Research has shown that drug use tends to increase during the college years, implying that college students have a more favorable view of drug use than high school students. To compare the attitudes of high school (N=367) and college students (N=260) toward nine recreationally used drugs, a semantic differential technique was used. Statistically…

Generally, role-taking research has focused on the development and correlates of role taking in children. To explore role taking in the relatively overlooked population of young adults, a sociometric instrument, the Peer Role-Taking Questionnaire (PRTQ), was developed and used to measure perceived role-taking behaviors. The results were compared…

The six studies reported on here sought to determine if patterns of behaviors could be determined in the verbal and nonverbal communications of teachers toward pupils, and if there were differences in these patterns when such variables as sex, race, ability, age, and socioeconomic status were considered. Videotapes of over 100,000 teacher/pupil…

THE BASIC PURPOSES OF THIS LONGITUDINAL STUDY WERE TO ASCERTAIN WHETHER OR NOT SCHOOL DISTRICT REORGANIZATION IS WORTHWHILE IN TERMS OF TIME, EFFORT, AND EXPENDITURES OF FUNDS, AND TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTS OF SUCH SCHOOL DISTRICT REORGANIZATIONS ON THE EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES OF THE SCHOOL. THE SAMPLE CONSISTED OF 10 WISCONSIN COMMUNITIES, 5 WITH…

A study was conducted to compare the validity of two theories of interpersonal communication: (1) uncertainty reduction theory, based on the assumption that communication consists of attempts to reach a cognitive state of balance, and (2) coordinated management of meaning theory (CMM), based on the assumption that persons attempt to create a…

Between 1959 and 1975, television replaced newspapers as the public's major source of news. To examine this trend in further detail, a national sample of 1,519 adults were asked to construct diaries of their activities during one day in the fall of 1975. These adults were also interviewed for their use of television news and newspapers. In a…

Five components of communication competence have been derived from research: affiliation/support, empathy, behavioral flexibility, social relaxation, and interaction management. This paper describes these dimensions of communication competence; it then reports on a study in which two college females judged by their peers to be effective…

This study measured the effects on children's behavior of peer influence and prosocial and antisocial television messages. The subjects, 120 children in second, third, and fourth grades, were placed in three different situations: one in which no television was viewed, one in which an excerpt from a television program portraying violence was…

An investigation into the characteristics of individuals who participate, and those who do not participate, in group counseling activities was conducted. The purpose of the study was to study the possible significance of sibling position as a behavioral determinant in an adult's life with respect to participation. A survey questionnaire was mailed…

Interviews with 81 Yaqui adults showed that they differed little from other populations in their evaluation of mental health problems described in the Star vignettes. Results may reflect Yaqui adaptation in the dominant culture and/or reluctance to reveal beliefs to the interviewers, who represented local health agencies. (JHZ)

Responses of secondary students (N=478) indicate track position (college-bound versus non-college-bound students) is negatively associated with school misconduct and youth deviance. This pattern obtains when sex and social class are introduced as statistical controls and suggests that students may become involved in deviance as a result of a low…

A three-year study found that children with learning disabilities displayed a persistent pattern of maladaptive classroom behavior that distinguished them from average achievers and was associated with continued underachievement, especially for attention and conduct problem subtypes. The developmental relationship between learning disabilities,…

Observations of mixed-age classrooms of three and four year olds (n=36), of three year olds (n=27), and four year olds (n=31) found significant age differences in social and cognitive play for same-age, but not mixed-age, classes. Implications for early childhood education are discussed. (SLD)

A survey of 297 college-bound high school seniors and parents examined techniques for gathering information about postsecondary education and institutions. Students were designated as "highly diversified" or "less diversified" searchers; background characteristics and information-gathering behaviors of each were identified. High diversification…

Examined the association between psychosocial development and the timing of first sexual intercourse in a sample of white, rural adolescents. Two theoretical models were tested. For both boys and girls, early timing of first sexual intercourse was associated with longitudinal patterns of greater transition proneness and poorer psychosocial…