A study was conducted to describe the speech patterns of four adolescent girls. All four subjects were in the same eighth grade class and knew each other. Approximately 19 hours of observational data and 9 hours of interview data were collected. The descriptive framework of D. Hymes (1972), which focuses specifically on settings, participants,…

A study was conducted on the interactional relationship between independent and dependent mildly retarded adolescents (N=24) and their mothers. Adolescent-mother pairs separately engaged in a videotaped problem solving task for 20 minutes. The 24 videotapes were then subjected to an interactional coding system comprised of five behavioral domains.…

This study collected normative behavioral data from extemporaneous 3-minute conversations of 50 typically developing adolescents. Analysis found the following high frequency behaviors: directing gaze at the partner, nodding and showing neutral and positive facial expressions, using back-channel responses, and giving contingent responses.…

This study compared 29 females with Turner syndrome and 21 females with fragile X syndrome (ages 6-22) on a videotaped role-play interaction with 34 females in a comparison group. Three of eight behavioral measures of social skills differentiated the participant groups. Fragile-X subjects required more time to initiate interactions and Turner…

This study examines social comparison processes occurring in the interactions among normal adolescents in peer groups. Eight types of social comparison processes were predicted. Two of these, specific to adolescent developmental processes, are new. The experimental design called for behavioral observation documenting occurrence of social…

Body movements and facial expressions of males and females in a restaurant setting were examined, with the goal of providing differences in frequency as a function of age and sex. The subjects (N-197 males and N=131 females) were seated in three Seattle fast food restaurants and were selected on a semi-random basis and then observed for three…

The interpersonal conditions which may maintain a child's aggression in the family were investigated by observing immediate, ongoing interactions in families of normal and aggressive adolescent sons. Normal-son families (N=6) and aggressive-son families (N=6) were videotaped engaging in a 50-minute discussion of questionnaire items designed to…

The study tested relationships between patterns of parent-youth-interaction and two aspects of identity formation; the extent to which an adolescent explored alternatives and the degree to which he or she had made commitments. Interviews assessing aspects of the identity process were conducted with 99 Danish students, age 17 and 18. Independent…

A field method approach explored the social world of Anglo-, Chinese- and Italian-Canadian children in four schools and neighborhoods in Metropolitan Toronto. Field workers observed and interacted with their subjects over a four-month period, dividing each work week between two neighborhoods. These workers were able to observe whether a given…

This paper reports the first results of a three-year longitudinal study of the social maps of children beginning the transition to adolescence. This exploratory study is guided by Bronfenbrenner's conception of the ecology of human development stressing the importance of a phenomenological orientation to development in the context of ecological…

This paper investigates the value system of Cuban students living in the United States, how those systems interface with the school and the home, and how they influence their personalities, behaviors, and family relationships. Eighth-grade students attending a predominantly Spanish private bilingual school were administered a questionnaire, and…

Two studies with four adolescents with behavior disorders investigated the relationship between antecedent events and aggressive behavior in school and home settings. The use of videotape recordings and behavioral rehearsal of alternative responses resulted in decreases in the frequency of aggressive behavior and associated antecedent events. (DB)