A consensus has been growing among researchers and clinicians alike that alcoholism is often best considered a familial problem. Two primary reasons for this viewpoint are first, that alcoholism and problem drinking are frequently clustered within certain families far beyond the ordinary base rate estimates for the problem and second, that the spread of pathology within affected families typically extends beyond the alcoholic and includes the spouse and children as well. Studies have shown that children of alcoholics are prone to a variety of social and developmental problems, with antisocial and aggressive behavior disorders being most prevalent. / Evidence linking antisocial behavior and excessive drinking among adults and adolescents has also accumulated recently, particularly within criminal justice settings. Research findings have indicated that the incidence of problem drinking and alcoholism typically ranges between 20 and 40% among offenders. Problem drinking offenders are also usually found to be more sociopathic and malajusted than non-problem drinking counterparts. / The present study was designed to assess further the effects of parental problem drinking on a cohort of approximately 1000 youthful offenders. The guiding hypothesis was that parental problem drinking would exist in a common cause relationship with inmate problem drinking and drug use, in addition to significantly poorer socialization in comparison with inmates whose parents were not reported to have a drinking problem. Also two intervening variables were examined to determine how they might modify the expected relationships within problem drinking families. These were "family cohesiveness," and "the socializing influence of the non-problem drinking parent." / The data for the study were gathered largely from a lengthy and wide-ranging interview with the inmates which included inquiries on their drinking habits, as well as those of their parents. Information from the Presentence Investigation and psychological test scores (MMPI, CPI) were also available for most subjects. / Although the results largely supported the common cause hypothesis, the magnitude of the findings was less than had been reported in previous studies, due no doubt, to the inherent limitations of self-report data, among other factors. According to pre-established criteria, inmate problem drinking was recorded at 18%, while some combination of inmate-reported, parental problem drinking approached 30%. There were almost four times as many problem drinking fathers as mothers. / Nevertheless, the more important associations between parental and inmate problem drinking were highly significant. Having one problem drinking parent nearly doubled the chances that the inmate would himself report a drinking problem, and two problem drinking parents increased the inmate's chances nearly three-fold. Inmate drug use was not significantly related to parental problem drinking, except for whites whose mothers were reported to be heavy drinkers. / Most measures of social and developmental pathology were also found to be related to parental problem drinking with school problems, age first in trouble, physical violence and socialization (CPI So) all reaching statistical significance. However, race differences complicated some of these findings, with blacks reporting much less drinking pathology (7.1% incidence) and somewhat less social deviance than whites. / The intervening variable analyses indicated that family cohesion and the socializing influence of the non-problem drinking parent were both adversely affected by parental problem drinking. In turn, relatively high cohesion in problem drinking families was associated with less social pathology in the inmate. The results also suggested that the relative socializing influence of the non-drinking parent made somewhat of a difference when the mother drank, but was inconsequential when the father was the drinker. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-05, Section: B, page: 1923. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1980.

In Experiments I and II, the relative efficacy of an attentional training program utilizing a response cost procedure, methylphenidate (ritalin), and baseline levels of behavior were evaluated on the on-task and academic performance of two hyperactive children by an ABACBC reversal design across academic areas, i.e., phonics and mathematics. Daily dosages of methylphenidate were administered and individually titrated over a period of several weeks. Both subjects initially ingested 5 mg Ritalin qAM, with gradual increments of 5 mg, resulting in peak dosages of 15 mg (.65 mg/kg) and 20 mg (.92 mg/kg), for subjects 1 and 2, respectively. The effects of methylphenidate were contrasted with baseline (ABA) and attentional training (CBC) by two reversal designs, with a multiple baseline component across the two academic areas. The attentional training program (response cost) resulted in higher rates of on-task behavior and academic performance for both children. The 15 mg Ritalin condition proved to be the most potent medication phase, resulting in rates of on-task behavior and academic performance clearly exceeding baseline levels of responding. / The purpose of Experiment III was to assess the replicability and generalization of using an attentional training program with hyperactive children in an academic setting. A multiple baseline design across two academic areas (i.e., writing and phonics) was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the attentional training program on the academic performance of two hyperactive children. Implementation of the program resulted in rates of academic assignment completion and accuracy clearly exceeding those observed during baseline conditions. / Teacher ratings in all three experiments suggested that attentional training was an effective intervention for improving the classroom behavior of hyperactive children and normalized them to a significant degree. Additionally, post teacher and student questionnaires indicated that the program was viewed as effective, practical, and well-received by students and teachers alike. Suggestions were offered regarding the implementation of attentional training and medication for use in elementary school classrooms. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 42-01, Section: B, page: 0389. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1981.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-01, Section: B, page: 0373. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1979.

