Social problem solving and social competence in preadolescents: Is inconsistency the hobgoblin of little minds?

Abstract

Numerous intervention programs have been based on the assumption that social problem solving and social competence are related. The present study tested this vital assumption under relatively stringent conditions. It included a homogeneous group of preadolescents (N =60) whose social competence was assessed by teachers and peers in terms of positive and negative behaviors. Key social problem-solving skills were measured. Correlational analyses revealed that teachers and peers viewed children who produced solutions of relatively inconsistent quality as less socially competent than their more consistent peers. Additional analyses indicated that a limit-testing procedure was more closely related to social competence than a “spontaneous” assessment of social problem solving and that effects were unconfounded by IQ and SES. Discussion focuses on the importance of consistency in social problem solving and the conceptual and developmental implications of these findings about the nature of effective social problem solving.