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EFFICACY OF ASSERTIVE TRAINING IN CHANGING LOCUS OF CONTROL

NCJ Number
34099
Author(s)
P H KNOX
Date Published
1976
Length
90 pages
Annotation
THIS STUDY ATTEMPTED TO INCREASE ASSERTIVE BEHAVIOR IN A GROUP OF FEMALE JUVENILE DELINQUENTS USING THE TECHNIQUES OF BEHAVIOR REHEARSAL AND TO DETERMINE IF MORE ASSERTIVE BEHAVIOR RESULTS IN A MORE INTERNALIZED LOCUS OF CONTROL.
Abstract
THE SUBJECTS CONSISTED OF 36 FEMALE STUDENTS, AGED 14 TO 16, WHO WERE SERVING INDETERMINATE SENTENCES AT A JUVENILE CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION. THE SUBJECTS WERE ADMINISTERED THE LAWRENCE ASSERTIVE INVENTORY, THE ROTTER I-E SCALE, A BEHAVIORAL ROLE-PLAYING TEST, AND THE MACC BEHAVIORAL ADJUSTMENT SCALE IN A PRE- AND POST-TEST EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN. SUBJECTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO ONE OF THREE GROUPS: A TREATMENT GROUP, AN ATTENTIONPLACEBO CONTROL GROUP, AND A NO-TREATMENT CONTROL GROUP. TWO ONE-HOUR TRAINING SESSIONS WERE ADMINISTERED TO THE TREATMENT GROUP DURING WHICH BEHAVIOR REHEARSAL WAS USED AND TO THE ATTENTION-PLACEBO CONTROL GROUP DURING WHICH A STANDARDIZED INTERVIEW AND A LOGICAL DIRECTIVE LECTURE WERE PRESENTED. AFTER TREATMENT, THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP WAS FOUND TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY MORE ASSERTIVE, AS MEASURED BY THE BEHAVIORAL ROLE-PLAYING TEST AND THE LAWRENCE ASSERTIVE INVENTORY. HOWEVER, THERE WAS NO INDICATION THAT TREATMENT GENERALIZED TO THE REAL-LIFE SETTINGS OF INSTITUTIONAL LIVING AS MEASURED BY THE MACC TEST. THE RESULTS OBTAINED ON THE ROTTER I-E SCALE INDICATED THAT INCREASED ASSERTIVE BEHAVIOR DID NOT RESULT IN A SHIFT TOWARD A MORE INTERNAL LOCUS OF CONTROL. POSSIBLE REASONS FOR THE LACK OF A SHIFT TOWARD A MORE INTERNAL LOCUS OF CONTROL AND THE LACK OF GENERALIZATION OF ASSERTIVE BEHAVIOR TO REAL-LIFE SITUATIONS ARE DISCUSSED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)