Face-to-Face of Interface?: Een gerandomiseerde gecontroleerde studie naar het effect van sociale cognitietraining op externaliserend probleemgedrag bij kinderen van acht tot en met twaalf jaar.

Externalizing behavior in children such as aggression and rule-breaking are associated with peer rejection, school difficulties and increased risk of later antisocial behavior. Research suggests social information processing deficits play an important role in the development of such behavior. Interventions that enhance social cognition may therefore help reduce externalizing behavior in childhood. This study examined the effectiveness of social cognition training among children aged eight up to and including twelve. It was expected that social cognition training would lead to greater reduction in externalizing behavior compared to no training, that digital training would be more effective than a verbal version and that the relationship between gender and externalizing behavior would be mediated by social information processing. A randomized controlled trial involved thirty children in three conditions: a digital training group, a verbal training group and a waitlist control group....Show moreExternalizing behavior in children such as aggression and rule-breaking are associated with peer rejection, school difficulties and increased risk of later antisocial behavior. Research suggests social information processing deficits play an important role in the development of such behavior. Interventions that enhance social cognition may therefore help reduce externalizing behavior in childhood. This study examined the effectiveness of social cognition training among children aged eight up to and including twelve. It was expected that social cognition training would lead to greater reduction in externalizing behavior compared to no training, that digital training would be more effective than a verbal version and that the relationship between gender and externalizing behavior would be mediated by social information processing. A randomized controlled trial involved thirty children in three conditions: a digital training group, a verbal training group and a waitlist control group. The intervention, Social Cognition Training Tool for Youth (SCOTTY), aimed to improve social information processing to reduce externalizing behavior. It consisted of five individual sessions, ten minutes each, delivered at school by student researchers. Pre- and post-tests included teacher-reported behavior (Teacher Report Form) and a task measuring the children’s social information processing (Social Information Processing Test). The results showed no significant differences in externalizing behavior change between the training groups and the control group, nor between the digital and verbal versions. No evidence was found for a mediating role of social information processing in the relationship between gender and behavioral change. Explanations for the lack of significant findings include the small sample size, short intervention, and low baseline levels of externalizing behavior. These factors may have limited statistical power to detect subtle effects. Despite non-significant results, this study contributes the discussion on the role of social cognition in behavior change and the potential of digital interventions. Further research is needed to clarify how social cognitive mechanisms relate to behavioral change over time.Show less

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Face-to-Face of Interface? Een gerandomiseerde gecontroleerde studie naar het effect van sociale cognitietraining op externaliserend probleemgedrag bij kinderen van acht tot en met twaalf jaar.