A study of the expository process model in mental health settings

A number of authors have documented complaints made by consumers about psychological reports. Prominent among these complaints are that basic data are not included, that psychological terms whose meanings are not certain are used, and that the logic of the report is unclear. Ownby and Wallbrown (1986) have proposed a model for report writing that addresses these concerns by specifying the types of data and the mode of data presentation most likely to be viewed positively by readers of reports. In the present study, psychologists (N = 29) in several mental health settings rated statements based on the model as significantly more credible and persuasive than nonmodel equivalent statements.