VARIATIONS OF VERBAL-BEHAVIOR AND THE ASSESSMENT OF SOCIAL COMPETENCE IN DYADIC INTERACTIONS

Approaches to social skills assessment and training have generally failed to view behaviour in context or consider the contingencies of particular acts. The Verbal Interaction Analysis System (VIAS) is a new method of assessing social competence which is responsive to this criticism. Preliminary validation data are followed by data from a further two studies of dyadic interaction. In Experiment 1, 13 subjects participated in a sequence of 3 initial interactions with 3 different confederates. Interactions varied in their prearranged demand characteristics to which the VIAS proved sensitive. In Experiment 2, 19 subjects participated in initial interactions with a confederate. Confederates were covertly instructed either to talk predominantly about themselves, or to ask questions about the subjects. The resulting interactions produced significantly different outcomes for the two conditions when measured with the VIAS. Findings are interpreted to give support to the hypothesis that competence in interpersonal interactions is determined by the effects that one participant's verbal utterances have on those of the other participant and vice versa. Discussion is mainly concerned with the likely goals inherent in different interactions and the need to adapt assessment measures to take account of such goals. 1990 Australian Psychological Society