Date of Award

Summer 1983

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Psychology

Program/Concentration

Psychology

Committee Director

Elaine M. Justice

Committee Member

Kathleen C. Kirasic

Committee Member

Frederick G. Freeman

Call Number for Print

Special Collections LD4331.P65J375

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to investigate social sensitivity and self-concept in students with learning disabilities and their non-disabled peers. Thirty students each from Junior and Senior public high schools and a community college in Tidewater, Virginia participated in the study with 15 learning disabled and 15 non-disabled students from each of the three grade levels (N-90). Students were individually assessed in 50 minute interviews for their accuracy in interpreting the thoughts and feelings of actors in tape-recorded stories depicting two adults in happy, angry, anxious, and sad interactions. A questionnaire measuring self-concept in learning situations as a function of motivation, task orientation, problem solving ability, and class membership was also administered. Data were analyzed using Multivariate Analyses of Variance. It was found that LD individuals at all grade levels were significantly less accurate at interpreting social situations than their non-disabled peers and had significantly lower self-concepts. These results support the need for remediation efforts in elementary and secondary high school for students with learning disabilities so as to overcome social deficits which appear to persist into college when interpersonal relationships become more important.

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DOI

10.25777/re4a-d248

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