The relative effectiveness of focused versus broad-spectrum approaches in teaching moderation to problem drinkers was evaluated. Of 56 clients randomly assigned to treatment conditions, 45 began treatment and 41 (21 men and 20 women) completed enough sessions to be regarded as treated in one of four groups: (a) bibliotherapy, in which clients received self-help materials but no treatment sessions, (b) behavioral self-control training (BSCT), consisting of six weekly sessions, (c) BSCT plus 12 sessions of relaxation, communication, and assertion training, or (d) BSCT plus 12 weeks of individually tailored broad-spectrum modules. Multimodal assessment was used to evaluate drinking behavior, life problems, and general functioning. All groups showed significant improvement on drinking measures, a trend confirmed by collateral reports. Bibliotherapy clients spent more hours per week intoxicated than other groups did, but no other significant group differences were observed. A pattern of general improvement on other dimensions was noted, with no differences among groups. In vivo breath testing was found to be unhelpful as an assessment procedure. The degree to which therapists showed accurate empathy proved to be a good predictor of client outcome.
People so readily generalize that they often 'know' in advance what they are going to like and what they are going to dislike. They develop assumptions and expectations, which in part determine their future evaluative responses. Biased assimilation occurs when perceptions of new evidence are interpreted in such a way as to be assimilated into preexisting assumptions and expectations. Because this bias may not be deliberate, people suspect the motives of others who do not share their evaluations, and the bias is difficult to overcome. Biased assimilation most likely occurs, however, because acting as though one's assumptions and expectations are correct is generally more adaptive than acting as though one's assumptions and expectations might be wrong. Therefore, overcoming a general tendency toward biased assimilation is not necessarily desirable.
Previous research has shown that exposure to successful role models can restore performance that had been impaired by stereotype threat, and that some role models are more effective than others. The present research examined the effects of role model deservingness on women's mathematics test performance after being placed under stereotype threat. In Experiment 1, a woman who attained success by herself (deserved) proved a more effective role model than an equally likable and successful woman whose success was handed to her (not deserved). In Experiment 2, women role models proved more effective at combating stereotype threat when their successes were attributable to internal-stable (deserved) than external-unstable (not deserved) causes, an effect that was partially mediated by reduction in extra-task thinking. The results are seen as having implications for theories of stereotype threat and causal attribution.
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