The Attitudinal Effects of Undergraduate Behavioral Training

Abstract

Students in a class, but not those in a practicum, became more accepting of behavior modification. Attitudes toward social learning were unchanged.

Predictors of client implementation of counselor recommendations: Match with problem, difficulty level, and building on client strengths.

“…A client’s strengths would include past positive performances, abilities (Cormier & Cormier, 1985), past areas of success (Swenson, 1968), belief in the value of the recommendation, and knowledge about or specific interest in the behavior included in the recommendation that can be built on in counseling. Consultee knowledge about a recommendation has been found to increase the recommendation’s acceptability in consultation (Jeger & McClure, 1979; McMahon, Forehand, & Griest, 1981; Singh & Katz, 1985).…”

Acceptability of behavioral treatments: Review of variables that influence treatment selection.

“…Several research teams (e.g., Jeger & McClure, 1979;McMahon, Forehand, & Griest, 1981) have suggested that more positive attitudes toward behavioral techniques follow increases in knowledge of such techniques. On the basis of this premise, McKee (1984) set out essentially to replicate Kazdin's (1980a) investigation of the acceptability of reinforcement of incompatible behavior, positive practice, timeout from reinforcement, and medication; his subjects were teachers whose knowledge of behavioral principles varied.…”

The effects of a behavioral training program on nonprofessionals' endorsement of the “psychosocial” model

“…This represents the first such finding with this instrument. A previous study which employed this scale with college students undergoing either didactic or experiential training in behavior modification revealed no pre-post changes in either group (Jeger & McClure, 1979). It appears as though a combination of formal instruction and practical experience is necessary to induce change on this dimension.…”

“…The notion that attitudinal data of the kind obtained in the present study are sensitive to differing populations is further evident from the mean scores for subjects in this study. Even the experimental staff were in the medical model end of the continuum after training (i.e., a score of 52.55 compared to a theoretically neutral score of 60)' in contrast to students in the Jeger and McClure (1979) study who were already in the social learning direction prior to training. Since staff in the present study had been working with a traditional medical orientation for an average of almost ten years, the relative change obtained as a result of behavioral training is all the more meaningful.…”