Abstract
In assessing the social skills of adults, many of the same factors in assessing social skills among children and adolescents will influence the resulting data. Issues such as single versus multiple prompts, standardized or individualized scenarios, and molar versus molecular ratings all impact the use and validity of social skills assessments with adults, adolescents, and children alike. However, the assessment of social skills in adults also holds some potential difficulties not typically seen when working with children and adolescents. In this chapter, particular methodological considerations in social skills assessment of adults will be covered. Major assessment methods, including clinical interviews, self-report, and observation, will be surveyed and particular method variations used with adults will be highlighted.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Alden, L. E., & Bieling, P. (1998). Interpersonal consequences of the pursuit of safety. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 36, 53–64.
Andrasik, F., Heimberg, R. G., Edlund, S. R., & Blankenberg, R. (1981). Assessing the readability levels of self-report assertion inventories. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 49, 142–144.
Beck, J. G., & Heimberg, R. G. (1983). Self-report assessment of assertive behavior: A critical analysis. Behavior Modification, 7, 451–487.
Bellack, A. S. (1983). Recurrent problems in the behavioral assessment of social skill. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 21, 29–41.
Bellack, A. S., Hersen, M., & Lamparski, D. (1979). Role-play tests for assessing social skills: Are they valid? Are they useful? Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 47, 335–342.
Bellack, A. S., Hersen, M., & Turner, S. M. (1979). The relationship of role playing and knowledge of appropriate behavior to assertion in the natural environment. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 47, 670–678.
Bellack, A. S., Morrison, R. L., Mueser, K. T., Wade, J. H., & Sayers, S. L. (1990). Role play for assessing the social competence of psychiatric patients. Psychological Assessment, 2, 248–255.
Caballo, V. E., & Buela, G. (1988). Molar/molecular assessment in an analogue situation: Relationships among several measures and validation of a behavioral assessment instrument. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 67, 591–602.
Chiauzzi, E. J., Heimberg, R. G., Becker, R. E., & Gansler, D. (1985). Personalized versus standard role plays in the assessment of depressed patients’ social skill. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 7, 121–133.
Conger, J. C., & Conger, A. J. (1986). Assessment of social skills. In A. R. Ciminero, K. S. Calhoun, & H. E. Adams (Eds.), Handbook of behavioral assessment (2nd ed., pp. 526–560). New York: John Wiley & Sons.
Conger, J. C., & Farrell, A. D. (1981). Behavioral components of heterosocial skills. Behavior Therapy, 12, 41–55.
Curran, J. P. (1982). A procedure for the assessment of social skills: The Simulated Social Interaction Test. In J. P. Curran & P. M. Monti (Eds.), Social skills training: A practical handbook for assessment and treatment (pp. 348–373). New York: Guilford.
Donahoe, C. P., Carter, M. J., Bloem, W. D., Hirsch, G. L., Laasi, N., & Wallace, C. J. (1990). Assessment of interpersonal problem-solving skills. Psychiatry, 53, 329–339.
Eisler, R. M., Hersen, M., Miller, P. M., & Blanchard, E. B. (1975). Situational determinants of assertive behaviors. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 43, 330–340.
Frisch, M. B., & Higgins, R. L. (1986). Instructional demand effects and the correspondence among role-play, self report, and naturalistic measures of social skill. Behavioral Assessment, 8, 221–236.
Galassi, J. P., Hollandsworth, J. G., Radecki, C., Gay, M. L., Howe, M. R., & Evans, C. L. (1976). Behavioral performance in the validation of an assertiveness scale. Behavior Therapy, 7, 447–452.
Gorecki, P. R., Dickson, A. L., Anderson, H. N., & Jones, G. E. (1981). Relationship between contrived in vivo and role-play assertive behavior. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 37, 104–107.
Haynes, S. N., & O’Brien, W. O. (2000). Principles of behavioral assessment: A functional approach to psychological assessment. New York: Plenum/Klewer.
Hersen, M., Kazdin, A. E., Bellack, A. S., & Turner, S. M. (1979). Effects of live modeling, covert modeling and rehearsal on assertiveness in psychiatric patients. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 17, 369–377.
Higgins, R. L., Frisch, M. B., & Smith, D. (1983). A comparison of role-played and natural responses to identical circumstances. Behavior Therapy, 14, 158–169.
Hope, D. A., & Heimberg, R. G. (1993). Social phobia and social anxiety. In D. H. Barlow (Ed.), Clinical handbook of psychological disorders: A step-by-step treatment manual (2nd ed, pp. 96–136). New York: Guilford.