In recent years, a body of literature has emerged regarding the relationship of sex role stereotypes and mental health. Specifically, it has been found that mental health counselors have stereotyped attitudes about the proper roles for men and women (Abramowitz, Abramowitz, Jackson & Gomes, 1973; Billingsley, 1977; Broverman, Broverman, Clarkson, Rosenkrantz & Vogel, 1970, 1972; Carter, 1971). Some authors have suggested that these stereotypes interfere with the counseling process; however, there has not been any clinical research done which can be used as a basis to support or refute this inference. Further, a recent review of the area of the effect of client-therapist matching on psychotherapy outcome (Morrow, 1978) discovered support for the idea that matched client-therapist dyads may produce better outcomes than non-matched pairs. / This dissertation was an initial investigation into the area of the effects of counselor sex role attitudes in matched and non-matched therapy dyads. Seven graduate students (four females and three males) in a counselor education master's degree program were trained to take on a non-sexist counseling role. Each counselor was rated on his/her ability to stay within the role while counseling before being cleared to go on to work with clients. All clients were female undergraduates who had volunteered for this study through a counseling of psychology course. Previous to volunteering, all clients took the Attitude Toward Women Scale and upon signing up for the study, each was assigned to the "liberal", "moderate", or "conservative" group based on her score. Every counselor was assigned three "liberal" and three "conservative" clients to counsel for four sessions each. / Upon completing the counseling sessions, clients filled out two questionnaires rating their satisfaction with the counseling experience and their general attitudes toward counseling. Therapists filled out a questionnaire regarding their satisfaction with the counseling. Two phases of the study were carried out with the second phase being a replication of the first phase. Results were analyzed using a multivariate test in order to assess any differences in outcome ratings between the matched vs. the non-matched groups and also between the clients with female counselors vs. clients having male counselors. Separate 2 x 2 analyses of variance were conducted to check on any interactions between matching condition and sex of counselor for any of the outcome measures. All analyses were carried out separately for each phase of the experiment. / All multivariate tests yielded non-significant results, indicating that neither clients nor counselors rated their experience differently as a result of being in a like vs. opposite sex dyad or being in a matched vs. non-matched dyad. Analyses of variance demonstrated that male counselors gave a more positive rating when paired with matched clients while female counselors gave more positive outcome ratings when paired with non-matched clients. This result held over both phases of the study. In looking at client outcome for Phase I vs. Phase II ratings, the satisfaction ratings yielded significant but contradictory results. For Phase I, matched clients rated the outcome more positively but for Phase II, the non-matched clients gave more positive ratings. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-03, Section: B, page: 1120. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1980.

The purpose of this research was to develop and test a theoretical model that explains how gender, as a status characteristic, influences behavior in initial therapy interviews. Specifically, expectancy states associated with the client's gender and gender self-concept and with the gender of the therapist, were conceptualized as influencing the client's expectations for self-disclosure. Also, expectancy states associated with the client's gender were conceptualized as influencing the therapist's expectations for client disclosure. Both the client's and therapist's expectations were hypothesized to influence the client's disclosures in an initial interview. A status expectancy states approach (Berger et al., 1977) provided the framework for this model. / Each of fifty-six therapy clients was seen for an initial interview by one of sixteen therapists. The expectations of the clients and therapists for client self-disclosure were assessed before the interviews. Actual client disclosure for the first five minutes and for a random two-minute segment from the second half of each interview was rated by judges who listened to audio tapes and read transcripts of the interviews. Two dimensions of client self-disclosure were rated: depth or intimacy of disclosure and affective manner of disclosure (ratio of affective self-references to total references). / It was hypothesized that: (1) the greater the clients' expectations for disclosure, as well as, (2) the greater the therapists' expectations for client disclosure, the greater the actual client disclosure; (3) female clients expect to disclose more, (4) therapists expect them to disclose more, and indeed (5) they disclose more, than male clients; the relationship between clients' femininity and (6) expectations for disclosure, as well as, (7) actual disclosure, is positive, while the relationship between clients' masculinity and (8) expectations for disclosure, as well as, (9) actual disclosure, is negative; (10) clients expect to disclose more, and indeed, (11) they disclose more, to female therapists than to male therapists; and when expectations for disclosure are controlled, the relationships between actual disclosure and (12) clients' gender, (13) therapists' gender, as well as, (14) clients' femininity and (15) masculinity, will diminish. / The data do not support (1), (2), (3), (7), (8), (10), (11), (12), (13), (14), and (15); whereas the data do support (4). (5) is supported by the data for the first five minutes of the interviews only; (6) is supported for female clients only; and (9) is supported for female clients for the first three minutes only. / In addition, the influence of previous therapy experience on clients' expected and actual disclosure was analyzed. Generally, the results do not support either of the expectancy states models as conceptualized in this research. Theoretical and clinical implications were discussed. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-10, Section: B, page: 3906. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1980.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 40-07, Section: B, page: 3386. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1979.

