This study investigated whether children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and typically developing children matched on receptive language share resources fairly and reciprocally. Children completed age-appropriate versions of the Ultimatum and Dictator Games with real stickers and an interactive partner. Both groups offered similar numbers of…

Developing mechanisms for predicting human action is a critical task of early conceptual development. Three studies examined whether 4-year-old children (N = 149) use social allegiances to predict behavior, by testing whether they expect the experiences of social partners to influence individual action. After being exposed to a conflict between…

Studies gender patterns in five- and six-year-old children's social interactions with one another and variables that may influence these patterns. Findings suggest that differences between boys and girls in the use of aggravated behavior in interaction style is strongly influenced by the nature of the activity being performed and by the gender of…

Examined the variability in the development of moral judgment by reanalyzing a set of Kohlberg's data studies on the concept of structured wholeness, a deep cognitive organization unifying different surface judgments given by the same subject. Although the results failed to show total consistency they also show that it is not meaningful to claim…

This study links the Piagetian categories of classification with an analysis of the structure of riddles. Subjects were 623 elementary and junior high school students from small towns in Northwestern Ohio. The children provided experimenters with riddles and each riddle was scrutinized for possible inclusion in the following categories: (1)…

Pre-existing cognitions may influence a child's social perceptions, and the extent of this influence is measured in groups of children from grades 1-6. The children were shown slide shows of congruous (e.g. doctor befriending bullied child) and incongruous (e.g. minister shoplifting) interpersonal behavior. Half of the children saw stories in…

This article reports on a study of emotionally disabled children who have difficulty in adapting to their peers and their school environment, suggesting possible means by which they can be better understood and helped by their teachers. (JD)

Reviews research on the nonauditory effects of noise on human behavior and health: performance, interpersonal behavior, annoyance, cognitive development, and mental and physical health. (EF)

A study involving 26 children, aged five to eight years, employed a clinical interview method to examine the children's recognition and knowledge of rule violations in communication. The rules, derived from H. P. Grice's "be cooperative" principle, referred mainly to the maxim "be perspicuous, unequivocal, clear, and…

Influences of socioeconomic status, cognitive skills, and response tempo upon personal-social behaviors in disadvantaged preschool children were investigated as part of the Educational Testing Service-Head Start Longitudinal Study. Measures of cognitive skill, cooperation, response latency, and socioeconomic status were taken. Results indicated…

Be it metaphysics, theology, or some other unifying framework, humans have long sought to determine "first principles" underlying knowledge. Larry Arnhart continues in this vein, positing a Darwinian web of genetic, cultural, and cognitive evolution to explain our social behavior in terms of human nature as governed by biology. He leaves it to us…

This paper traces the development of interpersonal skills and characterizes the essential features of social interaction as they change from infancy to adolescence. It is demonstrated that, at each life stage, the quality of social relationships is dependent on the person's capacity for interpersonal closeness, his ability to use language, and his…

This paper presents a structural-developmental model of social cognition and discusses the implications of this approach for social intervention research. This model of social development is concerned with social reasoning and judgment. The basic assumption of this model of social cognition is that the structure of social reasoning develops…

Field-tested with 400 elementary school students, this curriculum focuses on developing the cognitive skills behind appropriate social behavior rather than teaching children a set of specific behaviors to enact. Along with a thorough overview, teachers will get 66 activity-based lessons on social skills, organized around topics that build on each…

The Prosocial Attitude Blank (PAB) was designed to assess interpersonal values and ethical awareness of elementary school children. PAB was administered to 405 elementary students as one component of the evaluation of an intervention program designed to reduce interpersonal conflicts, increase literacy skills, and enhance children's ethical…