Certain unpleasant emotional states do alter cognitive information processing strategies. High arousal negative moods and very high arousal positive moods seem to make people more attracted to higher risk. This actually leads to a higher rate of misfortunes or negative outcomes. Low arousal negative moods, on the other hand, seem to make people…

The transition from elementary school to middle-level or from middle-level to high school is very difficult for many students. While some students are mature enough to deal with their fears on their own or ask for the help they need, many struggle through these transitional times. They may manifest their difficulties with sudden outbursts of…

Assessed the effects of peer and authority social pressure on evaluative responses of 44 graduate students in counseling. Subjects were assigned randomly to three research groups. Results indicated that both pressure conditions produced significantly greater distortion (conformity) than controls. Authority pressure was not significantly more…

The effect of peer approval and disapproval on improvement in pitch intonation performance and on the approval/disapproval behavior of fellow students was investigated. The data replicate findings that peers may be effective behavior modifiers and aides to the learning process. (Author/AM)

Nonassertive junior high school students were assigned randomly to assertion training involving drug-use peer pressure. At posttest and at a three-year follow-up point, students continued to display high levels of assertiveness and less willingness to use alcohol and marijuana. (Author/PN)

High school teachers were separated into groups of four to complete educationally related or noneducationally related ranking tasks. While no significant differences were found between the number of initial suggestions which the group accepted, males made significantly more accepted final arguments for items on the ranking tasks. (Author)

Examines possible intended and unintended effects on adolescents of two dominant socialization strategies for preventing premarital pregnancy: (1) the moral absolutes strategy, represented by perceived sexual permissiveness of parents/friends, religiosity, and sex-guilt; and (2) the relative consequences strategy which emphasizes pregnancy…

The effect of free- versus no-talk conditions between target and peer subjects under vicarious reward conditions was examined. Data collected from fourth graders on an alphabet reproduction task showed that vicarious reinforcement effects occurred when verbal communication of reward enjoyment to nonreward subjects was possible. (Author/BW)

Examines the relationship between self-evaluation and social comparison in adolescent males during their last two years of high school. The question is empirically examined in two realms that capture primary features of the adolescent transition: physical transformation and social role reorganization. (Author/RH)

Examines peer influences on the sex-role development of preschoolers. The occurrence of sex-stereotyped activities and peer responses to them were observed in a naturalistic setting. (CM)

The quality of play that 26 toddlers engaged in was examined in four successive social settings: (1) mother-child; (2) child alone; (3) mother, child, peer; (4) child-peer. Results are discussed in terms of how the social setting and the sex of the child influence play behavior. (Author/DB)

The investigation systematically assessed whether four autistic children (5 to 7 years old) would improve their learning of discrimination tasks if they observed normal children perform the task correctly. In each case, the peer modeling procedure produced rapid achievement of the acquisition criterion which was maintained after the peer models…

In a treatment facility positive peer culture was operationalized after the completion of a level system. Comparing the programs, positive peer culture had fewer runaways, and less physical aggression, drug abuse, property destruction and suicidal behavior, while having more break-ins on campus and improper affection displays. (Author)

Discusses how a student's participation in a group can influence his or her behavior and how teachers can anticipate conflict situations and manage them. (IRT)