The phenomena of expectancy shifts has been examined and discussed in the psychology literature for the past twenty years. Expectancy shifts are defined as changes in subjects' expectancies to succeed in response to success and failure experiences. The causal stability, expectancy confidence, and judgment of control hypotheses are three different explanations about subjects' expectancy shifts. The causal stability explanation contends that expectancy shifts are mediated by the relative stability of the attribution that a subject makes about their performance on that task (Weiner, Nirenberg, & Goldstein, 1976). The expectancy confidence model suggests that expectancy shifts are inversely related to the subject's confidence that their expectancy of success ratings are accurate (Wollert, 1977). The judgment of control explanation hypothesizes that subjects' judgments of control mediate their expectancy shifts (Pasahow, Note 1). Drawing on the evidence indicating that depressives, as compared to nondepressives, are more accurate in ascertaining the objective nature of response-outcome contingencies (Alloy & Abramson, 1979), the judgment of control hypothesis contends that the small expectancy shifts manifested by depressives on ostensibly skill determined, but objectively uncontrollable tasks are due to these subjects' greater ability to detect response-outcome contingencies. / To test the predictions of these three explanations of expectancy shifts, nondepressed and depressed college students were exposed to an ostensibly skill determined task which was objectively uncontrollable. Subjects were exposed to one of two payment conditions. For the first payment condition, subjects were given money to start with, and gained and lost money for success and failure trials, respectively. In the second payment condition, subjects started out with no money and gained money for success trials, but did not lose money for failure trials. / The results indicated that although the measure used to assess stable-unstable attributions was not highly reliable, subjects' attributions on this dimension were, as predicted by the causal stability hypothesis, found to be related to their expectancy shifts. Contrary to the predictions of the expectancy confidence model, depressed and nondepressed subjects did not exhibit different expectancy confidence, and expectancy confidence was not found to be related to expectancy shifts. In contrast, consistent with the predictions of the judgment of control hypothesis, subjects' judgments of control were related to their expectancy shifts. In addition, as compared to the judgments of control reported by depressed subjects, nondepressed subjects overestimated the amount of control that their responses exerted over task outcomes when half of the trials were associated with the acquisition of money. No differences existed between these subjects' judgments of control when money was won and lost for success and failed trials, respectively. Depressed subjects did not exhibit smaller expectancy shifts than nondepressed subjects. The manner in which task complexity may have influenced judgments of control and expectancy shifts, and accounted for these findings was discussed. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 42-03, Section: B, page: 1186. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1981.

The potential usefulness of the Clinical Analysis Questionnaire (CAQ) in the selection of police officers was explored in a two-part discriminative analysis and classification study. Five hundred sixty-five police applicants were given the CAQ prior to receiving a standard psychological evaluation, which resulted in 129 being rejected as psychologically unsuited for policework; 436 were accepted into the police academy for training. In Part I, the CAQs of the accepted and rejected applicants were subjected to a discriminant analysis and classified according to the derived discriminant functions: overall proportion of correct predictions--white males, .63; black males, .73; hispanic males, .92; females, .94. In Part II, the CAQS of those cadets who successfully completed training and probation were compared with those of cadets who terminated while performing inadequately: overall proportion of correct predictions--white males, .70; black males, .84; hispanic males, .82; females, .97. It would appear, based on this study, that the CAQ offers some usefulness in police officer selection. Any definitive statement as to its applicability should await its trial combination with other dependent predictor variables relevant to police selection and a cross-validation to determine the shrinkage in the prediction rate to be expected. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 42-10, Section: B, page: 4194. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1981.

A study was carried out comparing two approaches to communication training directed toward problem solving. Sixteen married couples were selected who were not exhibiting serious marital problems. Five of the couples were trained according to current communication training practices, using traditional direct instruction, and insight approaches. The other experimental group was given similar training, but the specific behavioral methodologies of modelling, role-playing, structured feedback, and homework assignments were included. / Results of treatment were compared to a no-contact control group according to: (1) behavioral observations of positive and negative verbal and nonverbal interactions, both in the home and in a structured clinic situation, (2) a daily conversation rating device, and (3) the Burgess-Cottrell Marital Adjustment questionnaire. / The findings indicated that the structured practice and feedback group rated more interaction time with greater felt closeness and agreement, and appeared to tolerate disagreement much better. The insight only subjects were significantly lower in each of these areas but referred to their spouses more often during conversation. The controls referred to their spouses more, but felt closeness was rated lower and agreement higher than both experimental groups. Several negative findings were also obtained, and possible reasons for all results were discussed. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-02, Section: B, page: 0682. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1980.

The effectiveness of an advice package designed to restructure the restaurant environment and encourage parent praise was examined. Experiment I assessed the utility of the package when its use was prompted with experimenter assistance. Videotapes were used to record the target child's behavior. Pre-Meal inappropriate behavior decreased an average of 51% across target children. Mealtime inappropriate behavior and parent praise and disapproval were also measured. / Experiment II was designed to determine whether families could implement the package without experimenter assistance and whether effects obtained would generalize across settings. Data were taken in vivo. Nine families were randomly assigned to one of three sequences which determined the order in which families went to two restaurants. Results of Experiment II show that when using the advise package, parents in all sequences were able to decrease the inappropriate behavior of their children. Data from generalization restaurants show that these effects can be maintained across restaurants. The utility of such advice packages is discussed. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-11, Section: B, page: 4251. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1980.