Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-m8qmq Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-24T08:28:43.886Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Social Skills for Children: Training Empirically-derived Target Behaviours

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 October 2014

Mark D. Weist ,
M. Christopher Borden ,
Jack W. Finney  and
Thomas H. Ollendick
Mark D. Weist
Affiliation:
University of Maryland School of Medicine
M. Christopher Borden
Affiliation:
Brown University Program in Medicine
Jack W. Finney
Affiliation:
Virginia Polytechnic Institute andState University
Thomas H. Ollendick*
Affiliation:
Virginia Polytechnic Institute andState University
*
Department of Psychology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute andStateUniversity, Blacksburg VA 24061-0436, USA
Get access

Abstract

We evaluated the empirical validation model of target selection for two boys with interpersonal problems. Behaviours previously identified as distinguishing popular from rejected boys on a role-play measure of social behaviour were targeted for change in these boys who had histories of peer rejection. We trained three of these empirically-derived behaviours — appropriate body orientation, adequate speech intonation, and providing reasons for denying unreasonable requests — in a multiple-baseline-across-behaviours design. On a role-play measure of social behaviour, improvements in the targeted behaviours occurred upon, but not before, introduction of the intervention, confirming the controlling effects of the intervention. Behavioural improvements generalised to untrained role-play scenes and to a novel role-play partner, and were maintained for two of the three behaviours at 4- and 6-month follow-up assessments. The boys also showed improvements in parent-reported child behaviour from pre- to post-training. The study demonstrates use of an empirical approach to the selection of treatment targets for children.

Type
Research Article
Information
Behaviour Change , Volume 8 , Issue 4 , December 1991 , pp. 174 - 182
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 1991

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Achenbach, T.M. (1979). The child behavior profile: An empirically based system for assessing children's behavioral problems and competencies. International Journal of Mental Health, 46, 759–776.Google Scholar
Arkes, H.R. (1981). Impediments to accurate clinical judgment and possible ways to minimize their impact. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 49, 323–330.Google Scholar
Asher, S.R., & Dodge, K.A. (1986). Identifying children who are rejected by their peers. Developmental Psychology, 22, 444–449.Google Scholar
Bornstein, M., Bellake, A., & Hersen, M. (1977). Social skills training for unassertive children: A multiple baseline analysis. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 5, 443–454.Google Scholar
Cone, J.D., & Hoier, T.S. (1986). Assessing children: The radical behavioral perspective. In Prinz, R.J. (Ed.), Advances in behavioral assessment of children and families (Vol. 2, pp. 1–27). New York: JAI Press.Google Scholar
Curran, J.P. (1978). Comments on Bellack, Hersen, and Turner's paper on the validity of role-play tests. Behavior therapy, 9, 462–468.Google Scholar
Eisler, R.M., Miller, P.M., & Hersen, M. (1973). Components of assertive behavior. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 298, 295–299.3.0.CO;2-9>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hawkins, R.P. (1986). Selection of target behaviors. In Nelson, R.O. & Hayes, S.C. (Eds.), Conceptual foundations of behavioral assessment (pp. 331–382). New York: Guilford.Google Scholar
Hayes, S.C., Nelson, R.P., & Jarrett, R.B. (1987). The treatment utility of assessment: A functional approach to evaluating assessment quality. American Psychologist, 42, 963–974.Google Scholar
Kirkland, K.D., Thelen, M.H., & Miller, D.J. (1982). Group assertion training with adolescents. Child and Family Behavior Therapy, 4, 1–12.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Michelson, L., & Wood, R. (1980). A group assertive training program for elementary school children. Child Behavior Therapy, 1, 1–10.Google Scholar
Ollendick, T.H. (1981). Assessment of social interaction skills in school children. Behavioral Counselling Quarterly, 1, 227–243.Google Scholar
Rhodes, W.A., Redd, W.H., & Berggren, L. (1979). Social skills training for an unassertive adolescent. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 8, 18–21.Google Scholar
Shure, M.B., & Spivack, G. (1979). Interpersonal cognitive problem solving and primary prevention: Programming for preschool and kindergarten children. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 8, 89–96.Google Scholar
Weist, M.D., & Ollendick, T.H. (1991). Toward empirically valid target selection with children: The case of assertiveness. Behavior Modification, 15, 213–227.Google Scholar
Weist, M.D., Ollendick, T.H., & Finney, J.W. (in press). Toward the empirical validation of treatment targets in children. Clinical Psychology Review.Google Scholar