This article aims to review and debate the concept of lying and the variables associated with it, such as the age of its emergence in infancy, developmental patterns in a life cycle, motives for lying, consequences on social relationships and contextual and educational factors. The paradoxical nature of this behaviour is also emphasized because it…

The patterning of 160 U.S. 4- to 9-year-olds' (M = 6.23 years, SD = 1.46) moral judgments regarding physical harm, psychological harm, and unfair resource distribution transgressions were examined in separate latent profile analyses. Judgments regarding physical harm yielded a single Prototypical profile, where transgressions were judged as very…

Three basic approaches to discipline and child care are the obedience-oriented/punitive, the indulgent/permissive, and the person-enabling/justice approaches. The obedience-oriented/punitive approach, primarily concerned with obedience, sometimes uses praise and rewards manipulatively. When they fail, coercive punishment is used. The…

Notes that troubled children and youth often lack specific skills that are prerequisites for development of conscience and prosocial orientation. Describes how Boys' Town Model of teaching concrete interpersonal skills serves to empower youth with new options for prosocial behavior. Contends that once in possession of expanded repertoire of…

Introduces theme issue on Piagetian constructivist perspective on children's understanding. Summarizes feature articles which argue that teaching should be based on Piaget's theory; and elucidate the development of social and moral understanding, perspective-taking, play, written language, friendship and popularity, and mathematics. Emphasizes the…

Describes a study of German children's moral reasoning about prosocial conflicts, and of the interrelations of moral reasoning and prosocial behavior. Reports that hedonistic reasoning decreased from preschool to fourth grade, but direct reciprocity, needs-oriented, and approval/interpersonal reasoning, and reasoning involving references to…

Sixty second-, fourth-, and sixth-grade children were given opportunities to donate money to other children in order to establish age-related differences and demand characteristics contributing to variability in donating behavior. Discussion focuses on necessity of incorporating both qualitative and quantitative dimensions in general models of the…

Advocates teaching social skills and nurturing moral development to guide children toward positive social behavior and moral understanding. Recommends applying the same patience to teaching the social process as is applied to the teaching of the writing process. Argues against isolating children through the overuse of punishment. (SM)

The authors explore children's use of intention information in evaluating the moral quality of others' actions. They also address links among mental state understanding, motives-based moral reasoning, and children's own moral behavior. (Contains 2 tables.)

Defining social cognition as our attempts to make sense of how people think, perceive, infer, feel, and react, this book examines both the classical issues and contemporary understanding of theory and research in social cognitive development. The initial chapters highlight one of the central, theoretical tensions in the field, which is whether the…

This article from 1855 discusses the validity of signing for individuals with deafness and the need to develop an instinctive "language of gestures" to enable them to profit by the experiences of others and to share in social communion. The need for sign language to communicate religious instruction is emphasized. (CR)

Summarizes the main debate points on the issue and nature of bullies and bullying, and clarifies unresolved issues concerning the nature and limits of social competence values. Argues that variations in children's emotion processes may underlie some individual differences that have been found in empathy, social information processing, and reactive…

Using the premise that skills for living successfully are learned, not inherited, this book details for parents and teachers specific skills that parents can teach that will make a difference in children's lives. The skills have been consistently named by researchers, parents, experts, and educators as critical to success, and pilot-tested at…

Presents six developmentally oriented articles on childhood psychopathology. Reviews research dealing with autism, social isolation, interpersonal understanding, sociomoral reasoning, cognitive controls, and aggression and includes an overview of progress and problems in the cognitive approach to clinical child psychology. (JAC)

This paper describes intrapersonal and interpersonal attributes needed for emotional growth and character development, stressing the importance of teaching children personal discipline and doing "good because good is good to do" rather than the use of behavioral interventions. In the area of intrapersonal competence, the paper proposes…