The aim of clinical assessment is to gather data that allow us to reduce uncertainty regarding the probabilities of events. This is a Bayesian view of assessment that is consistent with the well-known concept of incremental validity. Conventional approaches to evaluating the accuracy of assessment methods are confounded by the choice of cutting points, by the base rates of the events, and by the assessment goal (e.g. nomothetic vs idiographic predictions). Clinical assessors need a common metric for quantifying the information value of assessment data, independent of the cutting points, base rates, or particular application. Signal detection theory (SDT) provides such a metric. We review SDT's history, concepts, and methods and provide examples of its application to a variety of assessment problems.

Delinquent behavior is conceptualized as a manifestation of situation-specific social-behavioral skill deficits. The research was in two phases. In Phase 1, a measure consisting of 44 behavioral role-playing and problem-solving itemsthe Adolescent Problems Inventory (API)-was empirically developed, along with an item-specific criterion-referenced raters' manual. The inventory was designed to identify strengths and weaknesses in the personal and interpersonal skills repertoires of adolescent boys. Phase 2 was concerned with the validation of the API. In an initial validation study, the API responses of institutionalized delinquent boys were rated as less competent than the responses of either of two nondelirxquent groups of teenage boys ("good citizens" and "leaders") from a public high school. Analyses of the inventory's characteristics showed it to be reliable, to be composed of items with little or no cluster structure, and to have extraordinary discriminant power. A second validation study compared the API responses of two groups: institutionalized delinquent boys who had frequent behavioral problems within the institution and institutionalized delinquent boys who had few acting-out problems within the institution. The former group was judged to respond less skillfully. A third validation study replicated previous group differences between delinquents and carefully matched nondelinquents. The study also showed that the type of directions given ("What would you do?" vs. "What is the best thing to do?") and test format (free response vs. multiple choice) significantly affected performance. It is suggested that researchers using a social skills conceptualization of personality do more thorough assessment studies of behavior pathologies before embarking on the development of large-scale social skills training programs.It has been suggested that some Individ-male adolescent delinquents (Sarason & Ganuals behave maladaptively simply because zer, 1971). they lack the requisite skills to do better Unfortunately, nearly all skill-training (e.g., McFall, 1976). In recent years, this studies to date have been treatment oriented; skill-deficit conception of deviance has been that is, they have been concerned either with reflected in numerous experimental skill-evaluating the general therapeutic utility of training programs aimed at treating such skill-training programs or with assessing the clinical populations as nonassertive college specific contributions of various training cornstudents (McFall & Twentyman, 1973), shy ponents, such as instructions, modeling, remales (Twentyman & McFall, 1975), alco-hearsal, or feedback. Meanwhile, many funholies (Sobell & Sobell, 1973), psychiatric damental questions concerning the underlying inpatients (Goldsmith & McFall, 1975), and assumptions, concepts, and methods of the

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Nonassertive 5s received two sessions of training in refusing unreasonable requests. The training was a standardized, semiautomated, laboratory analog of behavior rehearsal therapy, consisting of three main components: overt or covert response practice, symbolic verbal modeling, and therapist coaching. Compared to control Ss, who were led to believe that the assessment procedures were a form of behavioral training, the behavior rehearsal 5s improved dramatically in their assertive-refusal behavior on self-report and behavioral laboratory measures. Covert rehearsal tended to produce the greatest improvement. The experimental methodology employed in this study proved to be a promising approach to the evaluation and development of behavior rehearsal therapy.1 Copies of the assessment and training stimuli used in this study are available upon written request.

Misperceiving a woman's platonic interest as sexual interest has been implicated in a sexual bargaining process that leads to sexual coercion. This paper provides a comprehensive review of sexual misperception, including gender differences in perception of women's sexual intent, the relationship between sexual coercion and misperception, and situational factors that increase the risk that sexual misperception will occur. Compared to women, men consistently perceive a greater degree of sexual intent in women's behavior. However, there is evidence to suggest that this gender effect may be driven largely by a sub-group of men who are particularly prone to perceive sexual intent in women's behavior, such as sexually coercive men and men who endorse sex-role stereotypes. Situational factors, such as alcohol use by the man or woman, provocative clothing, and dating behaviors (e.g., initiating the date or making eye contact), are all associated with increased estimates of women's sexual interest. We also critique the current measurement strategies and introduce a model of perception that more closely maps on to important theoretical questions in this area. A clearer understanding of sexual perception errors and the etiology of these errors may serve to guide sexual-assault prevention programs toward more effective strategies.