Ronald E. Riggio

Effects of Reciprocal Peer Tutoring on Academic Achievement and Psychological Adjustment: A Component Analysis.

A component analysis of the reciprocal peer tutoring (RPT) strategy was performed, which previous research had demonstrated to be effective in producing cognitive gains, lowering subjective distress, and enhancing course satisfaction. One hundred students were randomly assigned to one of four groups designed to systematically compare the RPT strategy with its hypothesized components: dyadic, mutual exchange, and structured-learning format

The emotional and social intelligences of effective leadership

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe a framework for conceptualizing the role of emotional and social skills in effective leadership and management and provides preliminary suggestions for research and for the development of leader emotional and social skills.Design/methodology/approach – The paper generalizes a dyadic communications framework in order to describe the process of emotional and social exchanges between leaders and their followers.Findings – The paper shows how emotional skills and complementary social skills are essential for effective leadership through a literature review and discussion of ongoing research and a research agenda.Practical implications – Suggestions for the measurement and development of emotional and social skills for leaders and managers are offered.Originality/value – The work provides a framework for emotional and social skills in order to illustrate their role in leadership and their relationship to emotional and social intelligences. It outlines a resear...

Social skills, social support, and psychosocial adjustment

Abstract This study examined the interrelations of a standardized, multidimensional measure of social skills and various self-report measures related to the psychosocial adjustment of college students. One hundred and thirty-six undergraduates were administered the Social Skills Inventory, the Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale, an adaptation of the Dimensions of Social Support Scale, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and self-report measures of participation in college activities, college satisfaction, and a general life satisfaction measure. Correlational analyses revealed that possession of social skills was positively correlated with perceived social support and with most of the measures of psychosocial adjustment. Regression analysis indicated that social skills combined with perceived social support predicted certain aspects of adjustment in college students, particularly satisfaction with college, satisfaction with life in general, and reduced perceptions of loneliness.

Nonverbal Skill, Personal Charisma, and Initial Attraction

The study of initial attraction has given insufficient attention to the influence of nonverbal expressiveness. This study examined the relative effects of expressive nonverbal skills and physical attractiveness on impressions made in initial encounters. Physical attractiveness is of known importance in the initial stages of a relationship; yet dynamic nonverbal cues of emotion may also have a significant impact. Fifty-four undergraduates were administered standard measures of nonverbal expressiveness, self-monitoring, and extroversion, and they were surreptitiously videotaped while entering a laboratory and meeting new people. Subjects were rated by separate groups of observers on scales of likability and physical attractiveness. The results indicated that emotionally expressive, extroverted, and physically attractive subjects were evaluated more favorably in these initial encounters than were subjects scoring low on these dimensions. The relationships between expressivity/extroversion and initial likability were independent of the effects of physical attractiveness. These results suggest that conceptions of overall attractiveness need to move beyond the physical qualities to include dynamic, emotional aspects.

Effect of individual differences in nonverbal expressiveness on transmission of emotion

This study tested the possibility that individual differences in nonverbal expressiveness may function as a mediating factor in the transmission of emotion through social comparison. In a quasi-experimental design, small groups consisting of one expressive person and two unexpressive people were created in which the participants sat facing each other without talking for two minutes. Self-report measures of mood indicated that the feelings of the unexpressive people were influenced by the expressive people but the expressive people were relatively unlikely to be influenced by the unexpressive people. The findings have implications for the role of nonverbal communication in the emotional side of group interaction.

A new frame for frame-of-reference training: enhancing the construct validity of assessment centers.

The authors undertook a comprehensive examination of the construct validity of an assessment center in this study by (a) gathering many different types of evidence to evaluate the strength of the inference between predictor measures and constructs (e.g., reliability, accuracy, convergent and discriminant relationships), (b) introducing a theoretically relevant intervention (frame-of-reference [FOR] training) aimed at improving construct validity, and (c) examining the effect of this intervention on criterion-related validity (something heretofore unexamined in the assessment center literature). Results from 58 assessees and 122 assessors suggested that FOR training was effective at improving the reliability, accuracy, convergent and discriminant validity, and criterion-related validity of assessment center ratings. Findings are discussed in terms of implications and future directions for both FOR training and assessment center practice.

SOCIAL SKILLS AND EMPATHY

Abstract One hundred and seventy-one subjects completed the Social Skills Inventory (SSI) and three standardized empathy scales: the Hogan Empathy Scale (Hogan, J. consult. clin. Psychol. 45, 1299–1312, 1969), the Questionnaire Measure of Emotional Empathy (Mehrabian and Epstein, J. Person. 40, 525–543, 1972), and the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (Davis, JSAS Cat. sel. doc. Psychol. 10, 85, 1980). Subgroups of these subjects also took part in empathy-related tasks. As predicted, there were positive correlations between the empathy measures and empathy indexes derived from the SSI scales. Scores on the various empathy measures also positively related to the empathy tasks. Examination of sex differences indicated that although females score higher on measures of emotional empathy, there were no significant sex differences on measures of cognitive, perspective-taking empathy. In sum, the results indicate that viewing empathy as a combination of basic social skills may be a productive alternative approach for future research on empathy.

SOCIAL SKILLS AND SELF-ESTEEM

Abstract This study examined the interrelations among a multidimensional self-report measure of social skills/competence, the Social Skills Inventory, and measures of self-esteem, social anxiety, locus of control, loneliness, and well-being. One hundred and twenty-one undergraduate volunteers completed a battery of self-report measures of these constructs. As expected, correlational analyses revealed that social skills was positively correlated with self-esteem, and negatively correlated with social anxiety and loneliness. Contrary to prediction, total score on the Social Skills Inventory was not significantly correlated with either the locus of control or general well-being measure. However, all of the various measures, with the exception of locus of control, appeared to share a common dimension—one that might be labeled a sense of ‘social self-efficacy’.

The interrelationships of self-monitoring factors, personality traits, and nonverbal social skills

Following recent developments concerning individual differences in nonverbal social skills, the present study examined the inter-relationships of several standardized measures of nonverbal skills and personality. Particular attention was given to the concept of self-monitoring, thought to be a skill central to social interaction. Based on previous research which suggested that self-monitoring, as measured by the Self-Monitoring Scale (SMS), is a multidimensional construct, it was hypothesized that self-monitoring may actually be comprised of a number of more basic social skills. Correlations between standardized measures of basic social skills and three factors obtained from factor analysis of the SMS (Briggs, Cheek, & Buss, 1980) supported this conception. The elements of self-monitoring appear to be “charisma,” “performance,” and “social sensitivity.”

Social Skills and Deception Ability

The role of social or communication skills in the ability to deceive was investigated. Thirty-eight student volunteers were administereda number of standardized social skill instruments. Subjects were then videotaped while giving short, persuasive messages. Messages were of three types: attitude-consistent (truthful), counterattitudinal (deceptive), and neutral. The videotaped messages were viewed by groups of judges who made ratings of the subjects believability for each message. Expressive and socially tactful subjects were more successful deceivers, whereas socially anxious subjects were less successful at the deception task. These results were attributed to an honest demeanor bias in the socially skilled subjects and a deceptive demeanor bias in the socially anxious subjects. Implications for future research on individual differences in deception skill were discussed.