Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-g8jcs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-22T06:41:01.808Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Teaching Self-Instructions to Chronic Schizophrenic Patients: Efficacy and Generalization

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 June 2009

R. P. Bentall
Affiliation:
Mersey Regional Forensic, Psychology Service, Liverpool
P. J. Higson
Affiliation:
North Wales Hospital, Denbigh
C. F. Lowe
Affiliation:
University College of North Wales, Bangor

Abstract

Three experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of teaching chronic schizophrenic patients to verbally regulate their own behaviour by means of self-instructional training. In Experiment 1, self-instructional training on a short-term memory task produced improvements in performance which did not generalize to a second memory task. In Experiment 2 an attempt to enhance generalization by teaching a rehearsal strategy on two different memory tasks produced improvements of performance only on those new tasks that were similar to the teaching tasks. The third experiment compared task-specific and general problem solving self-instructions and showed no differences in the effectiveness of the two methods. Some of the difficulties encountered when teaching self-instructions to the subjects, together with the failure to produce adequate generalization of treatment effects, leave the clinical utility of the procedure uncertain. Before a practical cognitive therapy for chronic schizophrenics can be developed it will be necessary to explore more fully the relationships that exist between the verbal and non-verbal behaviour of these patients.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies 1987

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Adams, H. E., Malatesta, V., Brantley, P. and Turkat, I. D. (1981). Modification of cognitive processes: A case study of schizophrenia. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 49, 460464.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bem, S. L. (1967). Verbal self-control: The establishment of effective self-instruction. Journal of Experimental Psychology 74, 485491.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bentall, R. P., Lowe, C. F. and Beasty, A. (1985). The role of verbal behaviour in human learning: II Developmental differences. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior 43, 165181.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bornstein, P. and Quevillon, R. (1976). The effects of a self-instructional package on overactive preschool boys. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis 9, 179188.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brown, A. and Campione, J. (1978). Permissible inferences from the outcome of training studies in cognitive development research. Quarterly Newsletter of the Institute of Comparative Human Development 2, 4653.Google Scholar
Conrad, R. (1979) The Deaf Schoolchild. London: Harper & Row.Google Scholar
Crow, T. (1985). The two-syndrome concept: Origins and current status. Schizophrenia Bulletin 11, 471486.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dush, D. M., Hirt, M. L. and Schroeder, H. (1983). Self-statement modification with adults: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin 94, 408422.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
D'Zurrila, T. J. and Goldfried, M. R. (1971). Problem-solving and behaviour-modification. Journal of Abnormal Psychology 78, 107126.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Flavell, J. H. (1977). Cognitive Development. Englewood-Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.Google Scholar
Flavell, J. H., Beach, D. R. and Chinsky, J. M. (1966). Spontaneous verbal rehearsal in a memory task as a function of age. Child Development 37, 283299.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fuson, K. C. (1979). The development of self-regulating aspcts of speech: A review. In The Development of Self-regulation through Private Speech, Zivin, G. (Ed.). Chichester: John Wiley.Google Scholar
Gresen, R. (1974). The effects of instruction and reinforcement on a multifaceted self-control procedure in the modification and generalisation of behaviour in schizophrenics. Unpublished PhD dissertation, Bowling Green State University.Google Scholar
Higa, W. R., Tharp, R. G. and Calkins, R. P. (1978). Development of verbal control and behaviour: Implications for self-instructional training. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology 26, 489497.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hobbs, S. A., Moguin, L. E., Tyroler, M. and Lahey, B. B. (1980). Cognitive-behaviour therapy with children: Has clinical utility been demonstrated. Psychological Bulletin 87, 147165.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kagan, J. (1966). Reflection-impulsivity: The generality and dynamics of conceptual tempo. Journal of Abnormal Psychology 71, 1724.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Keeney, J. J., Canizzo, S. R. and Flavell, J. H. (1967). Spontaneous and induced verbal rehearsal in a memory task. Child Development 38, 953966.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kendall, P. C. and Finch, P. J. (1979). Developing non-impulsive behaviour in children: Cognitive-behavioural strategies for self-control. In Cognitive-behavioural Interventions: Theory, Research and Procedures. Kendall, P. C. and Hollon, S. D. (Eds). New york: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Kendall, P. C. and Hollon, S. D. (1979). Cognitive-behavioural interventions: Overview and current status. In Cognitive-behavioural Interventions: Theory, Research and Procedures, Kendall, P. C. and Hollon, S. D. (Eds). New York: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Lewine, R. R. J. (Ed.) (1985). Negative symptoms in schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Bulletin 11, 361486.Google Scholar
