Dynamic social change has influenced government's response to aid disabled persons' return to productive lives. Rehabilitation counselors are a keystone to this ambitious effort and program. Because much of rehabilitation professionals' work involves providing direction in case management and making decisions about extensive and varied problems, increasing attention is focused on their professional expertise, especially their problem solving capabilities. / From discussion of these capabilities arises the issue of measurement. Many forms of assessment exist, one of the more effective of which is the multiple choice format employed in medical client management training programs. The purpose of this study, to examine relationships between rehabilitation professionals' biographical and demographical characteristics and their sequential problem solving skills, was pursued through formulation and use of such an assessment instrument. The Applied Rehabilitative Judgment Scale-79b, consisting of 25 multiple choice, forced tetrad item statements, represented fictitious case study abstracts with four alternative selections from which subjects were to select the most appropriate, next-best-step solution. / The sample included 268 randomly selected rehabilitation supervisors and counselors from Alabama and Florida; of this number, 153 (61 percent) responded to mailed questionnaires. All returned instruments were validated for use. / With alpha set at .05 by convention, beta set at .20 yielding power of .80, and a medium effect size (partial r('2)=.13, r=.30) pre-established, multiple regression analyses were performed to test eight null hypotheses. Results revealed significant and/or important relationships as follows: For the total sample, relationships between successful closure ranges (0 through 14 and 45 through 59) and Evaluation-Diagnostic sequential problem solving scores achieved on the ARJS were both significant and important. For Alabama only, the relationship between age (under 29 years) of subjects and Evaluation-Diagnostic sequential problem solving scores achieved on the ARJS was significant but not important. For Florida only, the relationship between subjects' certification status and Composite-Summation sequential problem scores achieved on the ARJS was both significant and important as well. The relationship between professional role (supervisors or counselor) and Planning Services sequential problem solving scores achieved on the ARJS were both significant and important. Finally, the relationship between sex and Evaluation-Diagnostic scores were both significant and important. / Findings of this study suggest strong relationships exist between some biographic and demographic characteristics of rehabilitation professionals and their problem solving capabilities. Further research is needed to ascertain the nature of these relationships. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-03, Section: A, page: 0947. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1980.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of training on the recognition of facial expressions of emotion in a sample of deaf high school students at a residential school for the deaf. Three hypotheses were under investigation in this study. They were (1) Training in the recognition of facial expressions of emotion will increase the accuracy of recognition associated with matching classes of facial meaning, (2) Training in the recognition of facial expressions of emotion will increase the accuracy of recognition associated with grouping facial expressions by class of meaning, and (3) Training in the recognition of facial expressions of emotion will increase the accuracy of recognition associated with recognizing specific types of facial meaning. Subjects for this study were forty-four volunteers from the junior and senior classes at the Virginia School for the Deaf. All students in this study were able to communicate in sign language. Subjects were assigned at random to one of four groups with each group having eleven subjects. The Soloman Four Group Design was utilized as the appropriate research model. Training in the recognition of facial expressions of emotion was provided via videotape. The instructor used sign language and followed a training outline developed by Ekman and his associates. The Test of Facial Meaning was used as both pretest and posttest. The items in this test are from the Ekman series of photographs of facial expressions of emotion. The pretest and posttest were presented to the subjects via videotape while instructions for the test were given in sign language. The analysis of variance for each hypothesis failed to reveal any significant effect attributed solely to training, although training did result in an increased accuracy of recognition of facial expression of emotion for each hypothesis tested. The results of / this investigation revealed that while deaf people were able to accurately recognize classes of facial expressions of emotion and could then accurately group facial expressions of emotion by class of meaning, they were less able to accurately identify specific types of facial expressions of emotion. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-09, Section: A, page: 3883. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1980.

Problem. The importance of nonverbal communication in the therapeutic communicative interaction between counselor and client is undeniable. Yet, clinical training programs have traditionally been remiss in systematically teaching this vital area of therapeutic interaction. The problem, therefore, was to begin the process of constructing and evaluating a systematic nonverbal skill training program for counselors by administering and assessing a nonverbal skill training program for beginning counselors. / The study hypothesized that beginning counselors receiving the nonverbal skill training program would demonstrate, in a simulated counseling session, significantly more open body postures, more attending body positions, less eye contact breaks, and less self-manipulative hand gestures than would beginning counselors not receiving the nonverbal training program. The study also hypothesized that beginning counselors receiving the training program would discriminate, in a videotaped posttest designed by this experimenter, congruent from incongruent verbal/nonverbal client messages significantly more accurately than beginning counselors not receiving the training program. / Procedures. To test the hypotheses of the study, a control group posttest-only was employed. The subjects were the beginning master's level counselor trainees (N = 27) enrolled in the two sections of first quarter prepracticum. Section 01 (N = 17) comprised the experimental treatment group and section 02 (N = 10) comprised the control group. / Results. Mann-Whitney U tests showed that the experimental treatment group exhibited significantly more (p < .05) open body postures and significantly fewer (p < .001) self-manipulative hand gestures than the control group. Although the experimental group exhibited fewer (p < .10) eye contact breaks than the control group, this difference did not meet (alpha) = .05. No differences were found between the two groups with respect to body position. The experimental treatment group distinguished congruent from incongruent verbal/nonverbal client messages significantly (p < .025) more accurately than did the control group. / Conclusions. It was concluded that the training program is capable of teaching beginning counselors two basic nonverbal counseling skills. These two skills are: (1)the ability to demonstrate specific nonverbal behaviors that can convey the facilitative conditions of counseling, and (2)the ability to discriminate incongruent verbal/nonverbal client messages. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 42-03, Section: A, page: 1008. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1981.

