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Assessment of children's social problem-solving skills in hypothetical and actual conflict situations

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Abstract

This study compared the social problem-solving skills of 57 maladjusted and 57 well adjusted first and second graders in a series of hypothetical and actual provocations. All children were asked how they would react to four videotaped provocations involving same-age peers. They were also exposed to three provocations simulated by a peer-confederate; their verbal and nonverbal behaviors were videotaped. Multivariate analyses of variance indicated that, overall, maladjusted subjects displayed less assertiveness and more verbal and nonverbal aggressive responses to the actual provocations. Conversely, hypothetical situations yielded few between-group differences with respect to verbal strategies. The validity of hypothetical situations is questioned; the importance of actual situations for assessment and intervention purposes is stressed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Uniton Children's Psycho-Social Maladjustment, University of Montréal, 750 Gouin E., H2C 1A6, Montréal, Québec, Canada

    Frank Vitaro

  2. University of Québec at Hull, J8X 3X7, Hull, Québec, Canada

    Daniel Pelletier

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  1. Frank Vitaro
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  2. Daniel Pelletier
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Additional information

This research was funded by the Conseil Québécois de Recherche Sociale. We thank the authorities and directors of the Outaouais-Hull and Aylmer School Boards as well as the first- and second-grade teachers and children for their collaboration. Josée Bouchard, Doreen McCaughry, Michel Diotte, Elizabeth Ruel, David Cuthill, and Alain Gendron also deserve our thanks for their participation in the collection or analysis of the data.

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Vitaro, F., Pelletier, D. Assessment of children's social problem-solving skills in hypothetical and actual conflict situations. J Abnorm Child Psychol 19, 505–518 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00925817

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