Augmented reality-enhanced drama: fostering social information processing in early childhood*

This study aims to investigate the predictive effect of children's attention and emotion regulation skills, along with the examined demographic variables, on their social information processing abilities. Furthermore, it seeks to explore social information processing, emotion regulation, and attention skills in relation to children's age, gender, and duration of preschool education. The study group comprised 201 children aged between 60 and 72 months enrolled in preschools located in the city centre of Karaman, Türkiye. The study was designed using the relational survey model. Data collection instruments included the Personal Information Form, the Social Information Processing Process Test for Preschool Children, the Emotion Regulation Scale, and the FTF-K Attention Collection Test. Findings indicated that attention skills emerged as a significant predictor of social information processing skills, followed by the child's age range and emotion regulation skills. Additionally, while no substantial gender differences were observed in terms of social information processing and attention skills, a notable distinction was identified in favour of girls in emotion regulation skills. Furthermore, a significant disparity was identified in the social information processing and attention skills of children between the ages of 66 and 72 months, with a tendency towards higher performance in girls. The study concluded that social information processing, emotion and attention skills varied significantly based on the duration of preschool education, with children who attended preschool for a year or more demonstrating higher mean scores.

To examine social information processing (SIP) skills, behavior problems, and social competence following adolescent TBI and to determine whether SIP skills were predictive of behavior problems and social competence. Cross-sectional analyses of adolescents with TBI recruited and enrolled in a behavioral treatment study currently in progress. Two tertiary care children's hospitals with Level 1 trauma centers. Adolescents aged 11 to 18 years with severe TBI (n=19) and moderate TBI (n=24) who were injured up to 24 months prior to recruitment. TBI severity, race, maternal education, and age at testing. a measure of SIP skills, Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), Youth Self Report (YSR), and Home and Community Social Behavior Scale (HCSBS). The severe TBI group did not obtain significantly lower scores on the SIP measures than the moderate TBI group. In comparison to adolescents with moderate TBI, those with severe TBI had significantly more parent-reported externalizing behaviors and self-reported weaknesses in social competence. SIP skills were strong predictors of problems and social competence in adolescents with TBI. More specifically, an aggressive SIP style predicted externalizing problems and a passive SIP style predicted internalizing problems. Both passive and aggressive SIP skills were related to social competence and social problems. Adolescents with TBI are at risk for deficits in social and behavioral outcomes. SIP skills are strongly related to behavior problems and social competence in adolescents with TBI. SIP skills, social competence, and behavior problems are important targets for intervention that may be amenable to change and lead to improved functional outcomes following TBI.

PROTOCOL: The Effects of School‐based Social Information Processing Interventions on Aggressive Behavior

ABSTRACTChildren's social information processing (SIP) skills notably affect their aggressive behaviour. Previous randomized trials have demonstrated the positive effects of the ‘Let's Be Friends’ (LBF) intervention in enhancing children's SIP skills and promoting prosocial behaviours. However, little attention has been paid to peer influence in the Chinese administrative class system. Taking LBF (Shaanxi) Trial 2 (LBF2) as an example, this study used a hierarchical linear model to examine the spillover effect and heterogeneous influences of the programme on children's SIP skills across classes with varying average SIP levels at baseline in rural China. The final analysis included 712 children, with 343 (48%) in the LBF2 group and 369 (52%) in the control group. Of the total, 359 (50.4%) were boys and 353 (49.6%) were girls, with an average age of 8.68 years. The findings revealed that peer interventions through LBF2 in classes could generate more spillover effects than individual interventions for children. The LBF2 intervention exhibited discernible compensatory effects in classes with lower average levels of SIP skills and demonstrated its potential to promote the balanced development of all children's SIP skills in various class settings. It highlights the importance of considering class‐level SIP averages when designing targeted interventions.

Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is a well-described inherited cause of intellectual disability and the most common known genetic cause of autism. Social deficits in girls with FXS are not well understood. To better understand barriers to social functioning that may contribute to mental health outcomes, we administered a theoretically based social information processing (SIP) interview about challenging social situations to 11 verbal mental age-matched girls with and without FXS. We hypothesized that (a) girls with FXS have global SIP impairments and (b) less autism symptomatology is related to better SIP skills in girls with FXS. Compared to controls, girls with FXS performed significantly worse on an early SIP skill (problem identification). Scores on later SIP skills tended to be lower and exhibited moderate to strong effect sizes. Competency in goal generation was correlated with autistic-like communication skills. Systematic studies of SIP skills in larger cohorts of girls with FXS are warranted.

