Therapists' Expectancies and Patients' Improvement in Treatment: The Shape of the Link

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Abstract
It has been hypothesized that therapists' expectancies for therapeutic gain by their patients are linked to the actual clinical improvement shown by the patients during treatment. It has also been hypothesized that therapists' expectancies may help cause patients' improvement. The first hypothesis has received empirical support, but the second has not. The study reported here tested a causative interpretation of the link between therapists' expectancies and patients' improvement, and a second interpretation that therapists' expectancies predict but do not cause patients' improvement. Based on motivation research it was reasoned that a significant curvilinear relationship between therapists' expectancy and patients' improvement would support a causative interpretation; a significant linear relationship between these variables would support a predictive interpretation. Multiple regression analyses produced evidence of a significant linear relationship between measures of expectancy and improvement, but no curvilinear component to the relationship. The results are interpreted as supporting the predictive interpretation. Some limitations of the findings are discussed.

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