Mediating conceptual tempo for behaviorally-disordered adolescents

The present study was conducted to assess the effects of Self Instructional Training (SIT) on behaviorally disordered adolescents. Because impulsivity is considered to be a prominent characteristic of behaviorally disordered adolescents, the researcher hypothesized that SIT would significantly decrease inappropriate impulsive acts often exhibited by this population. Impulse control was measured by the Millon Adolescent Personality Inventory (MAPI), Burks Behavior Rating Scale (BBRS), Sentence Completion Form (SCF), and the youths\u27 point cards. Each of the four dependent measures were administered pre and post SIT. A group of behaviorally disordered male adolescents (N = 70) in a residential treatment facility, between the ages of 13 to 18 years, participated in the study. The participants were randomly selected and divided into three groups. Group I (experimental) received SIT; Group II (placebo) participated in Positive Thought Training (PTT); and Group III (control) continued to participate in their normal treatment routine. The study period was four weeks. The groups included Blacks, Whites and Hispanics, and all were described as being impulsive by their respective referral source. A 3 x 2 factorial analysis of variance with repeated measures was computed on the pretest and posttest means of each dependent measure. Additionally, t tests were computed on pretest means by race for each dependent measure. Only one of the four dependent measures showed significant results. The point cards demonstrated a significant decrease (P $\u3c$.05) in impulsive acts between pre and post measurements. Although the MAPI and SCF showed a decrease in impulsivity over time, significance was not yielded. There was little change in impulsivity according to the BBRS. The results lead the researcher to infer that SIT generally did not modify impulsive behavior. Although significance was yielded on the point card dependent measure, the other three dependent measures did not correlate its findings. A possible explanation could be that the point cards more accurately measured impulsivity or regression towards the mean affected the results