Abstract
The long term effects of Spivack and Shures' social problem-solving training were assessed and compared to an attention-placebo control. Thirty-seven preschool age children were involved in this year's long intervention project and six month follow-up. All subjects received 46 sessions of intervention by specially trained assistants. Support was found for the cognitive effectiveness of social problem-solving training with aberrant children at post test in that they gained significantly in their ability to generate alternative solutions to interpersonal problems. This differential effect was not sustained at follow-up. Blind teacher ratings of behavioral adjustment and independent observers' ratings of behavior (using a naturalistic observation scale developed for this study) revealed no significant behavioral training effects at post test or at follow-up. Findings are discussed with the suggestion that behavior change in young children may not be mediated through a strictly cognitive intervention, and may more logically require an integration of behavioral and cognitve techniques.
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Gesten, E. L., & Weissberg, R.Social problem-solving training and prevention: Some good news and some bad news. Paper presented at the meeting of the American Psychological Association, New York City, September, 1979.
Shure, M. B. Written and verbal communications during 1979–1980.
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A version of this paper was presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Psychological Association, Los Angeles, California, August, 1981. The research was supported by grants from the McGregor Fund, the Eloise and Richard Webber Foundation, The David M. Whitney Fund, and by the Detroit Public Schools, for which the authors express grateful appreciation. The authors also wish to thank Dr. Myrna B. Shure for her help in carrying out this study and Dr. David L. Williams for his assistance in data analysis.
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Rickel, A.U., Eshelman, A.K. & Loigman, G.A. Social problem solving training: A follow-up study of cognitive and behavioral effects. J Abnorm Child Psychol 11, 15–28 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00912174
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00912174