A Video Recall Study of In‐session Changes in Sentiment Override

• Author: Lee N. Johnson,Rachel B. Tambling,Shayne R. Anderson
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/famp.12118
• Date: 01 September 2015
• Published date: 01 September 2015

A Video Recall Study of In-session Changes in

Sentiment Override

LEE N. JOHNSON*

RACHEL B. TAMBLING

†

SHAYNE R. ANDERSON

†

This study examines in-session changes in sentiment override over the first three sessions

of couple therapy. Couples viewed a video recording of therapy sessions immediately after

each of the first three sessions and continuously rated their level of sentiment override.

Ninety-eight changes were randomly chosen for analysis. Three talk turns prior to each

change was coded using the Family Relational Communication Control Codin g System.

Results show that changes in sentiment override occur frequently. Repeated incidents of

communication control were related to negative change in sentiment override for females.

Repeated incidents of being left out of the conversation were related to negative changes in

sentiment override for females and positive changes for males.

Keywords: Process Research; Couple Therapy; Sentiment Override

Fam Proc 54:485–497, 2014

Although marital therapy is widely used, and generally efficacious (Pinsof, Wynne, &

Hambright, 1996; Sprenkle, 2003, 2012), researchers continue to report high inci-

dence of early termination from treatment (e.g., Pekarik, 1992), poor outcomes for some

couples (Jacobson & Christensen, 1996), and relapses after brief periods of improvement

(Shadish & Baldwin, 2003). These problems may be attributed, in part, to our limited

understanding of how couples change. To address this deficit, process research has focused

on delineating specific therapist behaviors and techniques that promote and encourage

client change. A growing body of literature predicting therapy outcome from therapy

processes (Gurman, Kniskern, & Pinsof, 1986; Heatherington, Friedlander, & Greenberg,

2005; Orlinsky & Howard, 1986; Rice & Greenberg, 1984) has enhanced our understand-

ing of how and why couple therapy works. Despite these advances, more research is

needed that provides a detailed understanding of the process of change in couple therapy

(Gurman, 2011; Johnson & Lebow, 2000; Oka & Whiting, 2013; Pinsof & Wynne, 1995;

Sprenkle, 2012).

Some (Heatherington et al., 2005; Robbins, Alexan der, Newell, &Turner, 1996) have

suggested that process researchers focus on the examination of couple interaction s and in-

session behaviors in an effort to better understand the ways in which processes are tied to

therapy outcomes. However, research is also necessary that links in-session behaviors to

outcomes within sessions (Sprenkle, 2012) providing information on the mechanisms of

change (Kazdin, 2007; Sexton & Datchi, 2014). As improvement in relationships is one of

*Marriage and Family Therapy Program, School of Family Life, Brigham Young University, Provo UT.

†

Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of Connecticut, Storrs CT.

Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Lee N. Johnson, Marriage and Family

Therapy Program, School of Family Life, Brigham Young University, 240 TLRB, Provo, UT 84602. E-mail:

lee_johnson@byu.edu.

485

Family Process, Vol. 54, No. 3, 2015 ©2014 Family Process Institute

doi: 10.1111/famp.12118