Changing Group Interaction Patterns

The frequency of member-member and member-leader interactions was observed in a child management group workshop sponsored by a county welfare agency. A randomization procedure was used to test for the significance of an intervention to increase member-member interactions. The intervention consisted of the use of prompts and reinforcements by the group leader. Although the results suggest that member-member interactions were increased by the intervention, several other factors appear to influence the rate of member-member interactions. Member-leader interactions were not affected by the intervention.