Joitrnat of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 1976, Vol. 44, No. 5, 865
A Test of the Complementarity Hypothesis in A-B Research Denis J. Lynch, Dennis Kogut, and Joel Smith University of Toledo In considering the apparent superiority of A-type therapists with clients who tend to avoid others, and of B-type therapists with clients who tend to turn against themselves, Berzins and Seidman (1969) have suggested that this pattern of effective combinations may be due to complementarity of coping strategies between therapists and patients. This "complementarity hypothesis" predicts that it would be more beneficial to pair "therapists with patients on the basis of dissimilar reactions to stress, which may be partially indexed by a complementary (not similar) A-B status" (Berzins & Seidman, 1969, p. 285). The current study was an attempt to test this hypothesis in an analogue situation. Male undergraduate students were given the 19-item A-B scale used by Berzins and his associates (Berzins, Ross, & Cohen, 1970), and those identified as As or Bs according to Berzins' norms were contacted to be subjects in the study. The experimental design was a 2 X 2 factorial consisting of interviewer type (A vs. B status) and interviewee type (A vs. B status), with six dyads per cell (N — 24 dyads) in a completely between-subjects design. The procedure used was similar to that used by Berzins et al, in which interviewers are instructed to conduct interviews on emotional and neutral items provided for them. In addition, following the interview, the subjects filled out four-item forms tapping reaction to their dyad partner. Audiotapes were made of the interview, and these were rated for number of topics discussed (maximum possible = 12) and for depth of selfexploration. Requests for reprints and for an extended report of this study should be sent to Denis J. Lynch, Department of Psychology, University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio 43606.
865
Analyses of variance disclosed that B interviewers covered more topics than A interviewers, F ( l , 20) = 24.07, p < .001, but A interviewers elicited a greater depth of self-exploration for both neutral items, F ( l , 20) = 15.457, p< .001 and for emotional items, F(l,20) =21.965, p < .001. A significant interaction effect, F(l, 20) = 4.463, p < .05, was found for depth of exploration on neutral items. However, this interaction indicated greater self-exploration for similar rather than complementary dyads and is therefore in opposition to the complementary hypothesis. The only postinterview rating responses to differ significantly were in judged likability of the dyad partners. B interviewees were rated as more likable than A interviewees by all interviewers (p < .01). In turn, B interviewees rated all interviewers as more likable than did A interviewees (^
A Test of the Complementarity Hypothesis in A-B Research Denis J. Lynch, Dennis Kogut, and Joel Smith University of Toledo In considering the apparent superiority of A-type therapists with clients who tend to avoid others, and of B-type therapists with clients who tend to turn against themselves, Berzins and Seidman (1969) have suggested that this pattern of effective combinations may be due to complementarity of coping strategies between therapists and patients. This "complementarity hypothesis" predicts that it would be more beneficial to pair "therapists with patients on the basis of dissimilar reactions to stress, which may be partially indexed by a complementary (not similar) A-B status" (Berzins & Seidman, 1969, p. 285). The current study was an attempt to test this hypothesis in an analogue situation. Male undergraduate students were given the 19-item A-B scale used by Berzins and his associates (Berzins, Ross, & Cohen, 1970), and those identified as As or Bs according to Berzins' norms were contacted to be subjects in the study. The experimental design was a 2 X 2 factorial consisting of interviewer type (A vs. B status) and interviewee type (A vs. B status), with six dyads per cell (N — 24 dyads) in a completely between-subjects design. The procedure used was similar to that used by Berzins et al, in which interviewers are instructed to conduct interviews on emotional and neutral items provided for them. In addition, following the interview, the subjects filled out four-item forms tapping reaction to their dyad partner. Audiotapes were made of the interview, and these were rated for number of topics discussed (maximum possible = 12) and for depth of selfexploration. Requests for reprints and for an extended report of this study should be sent to Denis J. Lynch, Department of Psychology, University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio 43606.
865
Analyses of variance disclosed that B interviewers covered more topics than A interviewers, F ( l , 20) = 24.07, p < .001, but A interviewers elicited a greater depth of self-exploration for both neutral items, F ( l , 20) = 15.457, p< .001 and for emotional items, F(l,20) =21.965, p < .001. A significant interaction effect, F(l, 20) = 4.463, p < .05, was found for depth of exploration on neutral items. However, this interaction indicated greater self-exploration for similar rather than complementary dyads and is therefore in opposition to the complementary hypothesis. The only postinterview rating responses to differ significantly were in judged likability of the dyad partners. B interviewees were rated as more likable than A interviewees by all interviewers (p < .01). In turn, B interviewees rated all interviewers as more likable than did A interviewees (^
