When a Lot of Knowledge Is a Dangerous Thing The Debilitating Effects of Plan Complexity on Verbal Fluency

Three experiments examined the relationships among plan complexity, access to planned actions, and verbal fluency while pursuing a persuasion goal. Consistent with theoretical expectations, complex planners were less fluent than less complex planners under high access conditions. Persons whose access was raised were less fluent than those whose access was not raised. A second experiment showed that reduced fluency was not induced by lowering of self-confidence. The third experiment replicated the findings of the second experiment and demonstrated that the questioning procedure used to raise access in the first two experiments produced increases in plan complexity as suggested by theory. These findings are discussed in terms of their implications for the study of strategic communication.     

Limiting confidential information in counseling

Historically, confidentiality has been viewed on all educational levels as implicit both in counseling relationships and in the maintenance and use of student records; yet recently, a decision of a Superior Court judge in the state of Maine (the Bates College case) made it obvious that at least college admissions records which show school counselor recommendations are not necessarily legally confidential. With expressed needs for privileged communication in education continuing to manifest themselves through the consideration and passage of legislation, this article reconsiders prevailing legal and ethical limits to confidentiality, with particular reference to the APGA Ethical Standards of 1961.     

A Comparison of Cognitive-Behavioral and Process-Oriented Group Counseling for General Anger Reduction

Two counseled groups—one using anger reduction for cognitive-relaxation coping skills and the other using time-limited, anger-focused, process-oriented group counseling—were compared to an uncounseled control group. Both forms of counseling led to significant reductions on a number of trait, state, and person-specific measures of anger as well as nontargeted general anxiety. Effects were maintained at 5-week and 15-month follow-ups. At no point did counseling conditions differ significantly from one another, suggesting process groups are effective for general anger reduction and as effective as one of the best researched options in the field. Limitations of this conclusion are outlined along with needed research.     

Models of Developmental Research: Individuals and Families

This article discusses the unique problems and methods of studying developmental change in individuals and families. The authors describe and illustrate six developmental research designs: longitudinal; short-term longitudinal; historical (retrospective) interview; artificial life cycle; short-term longitudinal with controls; and combination. They also examine principal ethical issues of human behavioral research.     

research techniques for counselors: the multiple baseline

Practitioners in counseling must also be applied researchers. Counselors can no longer rely on intuition, personal opinion, or statistical studies to determine their effectiveness. In this article multiple baseline techniques are offered as applied research strategies for counselors who wish to evaluate the effects of the techniques they are using.     

What Would Jesus Buy: American Consumption of Religious and Spiritual Material Goods

This article examines an important and understudied part of the sociological study of religion: consumption of religious materials. We use data from the Baylor Religion Survey and present an initial look at which Americans read the Left Behind series, viewed The Passion of the Christ , or purchased religious paraphernalia such as "What Would Jesus Do" bracelets. Drawing on cultural consumption and religious capital research we explore class, demographic, and religious influences on consumption patterns. We find some support for each of these perspectives, which suggests that religious consumption is not a subset of cultural consumption nor of religious practice but is some combination of both.     

Executive Cognitive Control in Communication Extending Plan-Based Theory

Plan-based models of communication rest on assumptions about executive control of cognition. While there is much research focused on executive functions within related disciplines, no communication research has explored this concept. Three studies are reported exploring the role of cognitive efficiency in interaction planning and plan performance. One study was aimed at explicating the concept of cognitive efficiency as it relates to communication processes. Data indicate that executive functions play a central role in interaction involvement. Two additional studies were aimed at extending existing plan-based theorizing. Findings suggest that cognitive efficiency and interaction experience are at the root of planning difficulty. And, planning difficulty contributes to feelings of plan confidence. Data indicate that plan-behavior correspondence is a function of motivation and cognitive efficiency. Findings are discussed in terms of their implications for extending plan-based theories and contributing to fruitful approaches to communication effectiveness.     

Stability and Change in Family-of-Origin Recollections Over the First Four Years of Parenthood

This article, one of several from a longitudinal family study, examines stability and change in family-of-origin recollections. Family-of-origin data were collected by means of a questionnaire from both husbands and wives prior to the birth of their first child and 4½ years later. The questionnaire probed the subjects’ recollections of their relationships with their mothers and fathers and of their parents’ marital relationships. With median correlations for the women and men of .70 and .72, family-of-origin recollections appear relatively stable over this 4½-year period. One exception to the relative stability was that women recalled their fathers and the closeness of their parent's marriage less positively after 4 years of parenthood. These changes in women's recollections were related to contemporaneous experiences with husbands’ depression and qualities of the husband's parenting.