Behavior Analysis: Research and Practice, Vol 24(4), Nov 2024, 211-227; doi:10.1037/bar0000297
Conversation skills, such as asking questions and speaking without interrupting, can be important to achieving success in employment, higher education, and independent living settings. Yet, limited research exists on methodologies for identifying socially important levels of conversational behaviors to provide guidance on behavior change goals. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the utility of an approach for identifying socially valid levels of conversational behaviors. In Experiment 1, a total of 40 neurotypical adults completed an eight-item conversation skills survey after watching 5-min video-recorded conversations between two other adults. Experimenters then scored naturally occurring levels of targeted behaviors among those with high versus low ratings on those behaviors. Conversation partners with the highest and lowest ratings on behavior-specific survey items engaged in differentiated levels of the associated conversational behaviors. In Experiment 2, we applied the findings from Experiment 1 to validate outcomes for five individuals with autism spectrum disorder who were targeting one or two conversational behaviors during a short-term group training program. Raters completed the conversation skills survey after viewing videos of conversations in which the participant’s conversational behavior met or failed to meet the goals. The results provided preliminary support for the social validity of the goals identified in Experiment 1. These findings have implications for research and practice in the area of interventions to improve conversation skills. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)