Do people trained in Video Interaction Guidance VIG perceive adultchild interaction differently from

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• Do people trained in Video Interaction Guidance
  (VIG) perceive adult-child interaction
  differently from those who are not trained?

Jenny Cross Educational Psychologist, Brighton
and Hove and VIG trainer/supervisor Jenny
Jarvis Counselling Psychologist, Lowestoft and
VIG trainer/supervisor
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• Overview
• Two pilot studies with small samples
• work in progress!
• Results potentially of interest but the
  methodology is also illustrative
• (i.e., - how should practitioners seek to measure
  training impact on participants cognitions?)

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• How should we Evaluate training?
• Typically training evaluations ask
• How useful/ interesting was the training?
• This is less important than assessment of whether
  participants thoughts, intentions and
  (ultimately) behaviours change/ improve
  following training.

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Jarvis et al. (2004) Pilot Study Three Groups

• VIG Group N3
• Control Clinicians N 3
• (Multi-disciplinary clinicians in Child and
  Family service)
• 3. Control Health Visitors N3

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Jarvis et al. (2004) Method

• Participants watched a 4 min video extract
  showing a mother and her child.
• Asked to comment on mothers interaction style
• Comments recorded and coded
• using Contact Principles
• Comments also coded as positive or negative
• towards mother

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Descriptions of Parent-Child Interactions
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Positive and Negative Interactions
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Jarvis et al. (2004) Tentative Conclusions

• Professionals trained in VIG are more likely
  than either of other control groups to observe
  more examples of positive parental behaviours
  (solution-focused exceptions)
• Professionals trained in VIG describe
  interaction more specifically in terms of
  positive contact principles than other groups
• Not just seeing parents through rose tinted
  spectacles VIG trained professionals also
  see many more examples of negative parental
  behaviours.

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Cross (2006) Pilot Study 2
Participants 14 Sure Start Childrens Centre
professionals 7 family support workers 4
social workers or student social workers 1
Speech and Language Therapist 1 Health
Visitor 1 Operational Manager (social work
trained)
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Cross 2006 Method I

• Participants watched short video of parent and
  baby at meal time (feeding problems report)
• Time 1 before introductory training day VIG
• Time 2 end of training day
• Asked to record on pro-forma some short phrases
  which describe what you see happening between
  the parent and the child (behaviours) and ideas
  on the possible thoughts of those involved

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Cross 2006 Method II

• Phrases were content analysed
• to look at number of positive parental
  behaviours perceived before and after training
• Changes were noted in the quality of
  descriptions of what was wrong about the
  parents behaviour before and after training

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Results I Positive and Negative Interactions
(N14)
Change in Positives t (paired, df13) 2.02,
plt.07 marginal Change in Negatives t (paired,
df13) 2.67, plt.02
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Cross (2006) Results II

• Although there is a trend indicating increases in
  both positives and in negatives -
• The size of this change is fairly small with the
  increase in negatives being twice that of
  positives
• Before After Increase (means)
• Positives 0.36 1.07 0.71
• Negatives 3.36 4.86 1.50

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Typical negative observations of parental
behaviour - before and after the training
Before After Mother not talking Not
waiting/pausing/too quick Not making eye
contact Not picking up babys signals/cues Not
interacting Incorrect interpretation of
baby Mum too persistent Non-synchronised
communication No facial expression in mum Too
many parent initiatives Task-orientated Mother
unaware of babys view No affection etc. Not
being attentive to baby What are the
differences?
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Cross (2004) Conclusions

• One-day distilled VIG training, which offered
  participants micro-analysis practice to spot
  exceptions or residual strengths generated only
  a slight tendency to see more parental strengths
  in filmed interaction.
• Individuals varied considerably in how well they
  were able to shift to identifying positives
• (6/14 saw no positives either before or after
  training)

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What does this mean for VIG training for
professionals working with parents and children?
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Potential Implications

• One day training can provide practice in
  micro-skills analysis and training in seeking
  positive exceptions can facilitate some
  professionals to begin to identify clients
  residual strengths in interventions.
• Short training cannot substitute for the two
  current models of training the 18 month
  accredited VIG guider route, or Veroc 4-session
  groupwork training.
• Both current models involve practice over time,
• applying learning within ones own work
  context,
• and self-modelling within a supportive
  supervision context which models the contact
  principles.

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Finally

• Further research with greater power (i.e., Ns)
  and longer follow up required
• funding applications!