Social Cognition

1. Social Cognition Looking at skills, signs of difficulty and interventions Based on work of Melvin Levine

2. Verbal Pragmatics • Understands and uses language in social contexts • Interprets a speaker’s feeling correctly and responds accordingly • Knows what to talk about, when , with whom and for how long • Is able to tailor communication for different people; children, teachers,

3. Verbal Pragmatics • Responds to others jokes • Uses humour tastefully and appropriately • Had developed conversational techniques

4. Social Behaviours • Acts in a way that fosters optimal relationships with others • Presents self in ways that others find acceptable • Is cooperative and collaborates well with others • Knows how to pace a relationship (eg when it is ok to do what) • Makes friends easily

5. Social Behaviours • Is comfortable initiating conversation or entering into a social activity • Resolves conflicts without aggression • Nurtures positive relationships with important people • Understands the meaning of different kinds of relationships (friends/teachers)

6. Signs of Difficulty: Verbal Pragmatics • May sound abrasive, angry or negative without intending • Does not switch communication style when interacting with different people • Makes statements about inappropriate topics during a class discussion

7. Signs of Difficulty: Verbal Pragmatics • Has trouble using or understanding humour, can’t take a joke, uses humour that offends • Tries to dominate conversations, does not listen, interrupts • Does not pick up on the feelings behind what someone is saying

8. Signs of difficulty: Social behaviours • Dresses inappropriately for his or her peer group • Invades others personal space • Tends to have adversarial relationships with peers • Resolves conflicts by arguing or fighting

9. Signs of difficulty: Social behaviours • Has trouble making new friends • Antagonizes people in authority, fails to connect with those who are important to him or her • Is unable to read the meeting behind different social encounters or the meaning of different kinds of relationships

10. Interventions: Whole Class/small group General: • Teach skills of empathizing • Teach social concepts: friendship, teams, sharing • Introduce literature having social problems; identify with characters and suggest alternatives • Identify negative labels and name calling, define/discuss impact • Establish discussion groups • Post social skills to work on

11. Interventions: Whole Class/small group Verbal pragmatics: • Talk to students about self marketing; how you present says something about you • Teach conflict management strategies • Older students: careers in which teamwork and collaboration are critical

12. Intervention: Individual student General: • Be honest, in private explain when a topic or behaviour is inappropriate

13. Intervention: Individual student Verbal Pragmatics: • Describe the language used in different social situations, role playing activities • Use agreed upon signals and cues to alert students • Discuss appropriate and inappropriate humour • Dissect a conversation to see expectations and behaviours; role play • Teach a student how to repair miscommunications • Coach was to begin and end a conversation • video

14. Intervention: Individual student Social Behaviours • Preview or anticipate conflict • Generate and practice appropriate ways to avoid or resolve these situations • Analyze non verbal interactions • Provide students with skills for self-monitoring and self-regulation in social situations.