| Summary: | According to the current literature, dysfunctional social behavior in children is purported to be strongly related to adult behavior problems. Hersen and Bellack (1977) reported that deficits in children's social skills are generally the result of "a deficient learning history, wherein the necessary responses never became a viable part of an individual's repertoire, or the result of the disruptive effects of anxiety that inhibit behavior" (p. 510). Thus, social skills training usually consists of a behavioral-acquisition procedure designed to provide the necessary skills repertoire, promote more skillful response alternatives, and reduce social anxiety.
Based on social learning theory (Rotter, 1972) and Bandura's (1977) theory of self-efficacy, individuals who display dysfunctional social behavior in a given situation may be handicapped by perceived inefficacy, rather than, or in addition to, a lack of appropriate social knowledge of social skill. To date, no research has examined the relative roles of self-efficacy and children's self-efficacy appraisal in producing social skill deficits in either aggressive or withdrawn children.
The purpose of the present research was two-fold: (l) to assess and investigate the relationship between self-efficacy, self-efficacy appraisal skills, and social behavior, and (2) to examine the relative effectiveness of a social skills training group, a social skills plus efficacy appraisal group, and a discussion group in remediating social skill deficits in children judged to exhibit aggressive and withdrawn behaviors in the classroom and on the playground.
In general, the results of the current research failed to support the experimental hypotheses. Nevertheless, posttreatment changes in efficacy appraisal and self-efficacy were obtained, and some differential effects of treatment attributable to status of subject were reported. Unfortunately, however, post-treatment changes on measures of efficacy appraisal and self-efficacy did not generalize to produce subsequent changes in social behavior. Several alternative explanations for these results are discussed. === Ph. D.
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