A teacher shares how a mainstreamed reading group can be a medium through which children are enabled not only to make reading gains but to better accept individual differences in themselves and in others. Examples are offered from her third grade class. (DG)

Discusses elements of developmental theory needed in selecting literature for children, synthesizing Damon's (1977) and Selman's (1976) primary school stages. Criteria for choosing books about sharing are suggested, and an annotated list of books about sharing is offered along with suggestions for using the books. (RH)

Argues that in order to understand how the capacity for altruism develops and comes under self-control it is necessary first to understand the nature and development of the self-control. (MP)

A total of 42 middle-income kindergarten and sixth-grade children were exposed to a person modeling generosity, selfishness, or neither characteristic. As expected, younger children patterned their behaviors more on the model's example than did older children. (MP)

Positive and negative mood conditions do affect principled moral reasoning. Results do not imply that affective states raise levels of moral reasoning, but a positive affective state provides a condition conducive to using more principled level moral reasoning. (Author/JAC)

Sixty-eight preschoolers (30 to 60 months old) were told that a toy belonged either to them or to the class or were given no specific instructions. Their subsequent behavior with the toy was observed. (JMB)

Two field experiments were conducted to determine the motivations involved in positive mood and guilt-induced helping behavior. (Author)

Demonstrates that the effect of negative mood, such as sadness, on altruism depends critically on the individual's focus of attention. Subjects were 36 undergraduate students. (MP)

Examines the relationship between poverty and family instability during childhood on prosocial behavior (volunteerism) during late adolescence. Data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY), including mother and family records, indicate that adolescents, particularly males, from single parent families are less likely than those from…

Claims that even if objections to eudaimonism are completely correct, critics still have not explained how anyone might develop a eudaimonistic moral conception. Concludes that moral personality is a legitimate object of study and discusses the challenges posed by taking moral personality seriously. (MOK)

Examined the relationship between perspective taking in response to another's distress and prosocial behavior and dispositional affective empathy in late childhood. The tendency to reflect spontaneously on the inner experience of others who are unfortunate was positively related to prosocial behavior in boys and to affective empathy in both sexes.…

Investigated whether dementing adult day care clients demonstrated positive behaviors during activities with young children that they did not demonstrate during similar activities without children. Findings from 21 clients revealed that adults showed significant increases in touching and extending hands in presence of children, while also showing…

Explores the relationship between religiosity and interpersonal friendliness and cooperation using data from the 1979-80 National Survey of Black Americans (NSBA). Results indicate that respondents who engage in frequent devotional activities are reported to be more open and less suspicious, and more enjoyable to interview, than their…

Considers how forgiveness is learned and what developmental features it has in common with other prosocial activities. Maintains that viewing forgiveness within a moral developmental framework does not consider its complex nature nor address related issues such as damage severity, restoring relationships, empathy, or altruism. Explores these areas…