EVALUATION OF INMATES ASSIGNED TO A TRANSACTIONAL ANALYSIS PROGRAM USING A MULTIDIMENSIONAL SCALING TECHNIQUE - AN EXPLORATORY STUDY

• NCJ Number: 55362
• Journal: OFFENDER REHABILITATION Volume: 3 Issue: 1 Dated: (FALL 1978) Pages: 33-48
• Author(s): C HOLLEY; S H EVANS
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 16 pages
• Corporate Author: Boston University
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

AN INTRODUCTORY COURSE IN TRANSACTIONAL ANALYSIS WAS ADMINISTERED TO 25 INMATES FROM A FEDERAL PRISON IN FORT WORTH, TEX. THE IMPACT OF THE COURSE IS EXAMINED.

Abstract

THE TRANSACTIONAL ANALYSIS COURSE WAS 6 WEEKS IN LENGTH AND A MULTIDIMENSIONAL SCALING QUESTIONNAIRE WAS ADMINISTERED TO PARTICIPATING INMATES AT THREE EQUALLY SPACED TIME INTERVALS. THE TEST WAS DESIGNED TO DETERMINE WHETHER (1) PRISONERS ENROLLED IN THIS COURSE WOULD CHANGE THEIR RELATIVE LOCATIONS (1- EUCLIDEAN DISTANCES), IN RESPECT TO SELECTED ADJECTIVES USED AS STIMULUS WORDS WHILE THEY ARE IN THE PROGRAM, AND (2) IF A CHANGE OCCURS, TO ASSESS THE DIRECTIONALITY OF THE CHANGE AS REGARDS THE COURSE OBJECTIVES. IN THE QUESTIONNAIRES 10 DESCRIPTIVE WORDS WERE PRESENTED, AND USING A 9-POINT LIKERT TYPE SCALE, PRISONERS WERE ASKED TO RATE HOW OFTEN EACH WORD WAS LIKELY TO BE USED IN DESCRIBING OTHER PRISONERS. THE RESULTS OF THE QUESTIONNAIRE WERE THEN SUBJECTED TO ITEM ANALYSIS. AN EXAMINATION OF THE DATA REVEALED THAT SOME SUBJECTS MOVED IN A DIRECTION PRESCRIBED BY THE COURSE OBJECTIVES, SOME DID NOT GREATLY ALTER THEIR POSITIONS IN ONE DIRECTION OR THE OTHER, AND SOME SUBJECTS MOVED IN A DIRECTION OPPOSITE TO THAT PRESCRIBED BY THE COURSE OBJECTIVES. IT IS CONCLUDED THAT THE PROGRAM APPEARS TO BE SUCCESSFUL WITH SOME PRISONERS AND UNSUCCESSFUL WITH OTHERS. SINCE SOME SUBJECTS ARE MOVING AWAY FROM THE COURSE OBJECTIVES, SOMETHING MAY BE OCCURING DURING THIS PERIOD THAT EXERTS A STRONGER INFLUENCE ON THE PRISONERS THAN THE TRANSACTIONAL ANALYSIS COURSE. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT FURTHER STUDY BE CONDUCTED TO ISOLATE THIS LATTER POSSIBILITY. AN ANALYSIS OF RELEVANT DEMOGRAPHIC AND ATTRIBUTE VARIABLES MIGHT PROVE INFORMATIVE. THE POSSIBILITY OF DEVELOPING A PREDICITON EQUATION FOR BENEFICIAL EXPOSURE TO THE PROGRAM EXISTS, BUT ADDITIONAL RESEARCH MUST FIRST BE CONDUCTED. IN ADDITION, VALIDATION OF THE MULTIDIMENSIONAL SCALING QUESTIONNAIRES IS IN ORDER. FIGURES AND LIST OF REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED -- MLC)