Abstract
The present study examined the efficacy of group social skills training (GSST) combined with attention training for maintenance and generalization of social skills, and explored the extent to which reward sensitivity had an impact on effects of group social skills training. Children from elementary school (5th and 6th graders, N=342) and middle school (7th, 8th, and 9th graders, N=565) were assigned to either a standard group social skills training condition or a group social skills training plus attention training condition. The pupils in each condition were then subdivided into 2 groups based on their reward sensitivity. The results from those children who were unable to acquire social entry skills after receiving group social skills training aimed at a specific target skill were excluded from subsequent analysis. The results for the remaining children showed that the acquired target skill was maintained at a 1-month follow-up, and that stimulus generalization was promoted in all groups. The results from the measure of response generalization showed that prosocial behavior increased only in the groups (at both schoolgrade levels) getting group social skills training plus attention training, whereas aggressive behavior decreased in all the groups of elementary school children. These results suggest that response generalization is only very slightly promoted depending on the type of social skill, but that it may also occur if group social skills training is provided together with attention training.
Translated title of the contribution | Group social skills training and attention training for elementary and middle school children in high and low reward sensitivity groups: Effects on maintenance and generalization of social skills |
---|---|
Original language | Japanese |
Pages (from-to) | 300-312 |
Number of pages | 13 |
Journal | Japanese Journal of Educational Psychology |
Volume | 66 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2018 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Education
- Developmental and Educational Psychology