Assessment of Basic Social Skills

Abstract

Following recent developments in the measurement of individual differences in nonverbal social skills, we proposed a conceptual framework for defining and assessing basic social skills. Preliminary testing resulted in the development of a 105-item, pencil-and-paper measure of seven basic dimensions of social skills, called the Social Skills Inventory (SSI). In a series of validation studies using undergraduate students, the SSI demonstrated convergent and discriminant validity in relation to other measures of nonverbal social skill and traditional personality scales. Scores on the SSI also predicted some social group memberships, typical social behaviors, and the depth of social networks. This evidence suggests that the SSI could prove to be a valuable tool for research in personality and social psychology and for work in applied settings. © 1986 American Psychological Association.