This study presents the findings of Let's Be Friends (Shaanxi), Trial 2 (LBF2), which is a second test of the school‐based intervention. Let's Be Friends (LBF) is designed to promote social competence and prevent maladaptive behaviour by strengthening the social information processing (SIP) skills of third‐grade children in rural China. A cluster‐matched design with random sampling was used in LBF2. Two rural counties in China were selected by purposive sampling (one is the treatment site, and another is the control site). Nine treatment schools (n = 343) were selected by random sampling. Fifteen control schools (n = 369) were selected by using vector‐norm matching. All children of the third grade, ages 8–10, in the treatment schools received 12 sessions of LBF2 intervention. Skill‐level Activity Scale and the Carolina Child Checklist–Teacher Form were employed to measure children's SIP skills and aggressive behaviour. LBF2 promoted the improvement of study children's SIP skills and effectively improved children's authority acceptance. LBF has the potential to be applied in China.

Introduction: Examining the performance of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in each step of the social information processing and their executive functioning behaviors while comparing them to typically developing (TD) children and determining their limitations in these processes is important for reducing the future risks that children with ADHD may face in academic and social life. In this context, the aim of the study is to comparatively examine the social information processing and executive functioning behaviors of children with ADHD and TD children. Method: The study was conducted using a general survey model, which is one of the quantitative research designs. The participants of the study included 25 children diagnosed with ADHD, aged between 8 and 10, and 25 TD children of the same gender and age range. Additionally, 25 teachers and 50 parents participated in the study. The data collection tools used in the study were the Social Information Processing Assessment Form and the Parent and Teacher Form of the Behavioral Rating Inventory of Executive Functions (BRIEF). Findings: The study findings showed significant differences between children with ADHD and TD children in all stages of the Social Information Processing Assessment Form. Similar significant differences were also found in all the sub-scales and sub-dimensions of the Parent and Teacher Form of the Behavioral Rating Inventory of Executive Functions. The relationships between social information processing skills and executive functioning skills also revealed significant associations between some sub-stages of the Social Information Processing Skills Assessment Form and some sub-dimensions of the Parent and Teacher Form of the Behavioral Rating Inventory of Executive Functions. Discussion: The findings indicate that children with ADHD experience limitations in each of the six steps of the Social Information Processing Model and in some sub-dimensions of executive functions when compared to their TD peers. The findings emphasize the significance of the relationships between social information processing and executive functioning in the development of social and academic skills in children with ADHD.

Social skills training (SST) effects on social information processing skills in justice-involved adolescents: Affective empathy as predictor or moderator

The transition from preschool to early school years is critical for the growth of social skills. Using data from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (for this study N = 942), the purpose of this study was to evaluate the longitudinal influence of attachment security and social information processing skills (social problem-solving and hostile attribution biases) on normative changes in peer conflict over the transition from preschool to first grade. Using latent growth curve modeling (LGM), this study found that children exhibited progressive declines in peer conflict over this period. Security of attachment (assessed via the Attachment Q-Set at 24 months) was related to lower rates of peer conflict in first grade, and steeper declines in peer conflict from 54 to 84 months. Differences in children's social information processing (assessed at 54 months) were marginally related to steeper declines in peer conflict. These findings suggest that the social skills and social expectations associated with early attachment security, together with subsequent advances in social information processing, are related to changes in peer conflict during the transition to school.

Survivors of pediatric brain tumors are at increased risk for difficulties with social competence, including poor social information processing (SIP) and peer relationships. Improved survival rates heighten the need to better understand these challenges and if they are specific to survivors of pediatric brain tumors versus survivors of other childhood cancers. Fifty-one survivors of pediatric brain tumors and 34 survivors of pediatric solid tumors completed evaluations of SIP and peer relationship quality within six months of completing treatment and one year later. Caregivers completed a measure of social skills. Linear mixed models evaluated differences between survivors of pediatric brain and solid tumors on SIP and social skills and how indices of SIP were associated with peer relationships over time. The two groups did not differ on indices of SIP or social skills over time. A three-way interaction between measures of SIP, group, and time predicted peer relationships. Survivors of pediatric solid tumors showed a positive association between baseline social skills and theory of mind and peer relationships over time, whereas survivors of pediatric brain tumors showed an inverse association between baseline social skills and theory of mind and peer relationships over time. Findings revealed unanticipated associations between baseline SIP and social skills and peer relationships over time among survivors of pediatric brain tumors. Additional research is needed to elucidate the factors most influential on peer relationships in this group to inform interventions.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of an audio computer-assisted self-interviewing Web-based software application called the Social Information Processing Application (SIP-AP) that was designed to assess social information processing skills in boys in 3rd through 5th grades. This study included a racially and ethnically diverse sample of 244 boys ages 8 through 12 (M = 9.4) from public elementary schools in 3 states. The SIP-AP includes 8 videotaped vignettes, filmed from the first-person perspective, that depict common misunderstandings among boys. Each vignette shows a negative outcome for the victim and ambiguous intent on the part of the perpetrator. Boys responded to 16 Web-based questions representing the 5 social information processing mechanisms, after viewing each vignette. Parents and teachers completed measures assessing boys' antisocial behavior. Confirmatory factor analyses revealed that a model positing the original 5 cognitive mechanisms fit the data well when the items representing prosocial cognitions were included on their own factor, creating a 6th factor. The internal consistencies for each of the 16 individual cognitions as well as for the 6 cognitive mechanism scales were excellent. Boys with elevated scores on 5 of the 6 cognitive mechanisms exhibited more antisocial behavior than boys whose scores were not elevated. These findings highlight the need for further research on the measurement of prosocial cognitions or cognitive strengths in boys in addition to assessing cognitive deficits. Findings suggest that the SIP-AP is a reliable and valid tool for use in future research of social information processing skills in boys.

