Dimensions of social competence: Method factors in the assessment of adaptive behavior, social skills, and peer acceptance

Dimensions of social competence were investigated by several measures of adaptive behavior, social skills, and peer acceptance. Principal components analysis of the measures revealed that the method of measurement was clearly the most important factor in the assessment of social competence. The five-factor solution to the principal components analysis was defined by the five methods used to operationalize social competence (i.e., method factors). Correlation analysis showed relatively weak relations among the same social competence domains measured by different methods. The results are discussed in the context of convergent and discriminant validity and the interacting influences of method, setting, and content on the assessment of social competence.