EFFECTS OF RATER TRAINING AND PARTICIPATION ON COGNITIVE COMPLEXITY: AN EXPLORATION OF SCHNEIER'S COGNITIVE REINTERPRETATION

Schneier (1977) proposed that rater cognitive complexity interacts with format to affect the psychometric soundness of ratings. He also speculated that cognitive complexity may be enhanced by having raters participate in training and/or scale construction programs. This study was designed to test these latter hypotheses, while also providing a partial replication of Schneier's original research. Ninety-six undergraduate students were assigned to four groups. One participated in the construction of a set of BARS and was trained in their use, a second participated in BARS construction only, a third received training only, and the fourth served as a control group. All subjects were administered a measure of cognitive complexity before and after the experimental treatments. Also, all subjects evaluated five simulated ratees using the BARS. A training × participation (2 × 2) ANOCOV indicated no change in cognitive complexity scores as a result of the experimental treatments. A training × participation × (nominalized) cognitive complexity (2 × 2 × 2) MANOVA on mean ratings for the five stimuli found no effects on leniency error. A similar MANOVA on variances of ratings provided little evidence for effects on halo error. These results, taken in conjunction with those of other investigators who have failed to replicate Schneier's findings, suggest that the cognitive reinterpretation should be accepted with caution at best.     

Brief Therapy: Focused Problem Resolution

This article describes a general view of the nature of human problems and their effective resolution and of related specific procedures, growing out of our prior work in family therapy, that have developed during six years of research on rapid problem resolution. With treatment limited to a maximum of ten sessions, we have achieved significant success in about three-fourths of a sample of 97 widely varied cases, and this approach to problems appears to have considerable potential for further development and wider application.     

A Study on Maintaining Workshop Impact for Employment Counselors

It is the authors' belief that the skills or knowledge acquired in short-term educational experiences are often rapidly washed-out after returning to a work environment. This article describes an attempt to maintain the skills of employment counselors after they return from a workshop setting to their work environment.     

Educating,Rather than Coaching,for the Job Interview

In order for students to successfully secure employment, placement counselors need to regard the total job campaign as an educational process. It begins by accepting students as they are, helping them to identify and clarify their career strengths, weaknesses, and goals, and identifying and contacting prospective employers. It is, theoretically, a never ending process in which the actual employment interview is a small, but important facet.     

Accountability: A Total Commitment

The counseling profession has the knowledge and methodology to provide accountability in delivering its services. What remains is for leaders to use these resources and to develop more effective services. This article describes the program concepts and procedures implemented in one state employment service agency to establish an accountable counseling program. These procedures include the development of a compentency-based training and supervision system. The competency model is described and its goals are specified. Accountability at all levels of the system is defined, including the responsibility of management to guarantee the public quality counseling services.     

Dropping Out of Marriage and Family Therapy: A Critical Review of Research

The lack of attention given to research on the premature termination by clients in marriage and family therapy is evident in research reviews of the dropout phenomenon in psychotherapy. This article is an attempt to fill that void. The research literature on dropping out of family therapy is reviewed and organized. Studies in this area tend to focus on four kinds of variables: client characteristics, therapist characteristics, therapy process variables, and interventions. Stable findings in each of these areas are pointed out. Both limitations and recommendations for future research are discussed.     

Employment and Career Development in a World of Change: What Is Ahead for the Next Twenty-Five Years?

This article offers a view of three significant challenges facing counselors as employment rules and career development foundations shift in a rapidly changing world.