SOCIAL SKILLS TRAINING WITH CHILDREN: PROCEED WITH CAUTION

Three learning disabled children, selected on the basis of peer sociometric ratings and teacher referral, received social skills training. A group training procedure consisting of coaching, modeling, behavior rehearsal, and feedback was used to teach children the target behaviors of eye contact and appropriate verbal responses. A multiple baseline analysis across target behaviors was used to demonstrate treatment effectiveness on role-play scenes trained during treatment sessions. Duration of speech was measured as an untrained, corollary measure. The following measures were also obtained during baseline, posttreatment, and 1-mo follow-up for the experimental subjects and three control subjects: (a) performance on role-play scenes not trained during treatment sessions; (b) behavioral observations in a free play setting, and (c) sociometric ratings. In addition, the trained and untrained role-play scenes were administered by novel experimenters following treatment. The results indicated that socially unskilled, learning disabled children can be taught to respond appropriately to role-play situations. However, improved performance did not generalize to the natural school setting and treatment did not effect ratings of peer acceptance. The implications of these findings for future social skills training with children are discussed.     

THE EFFECTS OF PEER TUTORING WITH GROUP CONTINGENCIES ON THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF COLLEGE STUDENTS1

Improving the academic performance of college students who do not demonstrate mastery of course material is a major concern in traditional and nontraditional systems of instruction, where students may drop out, take incompletes, or continue to perform at low levels. The present study examined within-course peer tutoring as a potential solution. Twenty-one undergraduate students enrolled in a three-credit introductory course in Educational Psychology served as subjects. The class met one and a half hours each weekday for five weeks. Five students withdrew from the course and one student was placed on independent study before assignments to experimental conditions were made. The primary source materials were portions of Skinner's Technology of Teaching, plus two additional articles. The material was divided into nine equal units, each unit accompanied by study objectives. Nine one-hour essay exams were administered, one every other class day. Two review days were scheduled before a cumulative final was administered. Students could score a total of 20 points on each exam and the final. If a student scored 90% or better on an exam a score of 10 was earned. If a student scored 80% to 90%, a score of eight was awarded, and so on. A total score of 90 of 100 possible points at semester's end earned a student an “A”, 80 a “B”, and so on. The study consisted of three phases: Baseline I, Intervention, and Baseline II. Baseline I: after an initial introductory class, three lectures were presented—one for each unit. Each lecture day was followed by an exam day. Intervention: following the third exam, students were rank ordered and divided into high, medium, and low levels of performance on the basis of their raw scores on the previous three exams, and assigned to a paired or independent group. This assignment procedure resulted in three high-low pairs, three middle-middle pairs, two high-middle pairs, three low-independent students, and two middle-independent students. If, and only if, both students in a pair met a 90% mastery criterion on an exam did each receive five bonus points for the exam(s) reaching the criterion. The bonus points were used to offset points lost on the cumulative final. If both students in a pair met the 90% mastery criterion for units 4, 5, and 6, the pair received an automatic score of 10 on the cumulative final and had the two review days off. Other students who studied independently received identical payoffs if they met the same mastery criterion. The previous lecture time was used for inclass study. Baseline II: Baseline I procedures were reinstituted for the final three units. The test scores are the independent and paired students are shown in Figure 1. Compared to baseline, performance during peer tutoring improved for every student paired with a high partner, and not for those students who studied independently. Between-group comparisons suggest that the effective variables were related to the tutoring or its combination with the group contingency. However, the opportunity for intergroup discussion about treatment procedures and unequal assignment of subjects to the tutored and independent groups make conclusions about the between-group portion of the experiment tentative. Half to two-thirds of the students in each performance category viewed the peer-tutoring procedure favorably, and two-thirds or more reported that the procedure was effective in improving academic performance. Proportionately fewer students assigned to independent study found that procedure effective or viewed it favorably. It appears that pairing students with others who do better on tests and rewarding them for their combined performance results in considerable improvement in the performance of lower-level students.     

Attack by female mice on “Strangers”

In this study the aggressive responses directed by small groups of female mice towards virgin, pregnant, and lactating female strangers, which were individually introduced into their cages, were compared. The results obtained show that, except when lactating, pregnant females are neither attacked much more often nor any more severely than virgin mice. It is suggested that only the state of lactation favors the production of stimuli (olfactory) which release attack by female mice.     

