The purpose of the proposed study is to examine for the effects of attire (casual or professional) and gender on students' perceptions of the competence of what they believe to be male and female therapists supposedly doing an intake interview. So that the research may be fully understood, this section of the proposal examines the pertinent literature. In this regard, the review covers two broad categories of studies. These are: (1) Therapist Competency and Gender Effects; and
Therapist Competency and Gender Effects
The existing research on therapist competency can be divided into two broad categories: (1) studies that examine perceptions of therapist competency as a function of gender differences; and (2) studies that examine perceptions of therapist competency as a function of non-gender-related factors. Both areas of this research are reviewed here.
Gender Effects. Bridgman (1990) examined for the influences of therapist gender, level of therapeutic experience (as manipulated by a written introduction, and a 15-minute in vivo session with a therapist) on subjects' perceptions of therapist competence and empathy. Subjects in the study were female undergraduates (N=64) who read an introduction of a male or a female therapist who was described as either "experienced" or "inexperienced." Actual therapeutic experience was held constant across therapists.
Prior to the therapeutic interview, but after reading the introduction, subjects were asked to use their imagination about the therapist and evaluate him/her on measures of therapeutic competence and empathy. The subjects then met individually with the therapist and re-evaluated him/her on the same measures after the interview.
With regard to therapeutic competence, the results revealed a main effect for the experience level of the therapist as manipulated by the written introduction. When the therapists were introduced as "experienced," they were perceiv...