Psychosocial development is the focus of this psychology textbook. In part 1, a view of human development and society, the following areas are covered: (1) basic concepts of psychosocial development; (2) ways of viewing human development; and (3) dilemmas in human development. Part 2, the development of symbolic behavior and special factors in…

Examined the role of pretend play interactions in stimulating social and emotional competence by comparing the quality of pretend and nonpretend social play. Found that pretend play involved more complex, mutually responsive, and emotionally invested social interaction than nonpretend play. Expression of psychosocial issues within pretense was…

Numerous studies have demonstrated a decrease in the expression of internality in French sixth graders as compared to fifth graders. The present study examines normative clearsightedness in addition to internality across four French school grades (fourth to seventh). The results confirmed the sixth-grade drop in internality and showed that the…

This paper discusses various theories of developmental psychology, and presents a developmental theory of socialization founded upon the following premises: (1) that a materialistic theory of development and socialization must incorporate not only ecological aspects but also underlying political/economic dynamics of the society in which and for…

Psychosocial adaptations are sometimes affected by experiences that are ordinarily considered to be amusements. In 1974, a field study was undertaken by the Program on Psychosocial Adaptation and the Future to determine if it is possible to measure the effect of television on adult viewers. A sample of 260 couples, controlled for demographic…

This paper reviews evidence obtained from an analysis of the behavior of 3 to 11 year olds as observed in natural settings in the six culture study and preliminary findings from observing the behavior of mothers and children in a variety of settings in Kenya. The definition of "modern" includes at least three separate indices--the…

The school is one of the primary agents in the reproduction of patriarchal relations within society. Methods whereby female students are socialized into more typical roles by patriarchal schooling include: (1) the organization and structure of the school; (2) biased curriculum materials; and (3) distinctions based on gender in the classroom. (JN)

Explored interrelationships among day-care experience, temperament, and preschoolers' social behaviors in a peer play laboratory. Found that sex predicted both aggressive and prosocial behaviors, and daycare inhibited socialization for some children. Findings suggest that variables of temperament and day-care experience are important to consider…

The goal of the project presented in the practicum was to help parents develop competencies in interacting with their children in ways which foster self esteem and cooperative behavior. The objectives of the practicum included, first, increasing parents' knowledge of: (1) the factors leading to high self esteem and cooperative behavior; (2) the…

To assess sex role development in Mexican-American males, about 40 kindergarten boys from low middle to very low socioeconomic backgrounds were divided into 2 statistical test groups according to whether their fathers were or were not resident in the home. Data were obtained from toy preference scorings, which followed Biller's 1968 measure;…

The paper defines and discusses various social learning theories. Central to most theories of how an individual acquires socially acceptable behaviors are the processes of imitation, or observational learning, and identification, or modeling. The effectiveness of each process is noted. (SB)

This study explores the construct validity of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), which was created as a standardized tool for recording the behaviors of children aged 4 through 16 as reported by their parents or caretakers. Since its inception in 1983, the CBCL has been applied and tested on numerous clinical samples, yielding an impressive body…

This newsletter issue's feature describes difficulties the special child faces in acquiring social skills, and ways in which families and teachers can help. It outlines the socialization process beginning in early infancy, with eating habits being one of the first ways an infant is socialized into his or her culture. In early childhood, the…

A selective review of the literature on the socialization effect of games uncovers a varied and increasing number of hypotheses, but only little and scattered evidence. Direct studies of play and game functions are primarily in uncontrolled clinical reports. Therefore, a pilot study was conducted as a preliminary attempt to establish correlational…

Previous studies have shown that American mothers, in contrast to Japanese, do more lively chatting to their babies, and that as a result, the American babies have a generally higher level of vocalization and, particularly, they respond with greater amounts of happy vocalization and gross motor activity than do Japanese babies. Thus, it appears…