USING SCHEMATIC ORGANIZERS TO HELP COLLEGE-STUDENTS ORGANIZE PERSONALCONCEPTS AND BEHAVIOR RELATED TO ALCOHOL AND COCAINE USE

The intent of this study was to assess the perceived effectiveness of using two types of schematic, graphic organizers - ''maps'' and ''conc eptual matrices'' - to organize personal understanding of alcohol and cocaine behavior patterns and knowledge about reasons for and conseque nces of alcohol and cocaine use. Participants in this three-session, 6 -hour study were 111 students from a private, southwestern university who were recruited from undergraduate psychology classes. Participants were randomly assigned to either ''schema'' (matrix/map) or ''nonsche ma'' (essay) conditions. The dependent measure. perceived usefulness o f an activity, was defined in terms of three factors (use for personal insights, motivational aspects of an activity, and use for counseling purposes) and was assessed through a series of four postactivity ques tionnaires. Verbal ability was found to play an important role: map or ganizers for alcohol experiences were perceived as more useful than es say writing by below-median verbal ability participants. For organizin g personal knowledge of reasons and consequences, essay writing was pe rceived as more useful. Possible trends were noted with respect to per sonality factors.