|
Effectiveness of social skills training based on the cognitive model of social information processing in reducing behavioral problems among students with intellectual disabilities
|
Fatemeh Hosseini1    , Majid Sadoughi *2 |
1- Faculty of Humanities, University of Kashan, Iran
2- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, University of Kashan, Iran |
|
|
Abstract: (657 Views) |
Background and Purpose: Students with intellectual disabilities (ID) often face not only academic and learning challenges but also behavioral problems rooted in deficits in social-cognitive processing. The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of the Social Information Processing (SIP) cognitive model in reducing behavioral problems in students with ID.
Method: This quasi-experimental study employed a pretest-posttest-follow-up design with one experimental and one control group. The statistical population consisted of all female students aged 9 to 13 years with ID in Arak during the 2024–2025 academic year. A total of 36 students with an IQ range of 55–70 was selected through convenience sampling from an exceptional school and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups (n = 18 student in each group). At the pre-test, post-test, and follow-up phases, the most recently validated version of the Rutter Teacher’s Behaviour Questionnaire (RTBQ) in Iran was administered. The experimental group received a 15-session, 60-minute per session social skills training program based on the Crick and Dodge social-cognitive model, while the control group remained on a waitlist.
Results: Repeated measures ANOVA showed a significant reduction in behavioral problems in the experimental group compared to the control group (F (2, 68) = 50.57, p <.001, η² =.598), indicating the effectiveness of the intervention.
Conclusion: Social skills training based on the cognitive model of social information processing was found to reduce behavioral problems among female students with ID by improving key stages of cognitive processing, including more accurate interpretation of social cues, selection of more adaptive responses, and enhancement of social problem-solving skills. Therefore, it is recommended that this model be implemented in schools as an effective approach to decreasing behavioral difficulties and promoting social adjustment in children with ID.Background and Purpose: Students with intellectual disabilities (ID) often face not only academic and learning challenges but also behavioral problems rooted in deficits in social-cognitive processing. The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of the Social Information Processing (SIP) cognitive model in reducing behavioral problems in students with ID.
Method: This quasi-experimental study employed a pretest-posttest-follow-up design with one experimental and one control group. The statistical population consisted of all female students aged 9 to 13 years with ID in Arak during the 2024–2025 academic year. A total of 36 students with an IQ range of 55–70 was selected through convenience sampling from an exceptional school and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups (n = 18 student in each group). At the pre-test, post-test, and follow-up phases, the most recently validated version of the Rutter Teacher’s Behaviour Questionnaire (RTBQ) in Iran was administered. The experimental group received a 15-session, 60-minute per session social skills training program based on the Crick and Dodge social-cognitive model, while the control group remained on a waitlist.
Results: Repeated measures ANOVA showed a significant reduction in behavioral problems in the experimental group compared to the control group (F (2, 68) = 50.57, p <.001, η² =.598), indicating the effectiveness of the intervention.
Conclusion: Social skills training based on the cognitive model of social information processing was found to reduce behavioral problems among female students with ID by improving key stages of cognitive processing, including more accurate interpretation of social cues, selection of more adaptive responses, and enhancement of social problem-solving skills. Therefore, it is recommended that this model be implemented in schools as an effective approach to decreasing behavioral difficulties and promoting social adjustment in children with ID. |
Article number: 4 |
| Keywords: Social information processing model, behavioral problems, intellectual disability, social skills training |
|
|
Full-Text [PDF 1536 kb]
(116 Downloads)
|
Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Special
Received: 2025/05/29 | Accepted: 2025/10/14 | Published: 2025/10/18
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Send email to the article author |
|
|
|
| Add your comments about this article |
|
|
|
