Changes in the ways that group trainees structure their knowledge of group members with training / Dennis M. Kivlighan Jr., Rayna D. Markin, Jessica V. Stahl, Nazish M. Salahuddin

Multidimensional scaling (MDS) and Pathfinder were used to examine changes in the knowledge structures of 9 group therapy trainees, and to examine convergence in the trainees' knowledge structures with one experienced group leader. Participants (experienced group therapist and group therapy trainees) judged the similarity of each pair of group members in an ongoing interpersonal process group early and late in a semester of group therapy training. As in previous research, MDS and Pathfinder analyses of these similarity judgments were used to infer the cognitive structure of the trainees and of the experienced group leader. These analyses suggested that (a) the dimensions used by the trainees to conceptualize group members increased in complexity with training, and (b) trainees' knowledge structures became more similar to the experienced leader's knowledge structure with training.

Psychology.