Adult and Child Directed Social Behavior Training: Trained and Generalized Outcomes

Withdrawn TMR children were randomly assigned to three sessions of adult directed (N = 10) or peer directed (N = 10) social response training. Data regarding the subjects' social responding were collected in training settings and in the subjects' classrooms, before and after training, during free-play (generalization) sessions. No significant differences were apparent between the groups' social responding as a function of the type of training agent in either the training settings or in the generalization settings. Pretraining to posttraining comparisons of the subjects' classroom setting behavior indicated no significant generalization of the trained response (ball rolling) for either group. A significant pretraining to posttraining increase (p <.01) was found in the generalization settings, however, regarding the rates at which the subjects in both groups emitted peer interaction responses that were never directly trained. The results suggested that nonretarded agemates may be as effective as adults when teaching specific social skills to retarded children.