The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of peer modeling of self-disclosure on elementary aged girls whose parents are divorced. A treatment dismantling strategy was utilized to study the effects of modeling with combinations of specific instruction and rehearsal. The primary research question was: What are the effects of peer video-tape modeling on the self-disclosure of children of divorce? Additionally, will modeling effects be significantly greater with the inclusion of specific instruction and/or rehearsal? It was hypothesized that each of the treatment groups would display significantly greater self-disclosure than would the no-treatment group. Further, it was hypothesized that modeling with specific instruction and rehearsal would yield greater disclosure than any of the other treatment groups or the no-treatment group.Twenty-two girls from grades three, four, and five received one of four treatments or no treatment. After treatment, each girl was asked to talk about her parents' divorce. The ensuing monologue became the data with which the hypotheses were evaluated.Results of the study were mixed. Modeling alone significantly influenced the length of the monologue in seconds while the three-component treatment significantly increased rate and ratio of use of personal pronouns. There was no significant difference between groups on dimension variables (i.e., type, target discloser, level of intimacy). Conclusions were drawn concerning the implications for school counselors, child psychologists, and community agencies. Modeling was viewed as a viable facilitator for increasing talk time which might lead to more "I-messages" and aid a health care giver in establishing rapport thus increasing depth of disclosure. Ramifications were considered for future research to clarify the possibilities of modeling to facilitate self-disclosure of children of divorce.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BSU/oai:cardinalscholar.bsu.edu:handle/181545 |
| Date | 03 June 2011 |
| Creators | Umberger, Barbara D. |
| Contributors | Barke, Charles R. |
| Source Sets | Ball State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Format | vii, 158 leaves ; 28 cm. |
| Source | Virtual Press |
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