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Outcomes Associated with Direct and Vicarious Experience in Training Groups: III. Intended Learning Outcomes
Author(s) -
McLEISH JOHN,
PARK JAMES
Publication year - 1973
Publication title -
british journal of social and clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.479
H-Index - 92
eISSN - 2044-8260
pISSN - 0007-1293
DOI - 10.1111/j.2044-8260.1973.tb00082.x
Subject(s) - empathy , psychology , task (project management) , group dynamic , dynamics (music) , outcome (game theory) , clinical psychology , developmental psychology , social psychology , psychotherapist , pedagogy , mathematics , management , mathematical economics , economics
Four basic measures were administered as pre‐ and post‐treatment tests on 94 subjects placed at random in one of six treatment conditions. These tests (two of which were specially devised for the purpose) measure two different kinds of skill: empathic discrimination and response, and understanding of group dynamics. In the DC treatment the intended outcome was the development of empathy; in the SAT treatment the objective was an increased understanding of group dynamics. It has been established that these skills can be learned (better in the case of group dynamics) vicariously, by observer groups. There is a slight advantage in being a participant if the task is to learn empathy. On the other hand, a high proportion of participants in a self‐analytic group may lose drastically their initial insights. This is probably due to defensive repression of earlier understandings.