Social aggression and power relations among preschool children

Social agonism and dominance relations were assessed in two preschool groups. An average of 30 hours of observational data was obtained for each group during free-play over a six-week period. A Social Agonism Inventory describing specific initiation and response behaviors during episodes of social conflict was used to code agonistic activity. Dyadic interactions were examined to determine whether the resolution of agonistic interactions conformed to a linear model of social dominance. Although there were group differences in the relative frequency of different forms of conflict, systematic comparison of agonistic wins and losses re vealed similarly rigid and linear dominance structures at both preschools. The relation of aggression and dominance was empirically examined by comparing the initiation and receipt of agonism by high vs low dominance status children. Higher dominance status children engaged in more agonistic interactions, but a majority of these interactions were directed toward other high-ranking group members.     

INCREASING VERBAL INTERACTION AMONG ELDERLY SOCIALLY ISOLATED MENTALLY RETARDED ADULTS: A GROUP LANGUAGE TRAINING PROCEDURE

The present study examined the effectiveness of a group language training procedure for directly increasing and generalizing the rate of verbal interaction among four elderly, socially isolated, moderately mentally retarded men. A withdrawal of treatment design was used to examine the effect of the procedure that used verbal prompts, behavioral rehearsal, and contingent social praise. Changes in behavior were examined in two generalization settings, one similiar to the training environment (Generalization I) and the other arranged as part of the subjects' daily routine (Generalization II). Baseline data indicated no verbal interaction among the subjects. During treatment the training procedure increased the rate of subjects' verbal interactions not only in the training situation, but also in the two generalization settings. An analysis of the data obtained during the Generalization II situation indicated that subjects' verbal interaction increased not only among themselves, but with nonsubject peers present in this setting. Follow-up data showed that increases in rates of verbal interaction were maintained four months after the cessation of training. The implications of the results for program generalization and work with the language deficient individual is discussed.     

A Year's Experiences with a Postpartum Depression Group

The author defines postpartum mood and adjustment disorders, risk factors, symptoms, treatment, and resources. The purpose, goals, themes, and co-leadership issues of a postpartum depression psychoeducational group, offered year-round in an urban community center, are discussed. A vignette from the group is presented to sample its process and content.     

社会动机一致性与问责对群体决策的影响

采用隐藏文档范式决策任务,探究群体成员社会动机一致性对决策的影响及问责的促进作用。实验1通过社会动机启动,考察全员合作、多数合作、多数利己、全员利己四种群体的信息分享及决策正确率。结果发现,合作动机成员比例越高,群体信息分享和决策质量越好,信息分享在成员社会动机与决策质量间起完全中介作用;少数利己成员的存在对合作成员的信息分享产生负面影响。实验2检验过程问责与结果问责对多数利己、全员利己群体决策的促进作用。结果发现,两种问责方式均促进了群体的信息分享与决策质量。本研究深化了社会动机影响群体决策的机制及促进途径。     

群体决策质量评估方法及其在大学生和社区居民中的应用

社会心理服务体系建设要求用心理学理论和方法开展精细化社会治理,而在多元主体共商共治的过程中出现了群体决策质量无法得到有效评估的问题。群体决策\"过程-结果模型\"认为应该从\"双过程\"(信息加工过程和人际互动过程)和\"双结果\"(客观结果和主观感受)两个方面综合评估群体决策质量。基于该模型建构的群体决策质量问卷自评法和录像他评法被应用于大学生和社区居民一些真实问题解决的群体决策质量评估。研究结果显示群体决策质量自评问卷效度良好,适合作为群体决策质量的自评工具;录像他评法与问卷自评法结果相互印证能够全面地反映群体决策质量,可应用于更广阔的社会治理领域中。     

子团队的结构与情感对团队创造力的影响

为细化现有团队研究,着眼于子团队并结合团队同质情感,挖掘了团队中的子团队平衡性、团队情感与团队创造力关系。通过对某高校333名学生的团队实验研究,得出主要结论认为：团队中子团队的平衡性与团队情感对影响团队创造存在交互作用,具有积极情感且子团队平衡的团队创造力更高。当子团队不平衡时,情感积极团队会比中性情感下的团队有更大的创造力波动性。     

群体信息加工视角下团队建言有效性及作用机制：建言数量与质量的影响

虽然团队建言被普遍认为会为团队带来积极结果(如高的团队绩效和团队创新), 但实证研究结果却并不一致。从群体信息加工的视角, 在团队层次区分建言质量与数量两个维度, 进而构建了建言起作用的正向和负向双路径模型, 探讨团队建言的有效性及其作用机制。主要内容包括：(1)开发团队建言质量与数量量表并检验其信效度, (2)检验团队建言的双路径模型, (3)开发针对团队领导的建言管理培训项目以切实提高团队建言的有效性。这不仅可以从理论上丰富和加深现有建言研究, 也将为团队管理实践提供支持。