The second year of life is a time of formative developmental change as basic behavioral systems undergo rapid integration and expansion. This study examined the developmental trajectories of social-emotional (SoE) outcomes and the effects of infant sex and household chaos (HC) on the development of SoE outcomes across the second year of life. The…

Discusses processes in the development of shared pretend representations: adoption of shared pretend focus; metacommunication defining the activity as pretend play; and communication within pretend play. Examines claims that children's play becomes intersubjective only after three years of age. Concludes that intersubjectivity in peer pretend play…

Examines important behaviors and changes through which adolescents establish their autonomy. Concludes that high school students' drive for autonomy incorporates: (1) growth in behavioral autonomy from parents; (2) increased emotional autonomy from friends; and (3) the development of "grown up" identity through commission of status offenses that…

Seventeen processes in the development of expressive behavior are reviewed and coordinated in a framework that is shown to accommodate current perspectives on expressive behavior development. Works of Ekman, Izard, Lewis and Michalson, and Sroufe are briefly reviewed. Neglected areas of research are indicated and the course of expressive behavior…

The relation of prosocial behavior of 53 preschoolers to different modes of vicarious emotional responses was examined. Videotapes were used to elicit empathy, whereas vicarious emotional responses and defensive behaviors were assessed by means of self-report, facial, and heart-rate indexes. (SH)

This paper presents a summary of behavior concepts that together provide the outline of a possible developmental theory of prosocial motivation. These concepts, based on human role-taking capacities, include empathic distress, sympathetic distress, personal guilt, and existential guild. At first, a child cannot discriminate between himself and…

The Adlerian concept of behavior being purposeful and socially embedded offers a contextual backdrop for understanding teens. This article offers an overview of the Dreikurs scheme, its applicability to understanding teen behavior, and, through a case study, the method to be used to speculate about the goal and purpose that undergrid a teenager's…

Investigates children's person-by-situation knowledge of probable causes of emotion in self and in others, and compares this to adults' construals. Shows that children can generate contextual explanations for affective states in self and others that are both shared by other children and adults and selectively related to different kinds of…

A two-year study of preschoolers attempted to identify emotions and prosocial behaviors that reliably predict teachers' ratings of young preschoolers' affective and behavioral social-emotional competence. Results showed that observed emotion, especially anger and sadness, often predicted teacher ratings of social-emotional competence in…

The developmental guidance experiences (DGEs) presented in this document are intended for the elementary and secondary levels. They are structured for use with peer groups in personal and open discussion about both sides of a moral or ethical issue related to a developmental task, and to help students become more aware of their feelings and…