The Effectiveness of Social Perception Training on Cognitive Distortions and Bullying in Student Boys

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of social perception training on students' cognitive distortions and bullying. The research method was a semi-experimental type with pre-test and post-test design with a control group. The study's statistical population was all eighth-grade student boys in Dezful city (Iran) in the academic year 2021-22. To select a sample from among the schools, two schools and from the three educational levels of those schools, eighth grade students were randomly selected and participated in the bullying test, and 40 students who had the highest score on this test were selected as a purposeful sampling from each of the schools and completed The How I Think and Illinois Bullying Questionnaires in the pre-test and post-test stages. The experimental group took the social perception training intervention for 10 sessions of 90 minutes, while the control group did not receive any intervention during this period. Multivariate and Univariate Analysis of covariance were used to analyze the data. The results showed that social perception training significantly reduced cognitive distortions and bullying of students. Therefore, given these findings, it is recommended to use such educational program in schools.