ERIC Number: EJ900857
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2010-Nov
Pages: 20
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0145-4455
EISSN: N/A
Reliability and Validity of the Matson Evaluation of Social Skills with Youngsters
Matson, Johnny L.; Neal, Daniene; Fodstad, Jill C.; Hess, Julie A.; Mahan, Sara; Rivet, Tessa T.
Behavior Modification, v34 n6 p539-558 Nov 2010
Social skills are an important part of development, and deficits in this area have long-term impacts on a child. As a result, clinicians should include a measure of social skills as part of a comprehensive assessment. There are a few well-researched measures of social skills that are currently used, including the Matson Evaluation of Social Skills with Youngsters (MESSY). The MESSY has been translated and studied internationally in more than nine countries; however, updated norms for the United States have not been conducted since the inception of the measure. The purpose of this article is to examine the psychometric properties of the MESSY using an updated norm sample and age cohorts. Overall results indicated strong internal consistency and good to strong convergent and divergent validity. Psychometric properties for the older age cohorts were stronger and more consistent than those for the 2- to 5-year-olds. This reflects the variability of development and difficulty of assessing social skills at this young age. (Contains 5 tables.)
Descriptors: Rating Scales, Interpersonal Competence, Test Validity, Test Reliability, Age Differences, Children, Adolescents
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: California; Connecticut; Florida; Georgia; Kentucky; Louisiana; Maryland; Massachusetts; Michigan; Pennsylvania
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