Consistent with research conducted by George Spindler 60 years ago, teachers continue to perceive groups of students, typically students that differ from the teacher, as less capable of accomplishing meaningful tasks, belonging and contributing to social groups, and engaging actively in challenging work. The bias is especially great for students…

The longitudinal study reported in this article focuses directly upon Gibb's (1964) model. The impact of initial high and low levels of trust upon later group accomplishment is explored in two sets of groups: one set which participated in organizational training laboratories, and one which did not. Results indicate that prelaboratory trust is a…

Positive feedback was found to be more desirable and tended to be more believable than negative feedback. A third group, which received a mixture of positive and negative feedback, rated the T group lowest as a learning experience. No significant differences in cohesion resulted from the different feedback conditions. (Author)

The major finding of the study is that, although encounter groups have an impact on their participants, what is carried away from the experience depends on particular characteristics of the group in interaction with what participants bring to it. (Author)

Differences on the Personal Orientation Inventory between 39 males and 40 females who participated in encounter groups and 40 males and 44 females who declined to participate in such groups were examined. (Author)

Findings suggest that peers' ratings of behavior of coparticipants in small, interpersonally oriented groups might yield valid data on how accepting the participants were of both others and self. An instrument designed to assess both self-acceptance and the acceptance of others in small groups was used to measure personality. (Author)

This report deals with the measurement of personality changes employing two modes of statistical treatment of data derived from two modes of group confrontation procedures. One group met for 12 weekly three-hour sessions. The other group met in an intensive group confrontation procedure for a continuous 38-hour session. (Author)

After a brief historical look at personal growth groups, this paper traces the steps involved in the development and evaluation of simulation materials which were designed to aid the group leader's understanding of his affect in the member/leader relationship. It examines the concept of this specific relationship in personal growth groups. Groups…

The current importance of growth groups in fostering and enhancing individual development gave rise to the research effort described herein. Its purpose is to determine whether or not an individual's self concept will change after involvement in a single twelve hour growth group. Subjects were four heterogeneous groups comprised of 39 individuals…

This study evaluated behavior change occurring after a marathon group experience, with a focus on individualized rather than shared behavioral change criteria. The individualization of behavior change criteria is based on the assertion that few, if any, single change criteria are appropriate or realistic for assessing change in all individuals.…

This study of group process evaluated the relative effectiveness of facilitator-directed (FD) and self-directed (SD) personal growth group treatments in inducing change in the level of group member interaction. Examination of treatment effectiveness was accomplished through an interaction process analysis approach, the Hill Interaction…

Gestalt therapy in groups is not limited to individual work in the presence of an audience. Describes several ways to involve gestalt groups interactionally. Interactions described focus on learning by doing and discovering, and are noninterpretive. (Author/EJT)

Group trainees often note that their group experience is perceived as a cultural alternative, resulting in difficulties transferring their learning to their everyday world. This paper examines these issues from a social psychological perspective. (NG)

Encounter groups, in which blacks and whites were brought together to reduce their mutual fear and hatred, are discussed. Major goals of the groups were: (1) to decrease isolation and separation between the races, thereby reducing distorted interracial conceptions; and (2) to help group members feel accepted as fellow human beings by members of…