The current study explored the relation between sustained attention and the social skills of assertion, cooperation, self-control, and peer competence and whether sex moderated this relation. Data from the National Institute of Child Health and Development – Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development were analyzed. Structural equation models were used to test the possibility of sex as a moderator for each relation. Results suggest sex moderates the relation between sustained attention and assertion skills. Additionally, results suggest sex moderates the relation between sustained attention and cooperation skills. However, results suggest sex did not moderate the relation between sustained attention and self-control and also suggest sex did not moderate the relations between sustained attention and peer competence. Such relations emphasize the importance of understanding social outcomes for children who struggle with attention and should be utilized by educators, parents, and families to ensure social success for children with attention problems.

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abstract: Using a sample of children from divorced homes, the current study assesses the effects of family relationship variables on romantic outcomes in young adulthood, through the influence of several individual-level variables. In particular, children's coping efficacy and peer competence are examined as mediators of the effects of parenting and interparental conflict on children's later romantic involvement and relationship quality. Assessments occurred during childhood, when children were between the ages of nine and 12, in adolescence, when children were ages 15 to 18, and in young adulthood, when children were ages 24 to 27, spanning a period of 15 years. Childhood and adolescent variables were measured using child- and mother-report data and young adult measures were completed by the young adults and their romantic partners. One model was tested using all participants in the sample, regardless of whether they were romantically involved in young adulthood, and revealed that maternal warmth in childhood was linked with children's coping efficacy six years later, which was marginally related to an increased likelihood of being romantically involved and to decreased romantic attachment at the 15-year follow-up. A model with only the participants who were romantically involved in young adulthood also revealed a link between childhood maternal warmth and coping efficacy in adolescence, which was then marginally related to increased romantic satisfaction and to confidence in the romantic relationship in young adulthood. Marginal mediation was also found for several of the proposed paths, and there was little evidence to support path differences between males and females. Implications of the present findings for research with children from divorced families and the development of preventive interventions are discussed. In particular, parenting, interparental conflict, peer competence, and coping efficacy are examined as modifiable targets for change and existing preventive interventions employing these targets are described. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Psychology 2012

Social kompetens handlar bland annat om att samspela med andra, skaffa sig vänner och lösa konflikter, men också om att uppnå egna sociala mål. Social kompetens är en viktig faktor för hälsa och utveckling under barndomen men även för framgång inom olika livsområden senare i livet. Syftet med denna studie var därför att undersöka hur social kompetens uppfattas och främjas i förskolan, samt att göra en jämförelse mellan åren 2004 och 2017 gällande uppfattningar och metoder. Studien byggde på 20 intervjuer med förskollärare. Resultatet visade att social kompetens beskrevs inom ramen för tre begrepp: interaktion, konformitet och självhävdelse. Metoderna som användes var aktiv närvaro, inkluderande grupper, spegling samt strukturerade övningar. Resultatet indikerade att medvetenheten om social kompetens har ökat och arbetsmetoderna utvecklats sedan 2004. Studien bidrar till att skapa en bild av hur man arbetar i förskolan för att främja barns sociala kompetens, och inbjuder till liknande studier.

Theory of Mind (ToM), a social cognitive skill defined as one's ability to attribute mental states to self and others, is considered key for a successful navigation of one's social world. Extensive research has elucidated the early developmental trajectory, predictors, correlates, and outcomes of ToM in the first five years of a child's life. By contrast, although ToM continues to develop beyond age five, and children increasingly begin to function in more complex and interconnected social ecologies, very little is known about ToM in middle childhood. The present study examines ToM development in middle childhood, using a new measure that is age appropriate, innovative, and embedded in the flow of a naturalistic social interaction. Drawing from rich behavioral and report data collected from children, parents, and teachers in a longitudinal study from toddlerhood to middle childhood, interpersonal factors (the child's relationships with the mother, father, and peers), and intrapersonal factors (temperament characteristic of effortful control) are systematically examined to predict individual differences in children's performance in the new ToM measure at age 10. Associations between children's ToM and their broadly ranging, concurrently assessed clinical symptoms are also examined. As a preliminary venture, using a small sample of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and their caregivers, the present study also seeks to establish preliminary criterion validity for the new measure of ToM.

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The ADHD symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsivity have detrimental effects on children's social functioning and increase their risk of being victimized by peers and engaging in bullying behaviors (Unnever & Cornell, 2003;Wiener & Mak, 2009). In particular, the specific social skills of peer competence and self-control were examined to determine if there was a mediating or indirect effect on peer victimization or engagement in bullying behaviors. Participants in this study included 707 children from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and variables were measured in the 3 rd , 5 th , and 6 th grades. Results indicated no direct effects between hyperactive/impulsive symptoms and peer victimization or engagement in bullying. However, a significant indirect effect between hyperactive/impulsive symptoms in the 3 rd grade and peer victimization in the 6 th grade via peer competence in the 5 th grade was found. Evidence of an indirect effect between hyperactive/impulsive symptoms and peer victimization via self-control skills was also found. A significant relationship between hyperactive/impulsive symptoms and engagement in bullying through peer competence was not found. Finally, results suggested a significant indirect effect between hyperactive/impulsive symptoms and engagement in bullying behavior through self-control skills.