Mastery of Communication Skills. Does Intelligence Matter?

Background: Insight in the influence of intelligence on the mastery of communication skills is important for improving the microcounselling method, an effective training programme for acquiring these skills. Method: Participants were 323 bachelor psychology students. The participants׳ level of verba...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Jeroen Kuntze, Henk T. van der Molen, Marise Ph. Born
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences 2018-03-01
Series:Health Professions Education
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2452301116300669
Description
Summary:Background: Insight in the influence of intelligence on the mastery of communication skills is important for improving the microcounselling method, an effective training programme for acquiring these skills. Method: Participants were 323 bachelor psychology students. The participants׳ level of verbal, spatial and numerical intelligence was determined. Participants followed either a course in basic skills or a course in advanced skills. Their level of mastery of these skills was assessed with a video test. Results: Both training programmes proved to be effective in training communication skills. As expected, numerical and spatial intelligence were no significant predictors for the mastery of these skills. Verbal intelligence did matter for the mastery of basic communication skills, but only when students are not acquainted with the use of these skills. Discussion: Students profit from training these skills, regardless of their intelligence level.
ISSN:2452-3011