The measurement of sociolinguistic behavior requires the formulation of a unit which can take into account continuous, ordered variation within and across discrete linguistic types--the linguistic variable. The linguistic variable, itself an abstraction, is realized in actual speech behavior by variants. The formulation of the linguistic variable…

This study was conducted to observe the effects of social class on the interaction of mothers and their 12-week-old infants. Data on the infants' cognitive and attentive behavior was also obtained. Each of 32 white and black infants from five different levels of social class was observed at home for two full hours of waking time. Observed infant…

This study investigated children's sex biased attitudes as a function of the sex, age, and race of the child as well as a geographical-SES factor. Two attitudes were measured on a 55-item questionnaire: Sex Pride (attributing positive characteristics to a child of the same sex) and Sex Prejudice (attributing negative characteristics to a child of…

The relationship of social class and racial prejudice to the home management skills of black Americans was the focus of this study. A questionnaire (a copy of which appears in an appendix) was used to interview a sample of 100 people divided into four subgroups: low social class blacks, low social class whites, middle social class blacks, and…

Thirty-six pairs of 4-year-olds played a game which required cooperative interaction in order to get prizes. Subjects were highly responsive to the cue of limited reward and relatively insensitive to the necessity of mutual assistance and the possibility of sharing by taking turns. (Author/WY)

THIS 1948 LECTURE ON THE SOCIALIZATION AND MENTAL ACTIVITIES OF NEGRO AND WHITE MIDDLE- AND LOWER-CLASS CHILDREN DISCUSSES (1) THE STRUCTURE OF REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS AMONG MIDDLE- AND LOWER-CLASS PERSONS, (2) THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL CLASS ON PROBLEM SOLVING IN STANDARDIZED MENTAL TESTS, (3) THE NATURE OF PROBLEM-SOLVING ACTIVITIES AND MENTAL…

This study was designed to investigate the assumption that young, lower-class black children have language deficits based on the use of a restricted (as opposed to an elaborated) syntactic code. The speech of 69 black, lower-class and 30 white, middle-class 4 1/2-year olds was compared. Speech samples were elicited through semistructured picture…

This study investigated the interrelation of self-esteem and racial preferences in black children. The following hypotheses were generated: (1) subjects with impaired self-concepts will be more outgroup oriented than those with unimpaired self-concepts, (2) white preferences will be greater among middle class than among lower class black children,…

LINGUISTIC STUDIES IN CHICAGO, DETROIT, LONDON, NEW YORK CITY, AND WASHINGTON, D.C. ARE REVIEWED. THEY SUGGEST ONE OF THE CURRENT TRENDS IN DIALECT RESEARCH--NARROW LINGUISTIC, INTERDISCIPLINARY ANALYSES OF LANGUAGE VARIATION IN CITIES. ANOTHER TREND STUDIED IS THE DESCRIPTION OF THE SPEECH OF STUDENTS IN ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS, AND…

From a sociological perspective, examines the transition of a lower-class, Black urban community into a partially integrated, middle-class community. Describes economic and social interactions across racial and class lines. (ML)

To assess mother-child interaction, 23 mother-child pairs from the West Harlem ghetto (half lower class and half middle class Negroes) and from Washington Square (white middle class) were observed. Children were 3-year-old boys. Each pair spent 30 minutes in a laboratory playroom and were observed and tape-recorded. Children's nonverbal…

This report provides detailed technical information concerning the Preschool Racial Attitude Measure II (PRAM II) a method for assessing the attitudes of pre-literate children toward light- and dark-skinned individuals. Several major changes were involved in the PRAM II revision: (1) the length was doubled, (2) the general artistic quality of the…

Two experiments were conducted to determine how initial task experiences of success and failure combine with observation of task outcomes in same-age, same-sex peers to affect the achievement expectations of second and third graders. The first experiment involved lower class urban Black children; the second involved middle class rural White…

Discussed are some sociological theories about instability in black ghettos, the Negro social class structure, and some policy implications derived from such analyses. The point of departure for this document is Norton Long's theory that ghetto unrest is a result of the absence of a black middle class. The consequent lack of Negro middle class…

The objectives of this project were to assess and improve learning skills and language abilities in culturally disadvantaged children. The five studies included under this cover were prepared as self-contained reports yet they shared these common objectives. The studies are: (1) Learning Efficiency and Elaboration Training among Four- and…