MODIFICATION OF QUESTION ASKING BEHAVIOR IN HIGH AND LOW ASSERTIVE WOMEN THROUGH MODELING AND SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS

Forty women participated in an experiment designed to test the effects of two interventions, viewing a model and receiving specific instructions, upon their question asking behavior in a health teaching session. Both treatments decreased latency of asking the first question, but only specific instructions affected total number of bids for clarification. Women predisposed to be high in assertiveness were facilitated by any intervention; those low in assertiveness only had shorter latencies following the combination of both treatments. Shorter latencies were associated with more knowledge. Implications for further research and practical applications are discussed.