A COGNITIVE SELF-INSTRUCTIONAL MODELING APPROACH VS. THE CABKHUFF MODEL FOR TRAINING EMPATHY

Forth-two subjects were randomly assigned to two empathy training treatments. One treatment, approximating Carkhuffs training method, employed didactic teaching, discrimination training, modeling, experientially-oriented comitunications practice, and feedback. The second treatment, a cognitive self-instructional modeling approach, included each of these components plus the behavioral rehearsal of the thought process leading to an effective empathy response. Although the thought process was observed and practiced orally, the overt-verbalizations were faded to covert behaviors by the end of treatment. The dependeat measures consisted of pretest and posttest empathy ratings of responses to videotaped emotional stimuli. A repeated measures analysis of variance was employed on the data. Although both treatments showed substantial gains on empathy from pretest to posttest, the cognitive self-instructional group gained significantly more in their empathy ratings than did the Carkhuff group. Implications of the results were discussed. (Author