The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of individualized social story interventions on the social communication skills of three children with Asperger's Syndrome (AS). Using a multiple baseline across participants desing, three social stories were implemented and direct observations of the participants' identified target behaviors were collected three times per week during unstructured school activities (e.g, recess). Data revealed an increase in the social communication skills of two of the three participants when the treatment was implemented. In addition, maintenance of treatment effects was observed in two participants. These data support recommendations for using social stories to teach social skills to children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders.

The major purpose of this dissertation was to investigate the construct validity of a new parent rating scale, the Home and Community Social Behavior Scales (HCSBS), that was used to measure the social skills and antisocial behaviors of at-risk youth in Northern Utah. The results indicate that the HCSBS possesses strong internal consistency with high alphas. Convergent validity with both teacher ratings and student self-ratings of social competence and antisocial behavior appeared slight. Discriminant validity was indicated by the near zero correlations between the HCSBS and the KTEA. The instrument appeared able to detect group differences as indicated by the large and clinically significant effect size differences between at-risk and non-at-risk sample mean scores, as well as a 92.37 correct classification percentage. Finally, the factor analysis of the HCSBS suggested four social competency factors and three antisocial behavior factors, which were extremely similar to the results obtained for the teacher version of the instrument. Directions for future research, as well as implications and limitations of the current study, are noted.

This study examined college students’ cybersex use, perceived benefits of use, time spent online, and compulsive cybersex. Participants consisted of students attending Utah State University Spring semester 2007. Data were collected via an online survey, and 262 surveys were used in the correlation and regression analyses. Results indicated that age, religion and gender are predictive of perceiving more benefits for cybersex participation. A strong positive correlation was found between perceived benefits and compulsive cybersex use. Students’ lack of social skills was predictive of more time spent online. Time spent online for cybersex was predictive of sexually compulsive behavior. There was a positive correlation between sex by phone behaviors, compulsive cybersex, time spent online, and benefits perceived among college students, and cybersex activities were associated with offline relationships.

Many students with intellectual disabilities and autism struggle to have meaningful social interactions with their peers. Research shows that using video modeling can increase social skills in students with disabilities, but it has never been studied in comparison to or in combination with “IF….THEN…” behavior contracts. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of video prompts on elementary-aged students with disabilities to increase appropriate social interactions with their peers through filming the creation of an “IF….THEN…”contract. The participants are four elementary-aged students with intellectual disabilities and autism who have target social skills deficits. The targeted social skills were: greeting peers, initiating conversations, and asking peers to play. The use of “IF….THEN…” contracts, contracts plus structured review, and contracts plus video prompting was evaluated. Each participant had a baseline of zero and after treatment increased the frequency of social skills from one to three instances. Data collected showed both the interventions of “IF….THEN….” contracts plus structured review and contracts plus video prompting were similarly effective at increasing social skills. Treatment had lasting effects in three of the participants when it was completely phased out.

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which Melodies to Assist Social Interaction (MASI) would affect the social skills performance of the educable mentally retarded. The study employed a pretest-posttest control group design with an N of 27 mentally-retarded subjects. It also employed a one-group pretest-posttest design with an N of 8 non-mentally retarded subjects. All of the subjects received a pre- and post-score for their social skills performance level. Nineteen of the mentally-retarded subjects and all eight non-mentally retarded subjects received the MASI social skills teaching program as part of their regular curriculum. The pre- and post-treatment performance was analyzed by a correlated means t-test. An analysis of covariance was used in which the posttest means were compared using the pretest means as a covariate. It was concluded that MASI did not have an impact, positive or negative, on the social skills performance level of the subjects.