This study compared a behavioral and a cognitive approach to assertion training in order to determine the differential efficacy of the two methods. Forty subjects participated in this study. These subjects were nonassertive adults who volunteered for an assertion training workshop. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of three treatment conditions, a behavioral group, a cognitive group and a control group. Training consisted of four, three-hour sessions held once a week. The two treatment modalities were carefully isolated, and the control group received a delayed treatment program. Four dependent measures were used to evaluate the subjects on three dependent variables, assertive performance, self-perceived likelihood of assertive performance and interpersonal anxiety. Dependent measures included a self report performance scale, two self report anxiety scales and a behavioral role play test. Each subject was videotaped on the behavioral role play test, and the tapes were rated on both verbal and non-verbal components of assertion. Findings of this study were that group assertion training, both behavioral and cognitive, produced significant increases as compared to no treatment on both measures of assertive performance, but it did not significantly decrease interpersonal anxiety. When compared to each other, although the behavioral group had slightly higher scores on dependent measures than did the cognitive group, there was no significant difference between training methods. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 42-03, Section: A, page: 1014. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1981.

Job-typing of vocational objectives as a behavioral consequence of gender stereotyping by rehabilitation counselors was examined. One hundred ninety-one Florida rehabilitation counselors responded to a questionnaire designed to study job-typing of vocational objectives under three conditions. Data for the first two conditions, the vocational objective established at the time the rehabilitation program was written and the job title at the time the client's file was closed, were obtained from reports by the subjects on the last five cases they closed in rehabilitated status. Data for the third condition were obtained from the subjects' selection of vocational objectives for three hypothetical clients, in some instances seen as males and in other instances as females. The results of the chi-square data analysis indicated that there was an association between the sex of the client and the gender of the job-type of the vocational objective selected. The degree of association, as measured by the contingency coefficient, varied under the three conditions with a much higher degree of association found in the analysis of the analog data. This suggests that factors external to the counselors' attitudes have some influence on the selection of the clients' vocational objectives. There was no statistically significant difference found between male and female counselors in the selection of vocational objectives under any of the three conditions. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 42-03, Section: A, page: 1016. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1981.

The present study was conducted to determine whether there are any differences in relationship satisfaction between married and cohabiting couples. The Comprehensive Index of Satisfaction for Couples was distributed to a nonrandom sample of 60 married and 60 cohabiting couples matched for minimum length of time living together (9 months). A two-tailed t-test was performed on the mean of both group's satisfaction scores obtained from the responses to 261 Likert-type items appearing in the questionnaire's 11 separate subscales. The results of this analysis showed no significant differences between married and cohabiting couples on any of the 11 subscales. Discussion of the findings focuses on speculation as to why the reported satisfaction of these two groups was nearly identical. Conclusions are drawn regarding possible biasing effects of the sample, the structure of the survey instrument, and the methods used to collect the sample. In addition, reference is made to some cultural and social values which may have affected this research, and which may in fact affect any future research which attempts to differentiate marriage and cohabitation on relationship variables such as satisfaction. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 42-10, Section: A, page: 4299. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1981.

In response to the increasing number of divorces involving children in recent years, several intervention models have been described in the literature. The educational model is one of these interventions for assisting children in their adjustment to divorce. Children's educational groups have been conducted to foster a healthier understanding of divorce. Educational groups for parents have been used to equip parents with skills for assisting their children. Despite the growing use of divorce education groups as an intervention, there have been no systematic studies comparing the effectiveness of child education to parent education. This study was designed to assess the effectiveness of parent education and child education in facilitating divorce adjustment among children. / Twenty children were recruited for participation in an eight week educational group, while another 14 children participated only in assessment procedures and did not receive treatment. The parents of the group of 14 children participated in a parent education program designed to assist them in working with their children. Both groups of children were compared on behavioral and attitudinal measures to ascertain differences which might have occurred as a result of the two treatments. / This study found no significant differences between parent education and child education on postassessment scores. Drawing conclusions about the relative effectiveness of either treatment, however, should be made in the light of important differences which existed between the two experimental groups on time since separation and divorce. Another confounding variable may have been that too much time had passed for most subjects since parental separation for the treatments to have been effective in impacting such crucial areas as custody arrangements and visitation patterns. Additionally, the lack of adjustment difficulties among most subjects at preassessment may have rendered both treatments ineffective in producing significant change between pre- and post-assessment scores. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 42-10, Section: A, page: 4306. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1981.

