The purpose of the requested 2 1/2 years of support is to conduct specialized intensive analyses of the large Vanderbilt II data set. This work is preparatory to the development of the next generation of manual- guided research in psychodynamic/interpersonal psychotherapy, to be propose later. The planned series of retrospective analyses extends our 16 year research program and builds directly upon the Vanderbilt II research that employed a """"""""first-generation"""""""" manual-guided approach to Time-limited Dynami Psychotherapy (Strupp & Binder, 1984). The proposed analyses will initially be exploratory in nature and will be guided by two research models: (1) the method of maximal contrast, and (2) the """"""""events paradigm."""""""" Therapist performances in specific event-situations will be studied across episodes, sessions and cases that are maximally contrasted. The results of events- paradigm research have the potential of yielding conclusions with direct implications for guiding therapist behavior at specific moments in treatmen and will have direct applicability to the task of designing a second- generation, empirically-grounded training program as well as to assist in generating hypotheses for future investigation. Steps in the proposed research are: (1) target events will be defined in terms of empirically identified patient actions and therapist interventions that pose recurrent difficulties for therapists:; (2) target events will be extracted from videotapes in the Vanderbilt II archive and analyzed sequentially in group and intensive N=1 formats using multiple measures of therapy process and outcome across contrasting episodes, cases, and groups and (3) results of the analyses will be incorporated into the curriculum fo a new training program that will serve as the basis for a second generation of efficacy research. That program, to be developed at a later date, will also be characterized by an effort to systematically integrated modern principles of cognitive and instructional psychology into the design of its curriculum.
