The study was undertaken to determine if there were differences in the social perception of 23 learning disabled (LD) and 34 nonLD elementary school children. Results showed that LD children were less accurate in their perception of social interactions than normal children. (Author/SB)

The investigation of developmental integration among preschool children included a descriptive study of social proximity and social integration in a university-based model program, a replication of the methods and analyses in seven community sites, and a comparative analysis of the findings. Observations of geographic proximity and social…

Direct defiance and passive noncompliance decreased with age, while simple refusal and negotiation increased with age. Five year olds who used skillful forms of resistance were more skillful when directing requests to mothers. Only unskillful noncompliance predicted later ratings of behavior problems. Sex differences and associations between…

Examines influences of peer relations on the development of social and cognitive competence. Discusses implications of differences in boys' and girls' play styles for cognitive skills and the development of intimacy. Notes that gender segregation is initiated and maintained within the peer group. (BAC)

Narrative observations were made of kindergarten through fourth grade students' challenges of their peers' inappropriate behavior and of the responses made to the challenges. Approximately 90 hours of observation in 10 classrooms yielded 728 occasions in which an interchange began with one child challenging another. Three types of responses to…

Female relationships are described as more intense, demonstrative, exclusive, and nurturant than male. Male relationships are more likely to be based on enjoyable companionship and similarity in attitudes. The relationship is important enough to development that lack of a close friend should be viewed as a deficit. (Author)

Explores the contribution of participant observation as a research method to the study of childhood. Discusses how participant observation permits a more comprehensive understanding of the process of friendship making than traditional sociometric techniques, and shows that, for the researcher, remembered experiences of participation and…

The Autism Diagnostic Interview was used to assess the difference between a group of 21 males and 21 females (ages 6-36) with autism with equivalent chronological nonverbal intelligence quotients greater than 60. Males were rated more severely autistic than females on several measures of early social development but not in other areas such as…

Drawing on social learning and structural family theories, this study examined connections between young adolescents' experiences with their parents and their best friends. Findings revealed links between European American boys' experiences with their fathers and their best friends and between the nature of the parent-adolescent hierarchy and both…

This study addressed the question of developmental processes underlying gender differences in aggression. Specifically, the study examined stories young children tell about nice or mean social interactions. A total of 100 middle-class 3-year-olds participated in storytelling sessions with trained experimenters. Subjects also completed the Peer…

Describes sex education as process of character-building, indicating need for teacher to decide what personal commitments are necessary for meaningful personal relationships. Presents research data to help teachers clarify stand on sexual behavior or use findings as background information for discussion. (Author/CJ)

Describes cooperative learning in three high school classrooms showing that the cooperative learning strategy may be a potent instrument in work-mate preference stability and change. The examples also demonstrate the value of this strategy for maximizing intergroup interaction for the promotion of learning experiences. (JD)

This study investigates the effects of social relationships curricula and sex differences on reading readiness and imaginativeness. The subjects were ninety-six 5-year-olds from four kindergarten classrooms. In the pre- and post-assessment phase of the study the children were administered the Gates MacGinitie Reading Readiness Skills Test and the…

Investigated the extent of children's loneliness, their perceived ease in making friends, their estimated social competence as a function of grade and sex, and their preferences concerning eight childhood activities. A loneliness scale and a sociometric peer nomination form were administered to 364 students in grades two, four, and six. (Author/BN)

Twenty-two studies are reviewed that report the effects of social skills training and intervention with 572 children (ages 5-19) with learning disabilities. Characteristics examined, along with intervention effectiveness, include age and sex of subjects, grade grouping, group size, intervention duration, intervention procedures, subject selection,…