those in a randomly selected control group who did not participate in the program.     

Transpersonal approaches to counseling

The transpersonal movement is concerned with expanding the personal boundaries of individuals to facilitate mind and body self-control through various unusual modes, such as autogenic feedback, hypnosis, yoga, and meditation. This article discusses transpersonal approaches to counseling with emphasis on the possibilities of using suggestion, relaxation, hypnosis, imagery, and dreams. The author offers a concept of transpersonal counseling in which children would be trained to control their own mental, emotional, and physiological processes.