Stresses the value of early peer interaction among young children for future academic, social, and career development, describing the components of social skills and suggesting ways to help children become socially competent. (KS)

Relation between age and helping behavior was examined in an experimental study in which children directly observed an emergency and had opportunity to intervene. A second study was then conducted, in which an emergency was staged, in order to elicit comments about factors that may inhibit helping behavior. Findings indicated a relationship…

Elementary Boys' generosity toward peers following a success experience varied according to resulting positive and negative affects. Role of context of success relative to affective arousal and generosity were explored. Results indicated importance of considering the context of success and relevance of negative affects induced by a success…

Children in kindergarten and first grade were rewarded for telling stories about fantasy figures, then encouraged to donate their rewards to handicapped children. Main effects were found only for grade, with first-grade children donating more than kindergarten children. Type of story had a greater influence on first grader's donations. (Author/DWH)

This study emphasizes it is important and necessary that an English as a foreign language (EFL) speaker should develop their knowledge in pragmatic and sociolinguistic rules in order to avoid failure and misunderstanding in intercultural communication. This paper proposes to raise the EFL speakers' pragmatic awareness in cross-cultural…

This guide explains the concept of "special play" and provides instructions for parents on how to use this daily 15-minute play period to encourage positive behaviors in their young children. The purpose of special play is to create situations in which children become aware of feelings that they have not previously recognized, build children's…

Three studies were conducted to assess age-related changes in children's compliant helping behavior (helping directed toward a peer at an adult's request) in relationship to (1) information about another's need, (2) knowledge about how to help, and (3) the helper's perception of interpersonal and situational constraints on helping. (Author/RH)

To assess the efficacy of an interpersonal skill training program, adult offenders were randomly assigned to either interpersonal effectiveness training or waiting-list control. Results indicated interpersonal effectiveness training group superiority on Interpersonal Behavior Role-Play Test training and generalization assessment items. Findings…

A sample of 41 fourth- through sixth-grade children participated in structured situations and were rated by themselves and their teachers on the same four facets of prosocial conduct (donating, helping, sharing, and cooperating). Among the results, the relationship between need for approval and prosocial conduct varied inversely with the…

The relationship between role-taking ability and prosocial behaviors was studied developmentally with 20 gifted 3-year-olds. The relationship between IQ and role taking increased from fall to spring; however, neither IQ nor role-taking ability were found to be reliable predictors of prosocial behaviors in the spring, suggesting that psychosocial…

Assessed the relation between four- and five-year-olds' prosocial behavior and empathy with a modified version of the Feshbach empathy measure. Prosocial behaviors were assessed naturalistically over 10 weeks. (Author/SS)

Explores the influence of three aspects of other-oriented consequences upon ongoing delay behavior of kindergarten children: (a) knowing that one's behavior has consequences for others, (b) having social relationships with affected others, (c) having potential future social consequences for the individual. A number of personality measures were…

Investigates the effects of directiveness of instructions and modeling on the production and persistence of children's donations. Subjects were 48 first- and fourth-grade children. (CM)

Eighty-five children between 7 and 12 years of age were asked to discuss happy, sad, or affectively neutral incidents that had been experienced either by themselves or by another child. Each child received prize chips for participating in the study. Then the children were given the opportunity to share their experimental earnings with some less…

Explores the case for viewing altruism as an inherent part of human nature. Postulates an altruistic disposition or motive to act which is under the control of perceptual and cognitive processes. Presents psychological evidence complementing this view. Discusses social implications of a biological basis for human altruism. (RH)