Three studies investigating the behavior of nonhandicapped people in the presence of handicapped individuals and a possible tactic for reducing the nonhandicapped individual's discomfort are reported. In Studies One and Two, nonhandicapped Ss watched two videotapes of paraplegics in wheelchairs being interviewed. Each S then chose the handicapped…

The purpose of this paper is to describe an intuitively appealing continuum along which motives relevant to situations of social interdependence may be located. Aditionally, it is argued that individuals differ in terms of their positions on this continuum, and that such differences are important to a general theory of bargaining. The argument is…

The prevalence of severe impairments of social interaction, language abnormalities, and repetitive stereotyped behaviors was investigated in a group of 132 children under 15 years old, consisting of a socially impaired group (more than half of whom were severely retarded) and a comparison group of sociable severely mentally retarded. Author/DLS)

The decisions and attitudes of sex-stereotyped and androgynous individuals (as defined by the Bem Sex Role Inventory) were compared in a social conformity paradigm. On each of 160 trials subjects predicted one of two possible stimuli after hearing predictions of two other "subjects." No effects of physical sex were observed. On trials when the…

This paper summarizes and integrates the findings from three separate studies, all of which had as their major objective the investigation of differences in small group behavior between children who have relatively high others-concepts and children who have relatively low others-concepts, as measured by the Paired Hands Test. Group sessions of…

This paper discusses a study undertaken to examine the reaction of others to the behavior of depressed persons. The general hypotheses of the study are that (1) normal subjects respond differentially to the behavior of depressed patients; (2) this differential response is due to the fact that the target individuals are depressed, and not that they…

The utilization of personal space as a function of race and sex was the subject of this investigation. The specific focus of the study was to discover if blacks within American society learn and enact different personal space definitions from those of the majority culture. A 2 x 2 factorial analysis of variance with repeated measures on two…

A holistic study of a junior high school environment reveals disparity between student culture and teacher culture, as well as widely differing views between students and teachers as to the role and importance of instruction as part of the school day. (LH)

A sample of ten abused toddlers ranging in age from one to three years and ten matched controls from families experiencing stress were observed during social interactions with caregivers and with peers in their day care settings. (JMB)

This paper briefly discusses three studies aimed at exploring the overload hypothesis posited by Stanley Milgram. That hypothesis suggests that impoverished social interaction in the city is an adaptation to overload of interpersonal contacts. The three studies examine various aspects of the phenomenon using different methodologies. Comparing city…

This followup study examines the differences between preschool girls and boys in their responses to infants. Thirty-eight day care children (boys and girls age 3 1/2 to 5 1/2 years were observed during individual play in a small play area with a male or female toddler mature enough to interact with the preschoolers socially. The children's…

A study was designed to describe the nonverbal behaviors of two male/female couples as they initiated, maintained, and terminated their relationships. Over a five-month period, couple one met seven times and couple two met six times in a laboratory setting. During the meetings, observers coded the couples' nonverbal behaviors as eye gaze, smiles,…

The study examined sex differences in the influence of perceived evaluations of self by various types of referent others upon self-esteem. Distinctions were made between authority and peer relationships and between close and distant relationships. The status dimension proved particularly important for males, their variation in self-esteem being…

This exploratory study assesses the sources from which elderly blacks draw support for needed services. A total of 208 elderly blacks were questioned concerning whom they would turn to for companionship, when feeling depressed, when in need of necessities like food or medicine, and in emergency situations. For each area, respondents indicated…

This longitudinal study of changes in play behavior in preschool children reports decreases in less mature forms of play and increases in more mature forms of play over time. The study was designed to test the assumption that the play of young children develops in a progressive manner. Ten 3-year-olds and ten 4-year-olds were observed during free…