Training Impulsive Children in Verbal Self-Control By Use of Natural Change Agents'

Abstract

Forty impulsive fifth and sixth graders participated in a project to help them become more reflective problem solvers. The study hypothesized that training youngsters' parents and teachers in Meichenbaum verbal self-regulation procedures would be more effective than training only children in such procedures. Training consisted of 8 sessions over 4 weeks. The youngsters' cognitive and intellectual performance, academic achievement, classroom behavior, and home behavior were dependent variables. The most consistent gains for the experimental groups, compared with untreated controls, were in academic achievement, especially reading. Only slight improvement occurred in cognitive and intellectual abilities, except for the Matching Familiar Figures Test. No classroom behavior changes were reported, but participating parents perceived gains in home behavior. Implications for future research on verbal self-instruction are explored.