Background: Language has been shown to play a critical role in social cognitive reasoning in preschool and school-aged children, but little research has been conducted with adolescents. During adolescence, the ability to understand figurative language becomes increasingly important for social relationships and may affect social adjustment. This…

In Canadian engineering institutions, a significant design experience must occur in the final year of study. In the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Systems at the University of Windsor, unsolved, open ended projects sponsored by industrial partners from a variety of sectors are provided to the student teams in order for them to apply…

Significant efforts have now been made to identify the generic competencies required to succeed across different workplace contexts. The aims of this paper were to: (i) outline factors that contributed to the increased demand for generic competencies seen over the last three decades; and (ii) review the early generic competency frameworks…

Information about how school principals operate pertains mainly to the actions of principals. However, the kinds of knowledge that the principalship demands have not been isolated as clearly, more often than not being conflated with actions. As principals' duties become more complex, it becomes more important to ground specific practices in robust…

Ways of helping coaches to counsel unemployed adults in the solving of their personal problems are explored in this manual. Originally printed as two separate volumes, this reprinting of the study has bound the two together. Volume I involves a general discussion of life's problems and of the need to solve them. This volume contains four parts.…

Compared the effects of two types of instruction to investigate how proficiency in generating alternatives in marital problem solving can be improved, using a sample of 44 Canadian couples. Results showed increased generation of alternatives. Communication skills training did not enhance creativity in problem solving. (Author/JAC)

This book describes the modifications required to make a life skills course for adults applicable to adolescents. Major sections are: (1) The Cultural Context: Preparing for an Unprecedented Future Using an Unfinished Past, (2) Survey of the Characteristics of Adolescents, (3) Survey of the Problems and Concerns of Adolescents with a Description…

Examined nature and frequency of problems and help-seeking preferences of 60 persons of Chinese origin. Results confirm that family was preferred first choice of help for psychological and interpersonal problems, with friends being frequent second choice for females. No overall significant differences were found between males and females.…

Examined whether maladjusted children lack social cognitive skills. Asked fourth- and sixth-grade boys (N=60) with positive and negative peer status to generate alternative solutions to hypothetical problems. Results indicated that negative boys generated fewer alternative solutions, proposed fewer assertive and mature solutions and generated more…

Students were administered the Beck Depression Inventory, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Means-Ends Problem-Solving Procedure, and the anagram task used in investigating learned helplessness. Negative correlation was found between depression and interpersonal problem-solving ability. Only anxiety correlated with anagram performance. In…

Gotlib and Asarnow suggest that learned helplessness may not adequately model clinical depression. They reply to Rohsenow's criticism that Gotlib and Asarnow's conclusions are unwarranted because the null hypothesis is not demonstrated by a single study and because adequate diagnostic criteria are not presented. (Author/BEF)

Describes the development and implementation of a group on "Responding to Loneliness" for the elderly. Focuses on building positive self-esteem; learning social and personal skills; managing stress and anxiety; developing problem-solving strategies; and building a social network. (Author/JAC)

Examines the social, cognitive, and social-cognitive correlates of nonsocial play in 122 four-year-olds observed for 20 minutes during free play. Subjects were given a role-taking test and tests of social and impersonal problem-solving skills. Sociometric popularity and social competence, as rated by teachers, were also assessed. (Author/RH)

Used qualitative research methodology to interpret 126 adolescents' responses to questions about their views on peace. Eighth grade students in Australia, Canada, and the United States identified underlying causes and behavioral indications of potential for war and provided prescriptions for peace. Subjects viewed skills in interpersonal…

Some older adults experience difficulty in decentering their own viewpoint on tasks requiring spatial and communicative role-taking. To examine the social perspective-taking skills of older adults and the kinds of strategies older people would suggest to solve social dilemmas, adults were interviewed about their typical interpersonal problems. A…