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Assessment of children's social skills: A review of methods

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Abstract

Social skills of children is a topic receiving increasing attention, particularly from clinical researchers. The present paper reviews methods that have been used to assess children's social skills. Four methods are identified and described: sociometric instruments, behavioral observations, teacher reports, and child self-reports. Their relationships to one another are examined in terms of predictive, concurrent, and construct validity. It appears that the social skills construct is in need of basic development if it is to have any clinical utility. It is suggested that future research utilize knowledge from fields closely related to clinical psychology (e.g., developmental and social psychology) and methods of assessment from traditional test theory.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Psychology Department, University of Georgia, 30602, Athens, GA

    Kenneth D. Green & Rex Forehand

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  1. Kenneth D. Green
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  2. Rex Forehand
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Preparation of this manuscript was supported in part by NIMH grants MH288059.

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Green, K.D., Forehand, R. Assessment of children's social skills: A review of methods. Journal of Behavioral Assessment 2, 143–159 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01338931

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