The overall aim of this study was to assess the diversity of primary school children's physical activity (PA) during outdoor recess. The study was grounded in a mixed method approach, assisting in the identification of multifaceted predictors of children's PA, including insights to social behaviours during break time. Data were obtained from…

Can economic ties positively influence social relations and actions? If so, how does this influence operate? Microfinance programs, which provide credit through a group-based lending strategy, provide the ideal setting for exploring these questions. This article examines whether structuring socially isolated women into peer-groups for an…

Reviews basic sociometric tools and their analysis, provides information on computer programs to analyze sociometric data, and briefly examines considerations in conducting sociometric investigations. Looks at the social atom (significant others), constructing sociometry questions, and offers an analysis of individual status and interactional…

Examines the transition from a single conversation to two conversations in a group larger than three by focusing on three distinctive properties of the schisming-inducing turn (SIT): (1) the changes in recipiency structure; (2) the sequence-structural properties of the SIT and its uptake; and (3) the topical properties of the SIT. (61 references)…

This paper analyzes development of group structure in terms of the stimulus-sampling perspective. Learning is the continual sampling of possibilities, with those reinforced possibilities increasing in probability of occurance. This contingency learning approach is tested experimentally. (NG)

Seventy-nine members of several types of groups responded to questionnaires which detailed their goals and self-perceptions, and their expectations and perceptions of group leadership, norms, methods, and atmosphere. The questionnaires were administered near the beginning and again at the end (posttest N=69) of the group experience. The groups…

This study investigated whether dominance relations observed during free-play are apparent in children's drawings of themselves with another classmate. A total of 16 hours of observational data were collected from 37 children, 9 to 11 years of age, during 40-minute free-play periods in their school setting. Dominance assessments were based upon…

Summarizes research on small group processes by giving a comprehensive account of the types of variables primarily studied in the laboratory. These include group structure, group composition, group size, and group relations. Considers effects of power, leadership, conformity to social norms, and role relationships. (Author/AV)

Discusses writers, readers, and the enactment of roles in society through the notion of "textual community." Considers the meaning of the term "text" in this context, the problem of reading, and some of the behavioral principles that lie behind personal and group narratives. (JD)

Previous research has shown that individuals take more responsibility for group outcomes than other participants attribute to them. To assess whether the interactive component of the group endeavor is the locus of this self-centered bias, group members (N=80) worked on analogies either separately in coaction groups or together in interaction…

Explores which racial configurations of black people and white people are most or least satisfactory in small-group interactions. Findings indicate that varying the racial composition of 30 four-person groups affected significantly the reported experiences of group members; both racial and gender differences were observed. Implications for group…

The qualities of sibling relationships and friendships of socially accepted and rejected children were compared in a study involving 392 male and 384 female second and third graders. The students completed a series of assessments and their teachers filled out rating scales. Results indicated that sibling status was associated with friendship…

Presents a microanalysis of data from the Box Hill Nursery Project, an ethnolinguistic study carried out in the northeast of England, into children's language and social behavior during their first term in nursery school. Identifies characteristics of dense friendship networks. Concludes that understanding friendship networks can help teachers in…

This paper tests four models of the effect of the size of a subgroup of an organization on the proportion of attraction choices made by members of the subgroup that are given to other members of the subgroup. The data base consists of friendship and respect choices made by members of the Maryland State Police force. The four models are: simple…