The effects of cognitive self-statement modification on the enhancement of heterosocial effectiveness in college women

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to examine the relative effectiveness of Cognitive Self-Statement Modification (CSSM) versus a Nondirective Support Comparison Group (NDS) on the enhancement of certain behaviors related to heterosocial effectiveness in college women, particularly on frequency of positive and negative self-statements. Other dependent variables measured were willingness to initiate conversations with men, self-reported level of heterosocial anxiety and heterosocial skill, dating frequency, and satisfaction with dating frequency. In addition, participants from both treatment groups were compared after treatment on several more naturalistic measures. These were: spontaneously generated self-statements, and male peers' ratings of social anxiety and social skill based on subjects' videotaped interactions with a male confederate. The participants were 24 undergraduate and graduate women who were either assigned to the CSSM group or NDS group. Participants were pretested, then post-tested after the four-week treatment took place. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, analyses of variance with repeated measures, t tests, and correlational analyses. Participants who received CSSM exhibited a marginally significant increase in positive self-statements over those in the NDS group. On all other dependent measures, there were no significant differences between groups. However, participants from both groups increased significantly from pre to posttreatment on all other dependent measures. There were no significant differences between groups on the naturalistic measures, although marginal significance was found on the spontaneous generation of positive and negative self-statements, where the CSSM group generated a significantly greater number of positive self-statements and a significantly greater number of negative self-statements. The results suggest that CSSM is most effective at increasing positive self-statements but is not any more effective than a NDS group at increasing other behaviors related to heterosocial effectiveness.