The current status of cognitive variables in assertiveness training

Placebo-like effects of education about behavior therapy

To learn about behavior therapy, undergraduate students in abnormal psychology treated self-selected personal problems, with the aid of course lectures, homework, and texts. Target behavioral problems were usually alleviated, but success did not depend on whether recommended treatment methods were used. Self-ratings of project success were related to objective measures of improvement; but they were also related to factors associated with positive expectations and to social, instructional, and help-seeking variables. Our pedagogical procedures produced placebo-like effects similar to those seen in therapeutic settings.