Chapter 12 page 266
Study
Czuchry, M., Dansereau, D. F., Dees, S. M., & Simpson, D. D. (1995). The use of node-link mapping in
drug abuse counseling: The role of attentional factors. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 27, 161-166.
In this study, the researchers hypothesized that recovering drug addicts would have more success at
staying off drugs if their counselor used concept maps during group therapy sessions than if the counselor
did not. The researchers also hypothesized that this effect would occur because the concept maps help the
clients maintain attention and to maintain a focus on the key ideas during wide-ranging, divergent
discussions.
The study included 93 clients in two methadone treatment clinics in Texas. These were outpatient
clinics in urban areas and were of diverse ethnicity. At the outset of the study, 14% reported at least weekly
use of cocaine, and 20% reported using both heroin and cocaine.
Some of the counselors working with these clients were taught how to use concept mapping during
their therapy. Clients who were assigned to these groups were also given a brief demonstration of how
concept mapping during therapy session works. Other counselors provided “standard services.” They were
“given a training workshop on group counseling and dealing with special issues, but they were not
instructed in the use of mapping techniques.” All counselors in both conditions “operated on a brief therapy
model emphasizing problem solving and case management.”
Measures included the following:
- Measure of attentional difficulties. The researchers developed a 30-item nine-point Likert-scale
questionnaire. The items addressed issues such as whether the clients had troubles paying attention during
long talks, whether they could pay attention, whether they could sit still, and whether they got bored easily. - Client evaluation of the treatment program. Clients assessed the program with 12 five-point
Likert-scale items. The items addressed overall satisfaction with the program, progress in making changes
in life, whether clients felt the program was helping them with drug use, and whether the program was
helping with nondrug problems. - Urinalysis. The research team collected weekly urine samples.
- Client commitment was assessed by using the number of sessions missed during July and
August.
In their results, the researchers found that clients in the mapping condition had fewer positive drug tests in
the urinalysis. Although there was no difference in client evaluation of the treatment program, those clients
in the mapping group who were classified as having “low attention” reported much greater therapeutic
progress than a similar group in the non-mapping group. These “low attention” clients were also less likely
to miss sessions when they were in the concept-mapping group than when they were in the control group.
This study powerfully shows the benefits of concept mapping at promoting not only better understanding
but actual behavioral change.