Social Skills as Predictors of Cognitive Failure, Attention Deficits and Psychological Maladjustment in School Children

Abstract

Poor social skills are linked with presence of cognitive and attention difficulties as well as poor social functioning and presence of cognition disturbances. Present research aimed to explore poor social skills as predictors of cognitive failure, attention deficits and psychological maladjustment in school children. Sample included 200 students (100 girls & 100 boys) of class 4 & 5 with the mean age= 10.12 (SD= 1.37). Social Skills Rating System, The Cognitive Failure Questionnaire, Attention Deficits Questionnaire (child version) and Personality Assessment Questionnaire were used to assess social skills, cognitive failure, attention deficits and psychological adjustment respectively. Results revealed significant inverse correlation of different social skills i.e., assertion, empathy, cooperation and self-control with cognitive failure, attention deficits and psychological maladjustment (p<0.01) Whereas cognitive failure, attention deficits had positive correlation with psychological maladjustment (p<0.01). Hierarchical regression analyses showed social skills deficits emerged as significant predictors of cognitive failures, attention deficits and psychological maladjustment in school children.