Maria Lyons, age 15, of Bowling Green, Ohio, for her question:

WHAT IS SENSITIVITY TRAINING?

Sensitivity training is a learning process designed to increase a person's awareness of himself, other people and his environment. Sensitivity training takes place in a group of from eight to 20 individuals, including a leader. A German psychologist named Kurt Lewin conducted the first sensitivity training encounter group at an interracial workshop in New Britain, Conn., in 1946. The Esalen Institute in Big Sur, Calif., developed and popularized sensitivity training during the 1960s.

Members of an encounter group speak openly about their feelings and reactions to others in the group. Some group leaders involve members in various games to produce strong emotional experiences. These games include such activities as having two members stare into.each other's eyes, or having a member act out a feeling of affection or anger.

Some psychologists criticize sensitivity training, saying that it is experimental and that its effectiveness has not been proved.

Other psychologists regard sensitivity training as a major development in their field. They believe it can make a person more aware of his inner feelings and help him get along more effectively with others.