Orientador: Sandra Leal Calais / Resumo: O estresse corresponde a um processo que auxilia o ser humano a se adaptar às mudanças e às situações desafiadoras, fazendo-se presente no cotidiano das pessoas, especialmente na adolescência, período do ciclo vital marcado por profundas mudanças e instabilidade emocional. Diante das adversidades, os indivíduos utilizam estratégias de enfrentamento, as quais consistem em recursos, cognitivos e comportamentais, para lidar com situações que avaliam como estressoras. Se utilizados adequadamente, estes mecanismos auxiliam na eliminação ou na redução do estresse. Igualmente importantes, as habilidades sociais podem auxiliar os estudantes, pois facilitam os relacionamentos sociais, favorecem a aceitação pelos pares, contribuindo na redução do estresse e no ajustamento escolar. Assim, o presente trabalho teve como objetivo investigar os efeitos de uma intervenção, voltada ao manejo do estresse, estratégias de enfrentamento e habilidades sociais, no desempenho do Exame Nacional do Ensino Médio, em estudantes do ensino médio profissionalizante. Participaram do estudo 113 estudantes, de ambos os sexos, de uma escola estadual profissionalizante, do interior do estado de São Paulo, dos quais 49 eram alunos regularmente matriculados no 3º ano do Ensino Técnico Integrado ao Médio, compondo o Grupo Experimental, com previsão de término desta modalidade no mesmo ano. Os outros 64 estudantes cursavam o 3º ano da mesma modalidade, do ano antecedente, também na condição de concluintes, os quais... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: Abstract: Stress is a process that helps human beings adapt to changing and challenging situations, being present in people's daily lives, especially in adolescence, a period of the life cycle marked by profound changes and emotional instability. Faced with adversity, individuals use coping strategies, which consist of resources, cognitive and behavioral, to deal with situations that they evaluate as stressors. If properly used, these mechanisms help eliminate or reduce stress. Equally important, social skills can help students by facilitating social relationships, fostering peer acceptance, contributing to stress reduction and school adjustment. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the effects of an intervention focused on stress management, coping strategies and social skills on the performance of the National High School Examination in vocational high school students. A total of 113 male and female students from a state vocational school in the interior of the state of São Paulo participated in the study. Of these, 49 were students enrolled in the 3rd year of the Integrated High School Education, making up the Experimental Group end of this modality in the same year. The other 64 students were in the 3rd year of the same modality, from the previous year, also as graduates, who made up the Control Group. Participants from both groups answered, in addition to a sociodemographic questionnaire, the following instruments, applied at two times, pre and post-test: Stress ... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Doutor

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Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / In this study we examined 381 interactions between Donors and Fundraisers from a large research university by analyzing their Contact Reports. Specifically, we examined whether we could extract measures of fundraiser empathy through the application of a coding scheme and linguistics analysis, and whether there are differences in the reports based on donor characteristics. We found evidence that there are significant differences between how fundraisers write reports and what they include in them, based on school of graduation and type of interaction, but little difference in their treatment by donor gender. We conclude that indeed measures of empathy can be extracted from Contact Reports, but that minimum standards of reporting should be adopted by fundraising organizations in order to support using Contact Reports as qualitative evaluation tools.

Traditional behavioral techniques such as modeling, performance feedback, and reinforcement are the predominant methods used to teach social skills to adults with schizophrenia. Although they have been shown to be effective, these methods focus on the accuracy of skill acquisition, but do not focus on the speed with which an individual can perform the skill. In contrast, precision teaching, an alternative behaviorally based instructional technique, focuses on frequency training, which includes an emphasis on accuracy plus the speed of responding. The purpose of the present study was to compare components of the precision teaching methodology with accuracy training in order to determine which of these two methods is most useful for the teaching and maintenance of social skills in individuals with schizophrenia. The level of social skill ability for each participant was determined by recording the number of syllables spoken per minute. In this experiment each participant was able to increase his or her performance from that of baseline for number of syllables per minute and percent of correct responses. This experiment also supports the hypothesis that precision teaching produces an increased number of syllables per minute than did the accuracy training method during the retention and maintenance probes.

This master thesis deals with socials skills of instrumental music teachers and their development through the VTI method. The theoretical part of the thesis sums up a knowledge of music education psychology, social skills and it outlines VTI method. The empirical chapter of the thesis uses a questionnaire focused on music teachers' attitude to social skills and their development. At the same time it analyses by means of a case-study an appropriate form of VTI intervention in the field of music education. The results of the questionnare research show that teachers perceive social skills as important ones. As well they show that teachers are used to developing their skills by consulting their colleagues, practicing their musical instruments or participating in professional workshops and master classes. The case study shows a possible form of the VTI method intervention. Keywords: social skills, video interaction guidance, music teacher