Evaluation of ascribed, parent-mediated child care roles of younger same-sex siblings of children with mental retardation (n=32) found role reversals evident in the sibling pairs consistent with roles assumed by siblings during observed interactions. Increased younger sibling child care roles were related to less conflicted sibling relationships.…

Effects of sex of speaker and sex of dyad partner on selected linguistic variables were examined in four-minute segments of 20 conversations between previously unacquainted college students. Five male dyads, five female dyads, and ten mixed dyads were studied. Three significant interaction effects were found. Males and females produced about the…

Children with mental retardation (n=32) and their younger nonretarded siblings were observed interacting in the home setting. Interactions were characterized by accentuated role asymmetries that favored the younger sibling. Competence of the mentally retarded child reliably predicted sibling role asymmetries. Gender differences in roles and…

This study sought to describe the norms of reciprocity in social interaction from the viewpoint of immediate behavioral exchanges by examining the social interaction of preschool peers in a free-play situation. Seventeen 4-year-old children, eight girls and nine boys, were observed during free play activity periods after a picture sociometric test…

Investigated young children's social interactions with a baby in a group care setting. Observations of young children as they responded to an infant revealed differences in comforting, sharing, and cooperation according to age and sex. Also, toddlers' social interactions with the infant increased after the infant reached 18 months of age, and…

The "diffusion of responsibility" hypothesis as an explanation of helping behavior (or lack of same) is qualified by suggesting that the hypothesis applies only in non-interacting situations. It is hypothesized that interacting groups who are aware of a help-demanding situation actually focus the responsibility and, therefore, take action as a…

Investigated the impact of sexual composition and competitive/cooperative orientation on interaction patterns in same-sex and mixed-sex dyads. Found that the competitive or cooperative orientation of the interactants exerts a far greater impact on the communication behavior of dyads than does their sexual composition. (PD)

After 177 college students in 49 groups participated in group tasks, their perceptions of those groups and individuals in the groups were analyzed for gender differences. In the discriminant analysis of the three interpretable factors for perception of groups (group cohesiveness, power, and personality), gender was a predictor of an individual's…

This study examined peer interaction in four racially mixed eighth grade classrooms. Observational data were gathered on the interactions of 69 white children and 32 black children during the course of one semester. The study found considerably more cross-race peer interaction than have previous studies conducted in non-academic settings in…

Research on attraction in an interpersonal context has strongly suggested that the more attracted two people are to one another, the more they tend to communicate. This study explored attraction and social interaction patterns at the perceptual level. Eighty male and female graduate students, 40 black and 40 white, completed a two part measure of…

A pilot experiment aimed at discovering sex-specific language patterns as exhibited by males and females in conversation with same-sex and other-sex partners falsified the hypothesis frequently stated in the literature that males hold the dominant role in mixed-sex verbal interaction, at least in regard to college students. Twelve dyadic…

The 11 chapters comprising this work focus on the interactional influences that may be related to differential classroom experiences for males and females. The effects of contextual factors, teacher characteristics, and student characteristics are investigated. Addressed primarily to researchers, this information should prove useful to teachers,…

The paper explores sex-role determinants of interpersonal interaction and reviews various theories of equity in human interaction. Equity is interpreted as occurring in human interaction when all participants in a relationship receive equal outcomes relative to their inputs. The document is presented in four major sections. Section I reviews…

A study examined teacher-student interaction in Kentucky's secondary and postsecondary vocational education classrooms. It investigated whether sex bias or inequities were present and what might explain such differences. A literature review focused on studies conducted at different grade levels with relation to sex bias and classroom interactions.…