Theory: Ego Development Theory and Its Implications for Supervision

This article discusses the implications of ego development theory and assessment for the supervision and education of counselors. Using Loevinger's theory as a model, current thinking and research on the relationship between ego development theory and counseling supervision are examined. The author proposes that the concept of matching methodology, counselor, and client through ego development assessment may also be applied to the supervision and education of counselors at all levels.     

Modeling,Praise, and Criticism in Teaching Empathic Responding

This study employs a factorial design to investigate the efficacy of all possible combinations of modeling, praise, and criticism as a means of teaching empathic responding to counselor trainees. Measures of empathy were taken on 64 female introductory psychology students at the beginning of an experimental session and following each of two training segments. Results indicate a significant effect for modeling and stage of training. There was a significant interaction between modeling and stage of training such that subjects in the modeling conditions were rated higher in empathy than those in the no-modeling condition at the mid- and postmeasure but not at the premeasure. Results are in agreement with one previously published study but are inconsistent with two others. Discussion focuses on the critical elements of effective feedback techniques.     

THE SELECTION OF VARIABLES IN MULTIPLE REGRESSION ANALYSIS

4 different procedures are commonly employed with sample data to reduce a set of predictor variables. In the present study these procedures were repeatedly applied to computer-simulated samples to provide comparative data pertaining to two questions: (a) Which procedure can be expected to produce an equation that yields the most accurate predictions for the population? (b) Which procedure is most likely to identify the optimal set of independent variables? The samples were drawn from 12, mathematically defined, multivariate normal populations. Each population consisted of 1 criterion and 10 predictor variables. Five or fewer independent variables constituted the optimal set in each case. With respect to both questions small differences among the procedures were observed. However, the forward selection and stepwise procedures consistently produced more favorable results than the 2 backward elimination procedures. The question of the number of sampling units to use is discussed.     

Training Advanced Writing Skills: The Case for Deliberate Practice

The development of advanced writing skills has been neglected in schools of the United States, with even some college graduates lacking the level of ability required in the workplace (National Commission on Writing, 2003 National Commission on Writing. April 2003. The neglected “R”: The need for a writing revolution April, Retrieved December 1, 2008, from http://www.writingcommission.org/prod_downloads/writingcom/neglectedr.pdf [Google Scholar], 2004 National Commission on Writing. September 2004. Writing: A ticket to work… or a ticket out: A survey of business leaders September, Retrieved December 1, 2008, from http://www.writingcommission.org/prod_downloads/writingcom/writing-ticket-to-work.pdf [Google Scholar]). The core problem, we argue, is an insufficient degree of appropriate task practice distributed throughout the secondary and higher education curriculum. We draw on the power law of skill acquisition, the role of deliberate practice in expert performance, and the uniquely intensive demands that advanced written composition place on working memory to make this case. A major impediment to assigning enough writing tasks is the time and effort involved in grading papers to provide feedback. We close by considering possible solutions to the grading problem.