Procedures are described which were used to develop an instrument and scale to measure an individual's ability to detect and describe the immediate affective state of another (affective sensitivity or empathy). The resulting scale consists of multiple-choice items used with a series of short videotaped excerpts from actual counseling sessions. Data are presented indicating the scale's reliability and the extent of the scale's content, concurrent, and predictive validity. The scale is unaffected by the pretest-posttest practice effect, and indications are that high scores on the scale are a necessary but not a sufficient condition of counselor effectiveness. Some technical limitations are present in the scale, but it shows promise of being an appropriate model for a more refined instrument.Interpersonal Process Recall (IPR) is a procedure by which a client views and reacts to an immediately preceding counseling session via the media of television videotape. The original counselor leaves the scene and the client interacts with a new individual referred to as an interrogator or recall worker. This individual stimulates the client to relate new and additional thoughts and feelings which are activated by viewing the videotape of the client's preceding counseling session.

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Research summary: Despite a number of studies highlighting the important impact Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) have on firms, several theoretical and methodological questions cloud existing findings. This study takes an alternative approach by examining how shareholders' perceptions of CEO significance have changed over time. Using an event study methodology and a sample of 240 sudden and unexpected CEO deaths, we show that absolute (unsigned) market reactions to these events in U.S. public firms have increased markedly between 1950 and 2009. Our results indicate that shareholders act in ways consistent with the belief that CEOs have become increasingly more influential in recent decades.Managerial summary: With Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) facing increased scrutiny and receiving ever-increasing pay packages, substantial debate exists about their overall contribution to firm outcomes. While prior research has sought to calculate the proportion of firm outcomes attributable to the CEO, this study takes an alternative approach by using the "wisdom of the crowds" to assess how shareholders think about the importance of CEOs. Our study finds that shareholders, perhaps the most financially motivated stakeholder, view CEOs as increasingly important drivers of firm outcomes, good and bad, versus their peers from decades earlier. Notably, market reaction to the unexpected death of a CEO has increased steadily over the last six decades, highlighting the importance of succession planning and supporting, at least partially, the increased compensation given today's top executives.

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