1. Social Psychology (Spring 2003)
Jane Clarbour
Room PS/B007
psych.york.ac.uk

2. Tutorial 5 (optional): Revision (Wk 9)
Course overview
Block 1 – Social Interaction (wks 2 – 4)
Practical 1: Interpersonal perception task
Practical 2: Quantitative analysis of equivocation
Tutorial 1: Social skills and interventions
Tutorial 2: Communication
Block 2 – Attitudes (wks 5 – 6)
Practical 3: Ratings of attraction
Practical 4: Repertory grids and factor analysis
Tutorial 3: Attitudes
Block 3 – Groups (wks 7 – 8)
Tutorial 4: Groups
Tutorial 5 (optional): Revision (Wk 9)

3. Lectures Block 1: Social Interaction
Models of social interaction & social skills training* (L2)
Accuracy in person perception* (L4)
Prosocial behaviour & aggression
Social psychology of language* (L6)
Facial expressions of emotion
Self-esteem and social identity (L1)

4. Lectures Block 2: Attitudes
Attitude similarity & interpersonal attraction
Theory of attitudes & behaviour
Attitude change: advertising & fear appeals
Cognitive dissonance

5. Lectures Block 3: Groups
Group performance
Intergroup relations
Group conformity & majority influence
Obedience & social learning

6. Tutorial 1 Social Interaction: Jo Clarke/Mike Rennie
Social skills and interventions
Transferable skills:
Cognitive skills
Social skills

7. Tutorial 2 Communication: Chris von Wagner
Discourse Analysis and Equivocation
Transferable skills:
Critical Analysis

8. Tutorial 3 Attitudes: Pam Wells Transferable skills:
Group planning/preparation
Presentation skills

9. Tutorial 4 Groups: Mike Rennie Transferable skills: Ingroup discussion
Interactive white-board

10. Jane Clarbour (Spring 2003)
Lecture 1
Models of social interaction and their application to social skills training
Jane Clarbour (Spring 2003)

11. Objectives Demonstrate an understanding of the concept of social skill
Identify differences between social behaviour and motor skills
Give an account of the revision to the social skills model
Describe the application of the social skills model in relation to social skills training and social deficits
Specify the basic principles of social skills training
Specify the principles of assertiveness training

12. Social skills model Argyle & Kendon, 1967
Social interaction as a skill –
like driving a car or a game of tennis
Much is known about motor skills processes
this knowledge is transferable to social interaction

13. Applications of the social skills model
A person’s behaviour affects other people’s
Physical proximity
Posture
Language & speech
Patterns of looking at other people
Bodily movements
Facial expression

14. Skills in social interaction
Knowledge that actions are related to consequences
Watch for signs of emotional disturbance
Watch for signs of appropriate action
Apply appropriate tone of voice/choice of words
Make appropriate gestures

15. Distinctive goals Driving: Main goal Sub-goal Interviewing: Main goal
getting somewhere
Sub-goal
Steering
Changing gear etc…
Interviewing:
Main goal
Gathering information
Sub-goal
Establishing rapport in order to obtain that goal

16. Identification of relevant cues
Motorists:
concentration on movement of traffic & edge of road
Making friends:
selective attention of cues relevant to intended goal
Psychiatric disorders:
Some people particularly bad at selecting social information.

17. Central translation processes (‘planning’)
Translation of Perceptual Processes
Motor skill:
Translation of information relating to car and the kerb into appropriate steering response.
Social skill:
People learn certain behavioural strategies in response to social situations.

18. Motor responses This refers to the actual behaviour. Motor skill:
Initially very awkward (like driving a car – each action requires much practice, but then becomes automated)
Social skill:
Initially difficult or awkward – but like driving, with practice becomes more automated.
Artificial behaviour
natural behaviour

19. Feedback & corrective action
Motor skill:
Skilled performer uses perceptual cues to take corrective action (e.g. steering a car.
Social Skill:
Skilled performer corrects performance in relation to social feedback from others.
(Note importance of non-verbal feedback).

20. Argyle’s social skills model (Argyle & Kendon, 1967)
Feedback loop
Perception
Changes in
outside
world
Motivation,
goal
Translation
Motor responses

21. Application of motor performance to social skills model (cited in Hargie, 1997)
Motivation
Sitting in a rather warm room
Goal
Desire to cool down
Translation
Devise plans of action
Response
Carry out chosen plan
Perception
Monitor change

22. Perceptual processes Perceptual processes are selective.
Perceptual cues vary according to each situation
Skilled performance is related to:
accurate perception of relevant features of specific situation

23. Translation processes
Skilled translation
entails adequate interpretation of perceived cues as requiring specific action
May become automated as relevant social ‘schemata’, or translations.
Skilled performers require vast repertoire of translations

24. Actions/motor responses
Hierarchical basis of behaviour
General level (plan)
Contains many sub-plans of behavioural
Sub-plans (activities)
Different ways might obtain same outcome
Fine details
Body posture, proximity, utterances,

25. Application of SSM to social context
Person A meets person B
A is attracted to B (motivation)
A wants to know B’s name (immediate goal)
Person A translates social context
A devises plans of action & considers consequences of various alternative plans
A carries out plan
A gets response from B
Person A perceives B’s response
Person A translates social context….etc.

