Unprogrammed effects of training high-status peers to interact with severely handicapped children.
We examined the effects of a peer initiation intervention with high- and low-status nonhandicapped students on the behavior of untrained peers toward handicapped students. In the context of a counterbalanced withdrawal design, high- and low-status nonhandicapped students were taught to direct social initiations to eight severely handicapped students during recess activities. The interactions of the high-status students resulted in higher levels of initiations by untrained peers toward the handicapped students than did the interactions of the low-status students. Social response levels were also differentially affected by the status of the peer initiator.
D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000523:psychology*; D004519:Education, Special; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000523:psychology; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D010379:Peer Group; D012928:Social Desirability