A comparison of data produced by different behavioral assessment techniques with implications for models of social-skills inadequacy*

Fifty undergraduates participated in four behavioral assessment techniques (role-playing, interviews, questionnaires and self-ratings) in each of three heterosocial situations (relationship initiation, maintenance and termination). Assessment techniques in which the Ss evaluated themselves (questionnaires and self-ratings) produced significantly poorer ratings of social skills than assessment techniques in which experimenters evaluated the Ss (interviews and role-playing). Ratings differed not only by assessment techniques, but also by social situation. The differences between self- and other-evaluations was not due to the skill level of the Ss, medium of observation or to different external standards. The implications are discussed for choices of assessment techniques in clinical practice and in research. A second portion of this study lent support to the social-skills deficit and physical attractiveness models of social inadequacy. Socially-unskilled Ss tended to be less attractive than their skilled counterparts. They were not able to improve their role-playing performance in any notable manner, even when instructed to do so, although they accurately evaluated the social skills of others and did not evaluate their own skills more negatively than did more skilled persons.