26. Weakness of the SSM Emphasis on the individual within the interaction
Ignores feedback from external sources
Cognitive bias
ignores role of emotion

27. Revisions to social skills model (Hargie & Marshall, 1986)
New model accounts for goals of both interactors
Feedback from self & other
Replace ‘central translation processes’
with
Inclusion of emotion and retrospective cognition relating to action
PUT UP OHP ON REVISED SOCIAL SKILLS MODEL – AND GIVE OUT HANDOUT

28. Summary of social skills model
Social interaction likened to motor skill
SSM sees interaction as
skilled performance
A matching process

29. Behaviour is directed and adaptive Social inputs are translated
(non-verbal behaviour, proximity, language etc) and matched with actions related to consequences
Revised SSM includes emotion and cognition
instead of central translation processes
interpreting the model within the person-situation context.

30. Social Skills Training
Research into the SSM has highlighted fine details of social interaction
making it easier for people to learn to change their own behaviour
But Social Skills Training and Assertiveness Training are designed to change how people communicate

31. Social competence Establishing and maintaining friendly relationships
Being cooperative and helpful
Clear communication
Persuasive
Perceptual sensitivity
Warmth
Flexibility

32. Social Skills Training
Social skills training is based on the assumption that communication is a form of skill that can be learned and improved like any other
Based on principles of:
Demonstration
Practice
Feedback

33. Explicit vs. Implicit feedback
(‘I think you could do a little better’)
Ineffective because unclear to which behaviour referring.
Explicit feedback
(‘you need to maintain more eye contact’)
Effective as the client is explicitly told of good or bad performance, and why the performance has improved

34. Effective feedback Effective feedback may be
Verbal
A tape recoding
A videotape recording
Most effective feedback is
Immediate
Not enjoyed!
Acceptable
Essential for learning

35. Assertiveness Training
Aims to:
Effectively communicate own position
provide feedback to other person about how they should behave in future
Be firm, clear, and convincing
Assertiveness is not aggression!
Aggression involves and may invoke hostility (not the purpose of assertiveness

36. Assertiveness Training is…
Direct – stating explicitly what the problem is.
Specific – an assertion should be clear & focused (avoid generalisation).
Respectful – avoid blame, attack and not demeaning.
(RAKOS, 1990)
Focussed on the specific behaviour in a respectful way
(RAKOS, 1990)
When should it be used?
Refusal of an unwelcome request.
Trying to persuade someone to change their behaviour.
When expressing an unpopular opinion

37. Refusal Assertion (Kelly, 1982)
Poor refusal assertion may lead to:
feelings of helplessness
loss of control
low self-esteem
Depression
Skilled refusal assertion may lead to:
Changes in the behaviour of others
Increased perception of self-efficacy
Higher self-esteem
One of the most important skills taught in assertiveness training is what is called refusal assertion.
Its purpose is to deal with situations in which someone else attempts to impose demands, take advantage or otherwise unreasonably attempt to control them

38. Application of Refusal Assertion
Socially passive/unassertive individuals
Highly aggressive/violent individuals (lack of skills necessary for anger and aggression control)

39. Minimal Effect Response (Rimm & Masters, 1987)
Use least amount of effort to obtain objective
e.g. apologise (as violation of an individual’s rights may be unintended/accidental
Excessive assertion may be counter-productive (producing hostility rather than compliance)
Be persistent
Sometimes the minimal response may be insufficient.
Incremental increase in degree of assertion.

40. Poor social skills and social anxiety
An emotion experienced due to concern with interpersonal evaluation (Leary & Kowalski, 1995)
Self-oriented concern
Fear of negative reaction from others invokes self-fulfilling prophecy (Pozo et al, 1991)
Avoidance of eye contact
Appearing nervous or jittery

41. Poor social skills and loneliness (Franzoi, 2000)
Loneliness (Jones et al, 1982)
Lonely people spend more time talking about themselves
Show less interest in others
Expectation of failure in social interaction

42. Poor social skills and mental disorder (Argyle & Kendon, 1967)
Poor social skills may lead to mental disorder
Social failure may lead to social rejection and failure to cope
Poor coping skills and rejection may lead to anxiety disorders

43. Conclusions Emphasis on learned behaviour
Links between social skills training and the social skills model
Considered social skills training for:
Interview techniques
Assertiveness training
Refusal assertion
Shown to be effective and long lasting
May be beneficial in raising self-esteem