Covert and overt rehearsal and elaboration during treatment in the development of assertive behavior

Abstract

The present investigation examined the effects of covert and overt rehearsal and client elaboration of situations designed to train assertive behavior. Nonassertive clients ( n = 61) received one of four treatments resulting from the 2 × 2 factorial combination of Modality of Rehearsal (covert vs overt) and Elaboration (elaboration vs no elaboration of training situations). A delayed-treatment group was included in the design to serve as a no-treatment control condition before subjects were assigned randomly to one of the above treatments. Treatment led to significant improvements on self-report and behavioral measures of assertiveness and self-efficacy. Covert and overt rehearsal were equally effective. However, elaboration of training situations significantly enhanced the effects of covert and overt rehearsal. Treatment effects were maintained up to a 6-month follow-up, transferred to novel role-playing situations, and brought clients within the range of other subjects ( n = 45) who regarded themselves as adept in social situations requiring assertive behavior and who had not sought treatment.