Children and even infants have clear intuitions about power early in development; they can infer who is dominant and subordinate from observing a single interaction. However, it is unclear what children infer about each individual's status from these interactions--do they think dominants and subordinates will maintain their status when interacting…

Most distributed and virtual online environments for and pedagogies of computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) neglect the social and social-emotional aspects underlying the group dynamics of learning and working in a CSCL group. These group dynamics often determine whether the group will develop into a well-performing team and whether a…

Within the empirical literature related to leadership, female leaders are regularly rated higher on dimensions such as being transformational and being effective. Some studies have found that gender plays a role in the follower-leader relationship, and this interaction can be assessed. An emerging model of leadership is authentic leadership. This…

Two studies (Study 1: n = 137; Study 2: n = 192) were conducted to investigate how upper-elementary students' affect during small group instruction related to their social-behavioral engagement during group work. A circumplex model of affect consisting of valence (positive, negative) and activation (high, low) was used to examine the relation of…

John C. Weidman (1989) was one of the first to argue that a socialization model is necessary to fully understand college impact. Weidman also contends that socioeconomic status (SES) is an important part of the socialization process for students. In fact, he placed such emphasis on SES that he included it in two locations within his model: (1)…

Presents an historical survey of various theoretical schools in social psychology in the United States and divides them into two classes: the social psychology of the individual and that of the relation or group. Asserts that those theories which emphasize the individual are inadequate to explain social behavior. (Author/APM)

This study examined the effects of group composition based on the learners' personality types as measured by the Myers-Briggs type indicator as they interacted in threaded discussions. Three groups comprised introverts, extroverts, and mixed introvert-extrovert classifications. Ninety-six participants were divided into 24 groups of 4 participants…

Investigates seven task-oriented groups which examine consistency of social choice across a range of behavioral criteria (friendship, leadership, followship, and evaluation criteria of social interaction). Results suggest that some criteria of interpersonal relations are interdependent: acceptance and rejection choices are not opposite ends of…

This study was conducted to identify types of interactions associated with social influence among school children at three grade levels. Social influence was defined in terms of the ways in which a child attempted to convince other group members to adopt his or her opinions about the appearance of three different inkblots. Eighteen kindergarten,…

An alternating individual and group-oriented reinforcement contingency did not generate consistent levels of supportive peer behaviors between two preschoolers with handicaps and their socially competent peers. Two socially competent children were then taught to deliver supportive prompts to their peers during dramatic play, increasing the…

Attempted to identify behavioral precursors of conflict outcomes and to isolate unique characteristics of important conflicts. Results suggest that conflict components were interrelated. Resolutions were associated with outcomes and affective intensity, and affective intensity was linked to lessons learned. Apparently, the salience of an…

Considers the positive impact black organizational members can make in the workplace because of their unique interpersonal style. Reviews the literature addressing cultural differences between black and white interpersonal communicators, and also addresses cross-cultural difficulties. (NKA)

A study assessed the validity of applying the Spitzberg and Cupach dyadic model of communication competence to small group interaction. Twenty-four students, in five task-oriented work groups, completed questionnaires concerning self-competence, alter competence, interaction effectiveness, and other group members' interaction appropriateness. They…

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of assigning students to a version of an instructional program (cooperative learning version or individual version) that either matched or did not match their pre-assessed preferences for cooperative and individual learning. Students' preferences for cooperative and individual learning were…

Traditionally, group research has focused on outcome rather than process. In order to provide an efficient means of data collection and analysis in group process, the Automatic Vocal Transaction Analyzer (AVTA) system was developed to generate an objective chronography of conversation vocalizations, pauses, turntaking, switching, and…