Seventy-two college students were instructed that they would be reading a text either once or twice. Then, half of each instruction group were allowed to read the text once, and half were required to read the text twice. All subjects were then tested for factual retention and for transfer. The instruction that a text could be read twice facilitated recall, even if the text was only read once. Reduced anxiety appears to be the simplest explanation for this. Reading a text twice increased factual retention, but on the transfer test, an interaction with ability was found. Only high ability students showed improvement with a second reading on the transfer test. Results are interpreted in terms of Mayer's processing strategies in that good readers benefit both qualitatively and quantitatively from repetition. Poor readers benefit only quantitatively from the opportunity to reread.
A study that attempted to validate the characteristics of Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACOAs) as presented by Woititz (1983) was conducted. Male and female college students self‐reported to be ACOAs, non‐ACOAs, or individuals who had participated in an ACOA treatment group. These groups were compared on 12 of Woititz's 13 characteristics using objective personality measures. No significant differences were found among the groups on any of the characteristics measured. The results severely question the validity of Woititz's descriptions of ACOAs. The dangers of using these characteristics in the diagnosis and treatment of individuals are discussed.
Current conceptions of adult children of alcoholics do not account for recent suggestions that characteristics used to describe them are not valid. These conceptions do not explain the documented heterogeneity with regard to life and therapeutic outcomes. In this paper, an alternative model of outcomes is formulated. This model is based on self-schema theory, behavioral self-regulation and self-efficacy, the influences of the "ecological environment," and objective signs and subjective symptoms of dysfunction. It is argued that the model provides a better "fit" to the empirical data concerning outcomes and carries implications for assessment, treatment, and research.
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