Lowe, C. F. (1979). Determinants of human operant behaviour. In Advances in the Study of Behaviour. Volume 1: Reinforcement and the Organisation of Behaviour. Zeiler, M. D. and Harzem, P. (Eds). New York: John Wiley.Google Scholar
Lowe, C. F. and Higson, P. J. (1981). Self-instructional training and cognitive-behaviour modification. In Aspects of Conditioning Theory, Davey, G. (Ed.). London: Methuen.Google Scholar
Mahoney, M. J. (1974). Cognition and Behaviour-modification. Cambridge, Ma: Ballinger.Google Scholar
Mahoney, M. J. (1977). Reflections on the cognitive-learning trend in psychotherapy. American Psychologist 35, 513.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Margolis, R. B. and Shemberg, K. M. (1976). Cognitive self-instruction in process and reactive schizophrenics: A failure to replicate. Behavior Therapy 7, 668671.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Meichenbaum, D. M. (1977a). Cognitive-behaviour Modification. New York: Plenum Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Meichenbaum, D. M. (1977b). Cognitive-behaviour Modification. Newsletter, No. 3. Ontario: University of Waterloo.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Meichenbaum, D. M. (1979). Cognitive-behavior Modification Newsletter. No. 4. Ontario: University of Waterloo.Google Scholar
Meichenbaum, D. M. and Arasnow, J. (1979). Cognitive-behaviour modification and metacognitive development. In Cognitive-behavioural Interventions: Theory. Research and Procedures, Kendall, P. C. and Hollon, S. D., (Eds). New York: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Meichenbaum, D. M. and Cameron, R. (1973). Training schizophrenics to talk to themselves: A means of developing attentional controls. Behavior Therapy 4, 515534.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Meichenbaum, D. M. and Goodman, S. (1979). Clinical use of private speech and critical questions about its use in natural settings. In The Development of Self-regulation through Private Speech. Zivin, G. (Ed.). Chichester: John Wiley.Google Scholar
Meyes, A., Mercatoris, M. and Sirota, A. (1976). Use of self-instruction for the elimination of psychotic speech. Journal of Consulting and Cliniical Psychology 44, 480482.Google Scholar
Neale, J. M. and Oltmanns, T. F. (1980). Schizophrenia. New York: John Wiley.Google Scholar
Oltmanns, T. F. (1978). Selective attention in schizophrenia and manic psychoses: The effects of distraction on information processes. Journal of Abnormal Psychology 87, 212225.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Raven, J. C. (1956). Coloured Progressive Matrices. London: H. K. Lewis & Co. Ltd.Google Scholar
Salzinger, K. (1973). Schizophrenia: Behavioural Aspects. New York: John Wiley.Google Scholar
Sidman, M. (1969). Generalisation gradients and stimulus control in delayed matching-to-sample. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior 12, 745757.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Spitzer, R. L., Endicott, J. and Robins, E. (1978). Research Diagnostic Criteria (R.D.C.) for a Selected Group of Functional Disorders. New York: Biometrics Research.Google Scholar
Stroop, J. R. (1935). Studies of interference in serial verbal reactions. Journal of Experimental Psychology 18, 643662.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thorndike, E. L. and Lorge, L. (1944). The Teacher's Book of 30.000 Words. New York: Teacher's College.Google Scholar
Urbain, E. S. and Kendall, P. C. (1980). A review of social-cognitive problem-solving interventions with children. Psychological Bulletin 88, 109143.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wechsler, D. (1945). A standardized memory scale for clinical use. Journal of Psychology 19, 8795.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wechsler, D. (1955). Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale. New York: The Psychological Corporation.Google Scholar
Wilson, K. V. (1956). A distribution-free test of the analysis of variance hypothesis. Psychological Bulletin 53, 96101.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Woods, P. A., Higson, P. J. and Tannahill, M. M. (1984). Token economy programmes with chronic psychotic patients: The importance of direct measurement and objective evaluation for long-term maintenance. Behaviour Research and Therapy 22, 4151.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Submit a response

Comments

No Comments have been published for this article.