Errorless acquiescence training (EAT) was developed as a graduated, success-focused, and short-term intervention for building social skills. The approach focuses on building the skill of acquiescence (i.e., teaching children to be flexible with the needs and will of peers). The authors predict that acquiescence would serve as a "keystone", that…

This short-term longitudinal study examined changes over time in social competence with peers as a function of child and classroom characteristics. One hundred and seventy ethnically diverse low-income children, all new to their peer groups, entered childcare classrooms with heterogeneous entry policies and ethnic/racial compositions. We observed…

We discuss how the five core competencies for healthy adjustment in adolescence (a positive sense of self, self-control, decision-making skills, a moral system of belief, and prosocial connectedness) are represented in theories of aggression and youth violence. We then discuss research supporting the relation between these core competencies and…

Recent studies have found distinct subtypes of aggressive youth, marked by either high social status or social marginalization, and that various measures of status differentially associate with aggression. The majority of these studies, however, focused on boys, adolescents, and/or relational aggression in girls. The current research examined how…

This article reports on 2 studies investigating a response-to-intervention (RTI) approach to behavior support in 2 second-grade classrooms. The results suggest that a slightly more intensive but efficient targeted intervention ("check in and check out") was effective in supporting the social behavior success of 4 students whose problem behaviors…

This manuscript presents a study in which the factor structure and validity of the Adolescent Self-Regulatory Inventory (ASRI) were examined. The ASRI is a theoretically-based questionnaire that taps two temporal aspects of self-regulation (regulation in the short- and long-term). 169 students in the 6th, 8th, and 10th grades of a small,…

Well-informed teachers of young children recognize the importance of children's social development. The development of social skills lays a critical foundation for later academic achievement as well as work-related skills. Social development is such a key issue with young children that a number of methods to address social skills have been…

Rituals are often present at times of tension, change, and uncertainty and they perform important and diverse functions at such times. They are, however, virtually absent at one important and increasingly common event, divorce. Families do draw upon rituals to deal with in-law relationships following divorce. This report stemmed from a research…

The most general explanation of the impact of positive and negative affect on prosocial behavior has been based on the notion that prosocial responses are self-reinforcing. Accordingly, people who are feeling good are inclined to help others in order to maintain their pleasant affect, whereas those who are feeling badly are likely to help in order…

The purpose of this study was to provide a description of the kinds of prosocial behavior that 2- and 5-year-old children naturally exhibit. Caretakers were asked for their observations of children's prosocial behavior in natural settings. Specifically, 40 parents and teachers who had daily interactions with 2-year-olds were asked to name the most…

A study on the effect of viewing violence on television on childrens' behavior was conducted within the context of sport activity. Three sports--baseball, hockey, and lacrosse--were chosen. Teams of children from three different age groups were the subjects. Within each of the age levels in each sport, teams were selected and assigned to…

Preschoolers' perceptions of the reality of selected televised portrayals were investigated in this study. Three factors (type of event, character, and format) were examined as a function of the age and sex of the children. Thirty-six 4- and 5 1/2-year-olds were asked to judge the reality of specific televised events shown on videotape. The events…

Children's sharing and helping behaviors were observed after they had seen an adult who modeled donation behavior and/or who preached either about the importance of sharing or about the importance of helping others. (Author/JMB)

Presents practical suggestions for encouraging helping behavior through classroom climate, structure, activities, and materials. (BD)

A sample of 79 children from 5 to 8 years of age were observed for a 6-week period while they attended summer camp. Their inferential ability was assessed by asking each child to interpret a series of videotaped social episodes which were then related to their observed assertive and prosocial behaviors. (Author/JMB)