Objective: The study aimed to describe findings from a matched clusters trial of a school-based intervention Let’s Be Friends designed to promote social competence and prevent maladaptive behavior by strengthening the social information processing (SIP) skills of third-grade children in rural China. Method: Using a blocked cluster design with random sampling, 13 treatment schools ( n = 355) of a total of 67 schools in the study site were randomly selected, and 14 schools ( n = 341) formed the control condition. All third graders from the treatment schools received 14 sessions of intervention. Results: The adapted program appears to have strengthened children’s SIP skills, reduced aggressive behavior, and promoted cognitive concentration. The study does not confirm that children growing up in single-child families fare worse than children living with siblings. Conclusion: The program has the potential to strengthen the SIP skills of children in rural China.

The goal of this study was to compare the processing of social information in deaf and hearing adolescents. A task was developed to assess social information processing (SIP) skills of deaf adolescents based on Crick and Dodge's (1994; A review and reformulation of social information-processing mechanisms in children's social adjustment. Psychological Bulletin, 115, 74-101) reformulated six-stage model. It consisted of a structured interview after watching 18 scenes of situations depicting participation in a peer group or provocations by peers. Participants included 32 deaf and 20 hearing adolescents and young adults aged between 13 and 21 years. Deaf adolescents and adults had lower scores than hearing participants in all the steps of the SIP model (coding, interpretation, goal formulation, response generation, response decision, and representation). However, deaf girls and women had better scores on social adjustment and on some SIP skills than deaf male participants.

The Social Information Processing Process Model consists of organizing the social adaptation and behavior of children in line with their responses to the social situations they encounter with their peers in their daily lives. The Social Information Processing Model affects children's ability to interact with their peers, their level of interaction, and provides information about the structure of interaction. In this direction, it was aimed to examine the relationship between social information processing and social interaction skills of 60-72 month-old children. The study was designed in relational screening model. The study group of the research consisted of 250 children, between 60 - 72 months, with normal development in the fall semester of the 2020-2021 academic year. The Social Information Processing Interview–Preschool Version and Children's Interaction Rating Scale were used as data collection tools in the study. The data were collected by reading stories with children, asking questions about the story and observation. Since no normal distribution was observed in the analysis of the data, Spearman's Rank-Order Correlation Test was used. As a result of the study, there was a statistically significant and positive relationship between "interpretation, response diversification, response decision", which were sub-dimensions of Social Information Processing Interview and "cooperation, self-control, assertiveness”, sub-dimensions of the Interaction Rating Scale for Children. This situation can be evaluated as children who make positive comments in social situations they encounter, who create positive reactions and react positively, are more cooperative in the context of social interaction, have a strong sense of self-control, and their assertiveness skills are high.

The cognitive concentration refers to the learning orientation of children, encompassing the skills, attitudes, and behaviors exhibited by children in their pursuit of knowledge. Enhancing children's cognitive concentration through targeted social skills training holds notable importance for improving their classroom performance and academic achievement. Drawing upon the social information processing (SIP) theory and the large-scale trial "Let's Be Friends (Shaanxi)" program with a randomized controlled experimental design, we employed structural equation modeling (SEM) to analyze the impact mechanism through which social skills training influences children's cognitive concentration and examine the mediating effect by SIP skills. The findings revealed that social skills training significantly enhances both children's SIP skills and cognitive concentration. SIP skills fully mediate the relationship between social skills training and children's cognitive concentration. Furthermore, this mediating effect is more pronounced in enhancing boys' cognitive concentration compared to girls. Social skills training programs focused on enhancing children's SIP skills represents an effective strategy for augmenting their cognitive concentration.