Training Programs for Observers of Behavior: A Review1

This review covers the past 25 years of research literature on training observers of behavior, specifically in the areas of interviewing, reducing rater bias, interpersonal perception and observation as a research tool. The focus is on training procedure (i.e., the various training designs and their components). An attempt is made to organize and systematize the research and to answer two important questions. Which approach(es) used to train observers of behavior has (have) been most successful? What are the theoretical or empirical bases for the development of those training programs?