Social skills training for young adolescents: cognitive and performance components.

An assertiveness training curriculum that was an expansion of two previous programs with young adolescents (Thompson, Bundy, & Broncheau, 1995; Wise, Bundy, Bundy, & Wise, 1991) was presented to 22 fifth graders. Cognitive acquisition and retention of the symbolic assertiveness information were measured with multiple-choice pre- and posttests used in the two prior programs. The performance components, including verbal (word choice) and non-verbal (body orientation, posture, and gestures) aspects of assertive behavior were measured in pretest and posttest role-play situations, with the posttest administered at two levels of motivation. When trained students were compared to control groups on the cognitive measures, a significant effect for treatment (p < or = .000); a significant effect for measures (p < or = .000); and a significant Treatment x Measures interaction (p < or = .000) were found. However, the results did not show that training facilitated assertiveness on the performance components. When trained and control subjects' performance scores were combined, a significant effect for measures was found across role-play tests on some of the performance measures. Discussion focuses on factors that facilitate adolescents' appropriate application of stored symbolic information regarding assertiveness. Suggestions are offered for designing programs aimed at developing adolescents' assertive behavior in ways that will generalize to their lives beyond the training context.

Social skills training for young adolescents: symbolic and behavioral components.

The assertiveness program developed by Wise, Bundy, Bundy, and Wise (1991), which focused on the unique problems and peer interactions of young adolescents, was expanded to a 12-week program and presented to a group of 28 sixth graders. Cognitive acquisition and retention of the symbolic information was measured with a pretest, posttest, and follow-up administration of the multiple-choice tests that were designed and used in the prior study. Verbal content of assertive behavior was measured in a pretest and posttest role-play situation. When trained students were compared to a control group on the symbolic measures, a significant effect for treatment (p < or = .000); a significant effect for measures (p < or = .000); and a significant Treatment x Measure interaction (p < or = .000) were found. A comparison of means showed a significant difference between pretest vs. posttest and follow-up (p < or = .000). However, no difference between posttest and follow-up was found (p < .351). Unlike the earlier study, in which girls benefited more from training than did boys, no treatment by gender interaction was found for the cognitive measure (p < .691). Boys and girls benefited similarly in terms of the cognitive acquisition of assertiveness information from this program. However, the results did not show that these students were able to demonstrate assertiveness on the behavioral level. Results are discussed in terms of the difference between simply having stored symbolic information regarding assertive responses and recognizing contexts in which accessing the information would be appropriate. Suggestions for designing programs aimed at bringing about changes in adolescents' assertive behavior that will generalize to their lives beyond the training context are also offered.

Social skills training for young adolescents.

A systematic assertiveness training program was developed for adolescents, based on Albert Bandura's social cognitive theory. The program, which focused on peer interactions and social responsibility, consisted of six 40-minute semi-weekly sessions and was presented to a class of 22 sixth-grade social studies students in a middle school. Cognitive acquisition of the information was measured with multiple-choice tests administered immediately after training and at a 6-month follow-up. Trained students performed significantly better than a control group on the posttest (p less than .01) and on the 6-month follow-up (p less than .02), demonstrating that young adolescents can acquire and retain the symbolic information that forms a basis for assertive behavior.