In the most recent edition of the Annual Review of Behavior Therapy (Franks et al., 1982) the point is made that behavioral assessment has moved simultaneously in two different directions. In one direction we see the heartland of assessment being entered via a more basic concern with the reliability and validity of behavioral assessment procedures. In the other direction we observe behavioral assessment to be taking a wider cut, expanding into the arena of cognitive-behavioral assessment. While the reasons for the reliability and validity studies may be apparent (i.e. to assure psychometric credibility), some have questioned the soundness and legitimacy of our excursion into the “mind”.

This study reports an evaluation of the effectiveness of a communitybased treatment for adolescents with social difficulties. In an earlier study (Jackson and Marzillier, 1982) we described how a therapeutic youth club was set up and subjected to preliminary evaluation. In this study we report on findings from a controlled evaluation in which adolescents with social difficulty were randomly assigned to two conditions, the therapeutic youth club and a waiting list control condition. Change was assessed on a range of measures including self report measures of social problems, a conversation test, social diaries, a self-esteem inventory and parent questionnaires. While the youth club proved to be a success in practical terms, the results of this study failed to demonstrate its superiority to waiting list control procedures. The results suggest that further evaluation of this type of delivery of therapeutic services is necessary.

Seventeen female agoraphobic patients were treated in three groups by in vivo exposure over 10 sessions. Dependent measures comprised an assessment using a behavioural hierarchy and an assessment of subjective anxiety. Pre-treatment assessment of the number of problems and fears, interpersonal variables and personality as measured by the E.P.P.S. were also carried out. Correlational evidence was sought of relationships between pre-treatment assessment variables and treatment outcome. It was found that low scores for “Aggression” on the E.P.P.S. and the rated ability of designated significant others to manage the agoraphobics' behaviour successfully were predictive of good outcome. Possible reasons for and implications of these findings are discussed.

A multiple baseline design was used to investigate the efficacy of a verbal feedback procedure in increasing the performance of pressure relief exercises in a spinal injury patient. Results showed that the procedure resulted in substantial increases in rates of lifting, with concommittent improvements in pressure sores. At 2½ months follow-up the patient's skin was still clear, but it is unlikely that this can be attributed to continued good performance of pressure-relief exercises.

Seventeen chronic pain patients at a rehabilitation center participated in an investigation of the effects of applied relaxation on chronic pain. The experimental group received regular rehabilitation treatment plus intensive training in applied relaxation. One control group received the regular rehabilitation treatment only, while another control group consisted of patients waiting for treatment. Results indicated that the applied relaxation group did significantly better than the control group(s) on measures of subjective pain, medication intake, activity, and overall evaluation of the treatments. This suggests that applied relaxation can be a valuable addition to chronic pain treatment programs.