A school psychologist implemented a practicum designed to increase the prosocial behaviors of children attending a preschool center that integrated handicapped (N=26) and nonhandicapped (N=22) children. Observations had indicated that many of the children at the center were unable to work and play with others without hitting and getting hurt in…

This presentation describes young children's social development, beginning with infancy and spanning the early childhood years. Topics include: (1) attachment when the infant is very young; (2) a social-learning theory view of the early months of life; (3) the onset of prosocial behavior and responsibility; and (4) competence in the early…

Although many modern occupations require employees to express particular types of emotions while doing their jobs, little empirical evidence exists about factors related to emotional behavior on the job. This study investigated the relationship between emotional displays (smiling, greeting, thanking, eye contact) of sales clerks and variables of…

The director of a not-for-profit nursery school adapted the adult stress management techniques of exercise and relaxation for use with 3- to 5-year-old children. Specifically, children were taught visualization techniques and yoga exercises involving deep breathing. The goal of the practicum was to rechannel children's negative stress-related…

Eleven preschool play centers in a preschool classroom were randomly sampled and observed during children's free play. Frequency of use, frequency of social and nonsocial behaviors, and quality (positive or negative) of social interactions occurring within them were recorded. A time-sampling procedure was used to obtain data. A total of 160…

Of general interest in this study comparing two cottage-home art therapy groups was the question of whether or not a token reward system would increase children's cooperative behaviors and art production. Participants in the study were residents at a treatment facility for abused children. Cottages differed in the responsiveness of residents to…

The purpose of this paper is to elucidate processes involved in the sibling relationship in terms of four dimensions that are focal in the literature: imitation, dominance, agonism (negative behavior directed towards a sibling), and prosocial behavior. A number of findings on these dimensions were culled from 24 studies, 18 of which were done…

If live-model prosocial programs such as "Sesame Street" and "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" can facilitate favorable behavior in preschoolers, as was shown by Rushton (1982), then it seems reasonable to suggest that cartoons might have a similar positive impact. This study sought to determine whether viewing a prosocial cartoon would be as…

This study examined the effects of aggressive, neutral, and prosocial television programs on the way in which preschool children handle frustration. Subjects were 39 girls and 47 boys, ages 4.0 to 5.6, enrolled in a nine week summer nursery school program that met three times a week. During the middle four weeks, subjects were shown a total of 12…

This study tested the hypothesis that the frequency of prosocial behavior of six 5-year-old kindergarten boys could be increased by reinforcing such behavior more powerfully than competing, non-social behavior. A sand-play machine was designed for the study. The machine could be modified to structure contingencies of reinforcement for social…

The use of a forced-contact procedure to increase the rate of interaction between a socially withdrawn 3 1/2-year-old boy and his peers is described in this paper. A play group, consisting of four 3- to 5-year-old children, met three times a week for approximately 45 minutes in the isolate child's home. Each session consisted of a structured…

Recent theory and research concerning sex roles have viewed masculinity and femininity as separate and independent dimensions of desirable human functioning, denoting dominant-instrumental and nurturant-expressive domains of behavior, respectively. Androgynous self-definitions may also provide greater adaptive advantages for members of both sexes.…

The differential effects of self- and other-directed negative affect on subsequent generosity are explored in two studies, both using a modified version of the direct mood inducement procedure (Moore, 1973). Subjects (N=85) in the first experiment were children aged 7-12. Subjects (N=48) in the second experiment were college undergraduates.…

This paper investigates the effects of age and sex on the spontaneous helping behavior of preschool children. Forty-six middle-class children, 22 boys and 24 girls, attending school in a small city in northeastern Kansas took part in the study. Children were divided by median split into younger and older groups. Taped interactions of children with…

This annotated bibliography cites 36 articles dealing with the influence of television viewing on the attitudes and values of the young child. Articles are listed in three categories--negative, ambivalent, and positive. The material contained in the "negative" approach indicates that television has increased unfavorable reactions among young…