The paper reviews research which views the inappropriate behavior of children with autism from a pragmatics perspective and suggests a classroom-based tool for analyzing behaviors and planning interventions. The pragmatics premise is that all behavior reflects the individual's attempts to interact and communicate. The pragmatics perspective, then,…

Identifies four dominant strands in the recent literature on adults and children developing play together: socio-cultural, adversarial, child development, and nomad-academic. Explores each strand and analyzes areas of agreement and disagreement to see if any reconciliations can be made across differences. Asserts that each strand is important in…

The phenomenon of crowd behavior at sports events is examined in this paper. Previous treatments of why spectators enjoy watching sports events are examined, showing that these studies have largely ignored the potential role of intraaudience influence processes. A brief literature review notes the role of feedback between the communication event…

This paper proposes the use of interaction process analysis to study negotiation behaviors. Following a review of current literature in the field, the paper presents a theoretical framework for the analysis of both labor/management and social negotiation processes. Central to the framework described are two systems of activities that together…

A meta-analysis including 96 experimental studies considers the effects of reinforcement/reward on intrinsic motivation. Results indicate that reward does not decrease intrinsic motivation, although interaction effects must be examined. An analysis with five studies also indicates that reinforcement does not harm intrinsic motivation. (SLD)

This review of 12 research reports on modifying attitudes toward persons with hearing impairments found mixed study results and poor study quality but concluded that properly structured contact showed the most promise as an intervention to improve attitudes. (DB)

Little has been done to identify the communication needs of nurses. The development of a model to use in examining their communication behavior can be an important first step in identifying those needs. The proposed model identifies four members of the staff nurse's role-set: patients, doctors, family members, and other nursing personnel. Each…

Explains the types of effects, usually unintentional, that psychologists can have upon the results of their research; describes the "Pygmalion Experiment," in which teachers' expectations for children's behavior proved to be self-fulfilling prophecies; and points to research needs in the area of interpersonal expectations. (GT)

Notes that many researchers have asserted maternal "sensitivity" as the key feature of interactions promoting "secure" attachment relationships. Reviews literature addressing the construct of sensitivity, highlighting the problem of definition and identifying the range of behaviors typically used as indicators of sensitivity.…

Currently researchers are reexamining the validity of viewing alcoholics outside of their most important social unit: the family. However, a review of the current research shows little directly addressing how communication patterns influence and possibly sustain alcoholic behavior within the family setting. One study suggests that alcoholism and…

Peer associations within schools are important influences on educational orientations and aspirations. The many studies in this area, however, have not produced a comprehensive and detailed theoretical account of peer socialization effects, thereby impeding the design and implementation of more effective school organizations. Although schools…

The paper explores sex-role determinants of interpersonal interaction and reviews various theories of equity in human interaction. Equity is interpreted as occurring in human interaction when all participants in a relationship receive equal outcomes relative to their inputs. The document is presented in four major sections. Section I reviews…

The objective of this paper is two-fold. First, to address continued criticism of a general lack of attention to diverse aspects of family development due to continued reliance on traditional ways of assessing and conceptualizing family interaction. Second, to address recent recommendations to educate professionals who are capable of promoting…