Systematic naturalistic observation often contradicts experimental hboratou findings and idiosync~atic personal perceptions. In this study, family disputes managed by police officers trained in interpersonal conflict management yielded uniform observational data on 1,388 cases. The view shared by police and by socinl scientists that family disputes are likely to involve assaultiveness and that such behavior is typically caused by alcohol use was not supported by these data. Instead, the findings suggest that: assaults do not usually precede arrival of police; disputes are not usually influenced by alcohol use;and, indeed, assaults are less c o m m n when alcohol has been used.amily disputes, among the most common of human f interactions, are usually seen as: (1) involving assaultive behavior, which is (2) a consequence of the use of alcohol by one or both participants. These views are shared by both social scientists and the police. The impressions of the former, however, are based upon questionable assumptions and interpretations of analogue laboratory data or result from retrospective data analysis. The police base their conventional wisdom on highly idiosyncratic personal percep-

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The performance of patrolmen in three matched public housing projects was compared on a number of different criteria. Patrolmen in one project received special affective-experiential training, patrolmen in the second project received special cognitive training, and patrolmen in the third project received no special -training. The general level of performance by affective-experientially trained officers was significantly superior to that of the officers who functioned in the other two projects. Implications of these findings for police training and for action research are discussed.