A 12-week exploratory study was conducted to gain insight into the process of psychological change associated with a combination cognitive-behavioral therapy/aerobic running program in the treatment of depression. Twelve moderately to severely depressed subjects were selected from individuals who were self-referred or referred by mental health professionals in the community. Subjects selected for the study participated in a 4-week baseline recording phase and an 8-week treatment period. Treatment sessions were carried out in a group format on a weekly basis during the treatment period. / The subjects' psychological changes were monitored on three levels. First, subjects were evaluated at screening, pre- and post-treatment intervals for intensity of depression, hopelessness, body-image and a number of other psychological variables. Secondly, the subjects were interviewed bi-weekly and tested weekly to assess their reactions to the therapy experience and their rate of depression respectively. Lastly, the subjects completed a daily assessment of their mood and possible contributing factors that may have occurred. These assessment procedures remained consistent throughout the baseline and treatment phases of the study. / Quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed on the five subjects who completed the entire study. Statistical analysis revealed there were no significant changes in any of the dependent measures during the baseline recording period. There was a significant reduction (< .05) in depression, the target variable, as a result of the cognitive-behavioral/aerobic running program. This improvement was reported by subjects to be due to a number of variables, some of which were not directly related to the treatment program. Factors such as the therapist's attention and interest, experimental demand, subject expectancy of improvement and group interaction, seemed to have contributed to the final treatment outcome. Subjects also reported a variety of techniques presented in treatment to be differentially effective in alleviating their depression. Subjective reports also indicated that participation in the combination treatment resulted in increased self-confidence, reduced anxiety and improved body-image. There were no significant changes in body-image, feelings of hopelessness or other psychological variables as a result of treatment. Initial treatment improvement was not maintained at a two month follow-up evaluation. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-01, Section: A, page: 0102. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1980.

This study focused on supervision training in the preparation of doctoral students in counseling. A self-instructional module was developed and initially field tested. The module employed a linear, constructed response format to introduce doctoral students to the three, primary, interpersonal approaches to supervision--the psychotherapeutic, the behavioral, and the integrated. Prior to the development of the module, a nationwide survey was conducted of all counselor education, or related, programs offering the doctorate to determine the state of the art of supervision training, to gauge the perceived usefulness of a self-instructional instrument, and to provide guidelines for constructing the module. The survey responses indicated that training in supervision is an important aspect of doctoral preparation in counseling which needs further investigation and that counselor educators would be willing to use a self-instructional module in supervision training. The initial field testing of the module involved 16 students. The results showed that a statistically significant (p < .005) increase in knowledge of counselor supervision was achieved. However, the criterion levels for determining substantive gain in knowledge were not met, and the individual frames within the module did not usually elicit the correct response(s). It was suggested that restructuring the module might increase its effectiveness as an instructional tool. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-02, Section: A, page: 0536. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1980.

Burnout was thought to be present among Registered Nurses (RNs). Emotional exhaustion was identified as the core feeling-state of burnout. Female RNs (N = 96) from a regional medical center in Tallahassee, Florida were assessed during a series of "Burnout Seminars for Nurses." Subjects were volunteers who knew research data would be collected. The purposes of the study were fourfold: (1) To determine if differences in personal needs for achievement, autonomy and dominance were related to the frequency of one's emotional exhaustion. (2) To determine if the demographic variables of type of nursing education, current job level, and professional tenure were related to the frequency of one's emotional exhaustion. (3) To determine if there was an interaction effect between the selected personality variables and the selected demographic variables with respect to the frequency of one's emotional exhaustion. (4) To determine the relationship between one's measured frequency of emotional exhaustion and their self-perception of current burnout level. / Independent variables were needs for achievement, autonomy and dominance as measured by the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule. The dependent variable was frequency of emotional exhaustion as measured by the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Moderator variables were type of nursing education, current job level, and professional tenure. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was utilized in assessing each of the independent variables and frequency of emotional exhaustion with respect to each moderator variable. The Pearson Product-Moment Correlation procedure examined frequency of emotional exhaustion in relation to self-assessment of current burnout level. / No significant relationships were found between the independent variables and dependent variable with respect to moderator variables. A significant relationship (r = .67, p < .001) existed between frequency of emotional exhaustion and self-assessment of current burnout level. ANOVA revealed a significant negative relationship (p < .006) between age and frequency of emotional exhaustion. Another ancillary finding was a Canonical Correlation (p < .048) between a cluster of personality variables (achievement, abasement, nurturance, succorance) and a cluster of burnout variables (intensity of emotional exhaustion, frequency of personal accomplishment). The cluster of personality variables was positively related to intensity of emotional exhaustion, and negatively related to frequency of personal accomplishment. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 42-11, Section: A, page: 4723. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1982.