Generalization and maintenance of preschool children's social skills: a critical review and analysis.

This paper summarizes the results of a retrospective review of generalization in the context of social skills research with preschool children. A review of studies from 22 journals (1976 to 1990) that assessed generalization as part of social interaction research provided information concerning the prevalence of studies that have assessed generalization, common practices concerning the production and assessment of generalization, and the overall success of obtaining generalization and maintenance of social behaviors. A comparison of the most and least successful studies, with respect to generalization, revealed some differences concerning the practices employed by studies within each group. Differences differentially related to the production of generalization are discussed and recommendations are provided to guide and support future research efforts.