Interpersonal cognitive problem solving and primary prevention: Programming for preschool and kindergarten children1

Abstract A competence‐building model of primary prevention was evaluated on 131 inner‐city black nursery and kindergarten children over a two year period. The major question is whether enhancing interpersonal cognitive problem solving (ICPS) skills of four‐and five‐year‐olds could improve inhibited and impulsive behaviors when they already exist, and prevent them from emerging when they do not. Findings suggest that ICPS training does reduce and prevent such behaviors, that the ICPS and behavioral impact of such programming lasts at least one full year following intervention, and that for youngsters not trained in nursery, kindergarten is not too late. However, more children do begin kindergarten at a better behavioral van‐tagepoint if lCPS‐programming is implemented a year earlier, in nursery. Notes 1This research was supported by the Applied Research Branch, National Institute of Mental Health (#MH‐20372). We wish to thank all the principals, supervisors and participating teachers who made this research possible. In addition to our research assistants, Joan Bryson, Rochelle Newman and Stan Silver, we are indebted to the Department of Psychology, Temple University, for providing us with 14 additional testers over the two year period of this research. Portions of this paper were presented at the meetings of the American Psychological Association, Chicago, August 1975.