Does time spent learning predict outcomes? A replication

The study: A naturalistic replication of Chow et al. (2015): 2,424 outpatients treated by 40 therapists, with therapists reporting their learning activities on the same questionnaire.

What they found: Neither the total time therapists said they spent on learning activities, nor any specific activity, predicted client outcomes. Therapists still rated several activities as highly relevant for improving their skills.

Why it matters for practice: Self-reports of how much we practice may be inaccurate, or we may be investing in the wrong activities. An important caution: the quality and focus of practice, and how it is measured, matter.

Janse, P. D., Bakker-Brehm, D. T., Geurtzen, N., Scholing, A., & Hutschemaekers, G. J. (2023). Therapists' self-assessment of time spent on learning activities and its relationship to treatment outcomes: A replication study. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 79(4), 1070–1081. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.23459