Hope, D. A., Heimberg, R. G., Juster, H., & Turk, C. L. (2000). Managing social anxiety and social phobia. Albany, NY: Graywind.
Kelly, J. A., St. Lawrence, J. S., & Brasfield, T. L. (1991). Predictors of vulnerability to AIDS risk behavior relapse. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 59, 163–166.
Kern, J. M. (1991). An evaluation of a novel role-play methodology: The standardized idiographic approach. Behavior Therapy, 22, 13–29.
Kirchner, E. P., Kennedy, R. E., & Draguns, J. G. (1979). Assertion and aggression in adult offenders. Behavior Therapy, 10, 452–471.
Levenson, R. W., & Gottman, J. M., (1978). Toward the assessment of social competence, Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 46, 453–462.
McCormick, I. A. (1984). A simple version of the Rathus Assertiveness Schedule. Behavioural Assessment, 7, 95–99.
Meier, V. J., & Hope, D. A. (1998). Assessment of social skills. In A. S. Bellack & M. Hersen (Eds.), Behavioral assessment: A practical handbook (4th ed., pp. 232–255). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
Merluzzi, T. V., & Biever, J. (1987). Role-playing procedures for the behavioral assessment of social skill: A validity study. Behavioral Assessment, 9, 361–377.
Monti, P. M., Corriveau, D. P., & Curran, J. P. (1982). Assessment of social skills in the day hospital: Does the clinician see something other than the researcher sees? International Journal of Partial Hospitalization, 1, 245–250.
Nelson, R. O. (1981). Realistic dependent measures for clinical use. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 49, 168–182.
Nelson, R. O., Hayes, S. C., Felton, J. L., & Jarrett, R. B. (1985). A comparison of data produced by different behavioral assessment techniques with implications for models of social skills inadequacy. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 23, 1–11.
Nietzel, M. T., & Bernstein, D. A. (1976). Effects of instructionally mediated demand on the behavioral assessment of assertiveness. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 44, 500.
Norton, P. J., & Hope, D. A. (2001a). Analogue observational methods in the assessment of social functioning in adults. Psychological Assessment, 13, 59–72.
Norton, P. J., & Hope, D. A. (2001b). Kernels of truth and distorted perceptions: Self and other ratings of social anxiety and performance. Behavior Therapy, 32, 765–786.
Paul, G. L. (1984). Assessment of client functioning in residential settings. In M. Mirabi (Ed.), The chronically mentally ill: Research and services (pp. 93–207). New York: Steptrum Publications.
Rathus, S. (1973). A 30-Item Schedule for Assessing Assertive Behavior, Behavior Therapy, 4, 398–406.
Romano, J. M., & Bellack, A. S. (1980). Social validation of a component model of assertive behavior. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 48, 478–490.
Segrin, C. (1998). The impact of assessment procedures on the relationship between paper and pencil and behavioral indicators of social skill. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 22, 229–251.
Segrin, C. (2000). Social skills deficits associated with depression. Clinical Psychology Review, 20, 379–403.
St. Lawrence, J. S., Kirksey, W. A., & Moore, T. (1983). External validity of role play assessment of assertive behavior. Journal of Behavioral Assessment, 5, 25–34.
Torgrud, L. J., & Holborn, S. W. (1992). Developing externally valid role-play for assessment of social skills: A behavior analytic perspective. Behavioral Assessment, 14, 245–277.
Trower, P. (1980). Situational analysis of the components and processes of behavior of socially skilled and unskilled patients. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 30, 526–537.
Wessberg, H. W., Marriotto, M. J., Conger, A. J., Farrell, A. D., & Conger, J. C. (1979). The ecological validity of role plays for assessing heterosocial anxiety and skill of male college students. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 47, 525–535.
Wolpe, J., & Lazarus, A. (1966) Behaviour therapy techniques. New York: Pergamon.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2010 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Norton, P.J., Grills-Taquechel, A.E., Raouf, M. (2010). Assessing Adults. In: Nangle, D., Hansen, D., Erdley, C., Norton, P. (eds) Practitioner's Guide to Empirically Based Measures of Social Skills. ABCT Clinical Assessment Series. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-0609-0_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-0609-0_6
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-0608-3
Online ISBN: 978-1-4419-0609-0
eBook Packages: Behavioral ScienceBehavioral Science and Psychology (R0)