The purpose of this digest is to examine the meaning of the term "disposition" and to suggest the implications of dispositions for educational practice. A disposition is a tendency to exhibit frequently, consciously, and voluntarily a pattern of behavior that is directed to a broad goal. Dispositional considerations are important…

This bibliography lists examples of journal articles and chapters in edited books dealing with peace education. The major focus of the bibliography is on materials from the last 25 years and are in English, German, and the Scandinavian languages. Titles of articles in the bibliography are given in the original language. If the original language is…

Although counseling literature addresses within-group diversity among racial/ethnic groups in this country, seldom do studies examine the interpersonal dynamics within communities where minorities have fostered interdependence, cooperation, and acceptance of diversity among themselves. This paper presents an overview of some critical factors which…

This booklet relates ways to communicate with preschoolers about such phenomena as Ninja Turtles. Ninja Turtles are likeable, fun-loving creatures that have captured the imagination of children because they have a great deal of energy, strength, and power. However, because the turtles model language and engage in violence that negatively affects…

The development of social problem-solving skills in preschool children (namely, cooperative play, sharing, taking turns, understanding another person's feelings, helping, and the verbal resolution of conflict) was assessed following instruction under three conditions. A total of 35 children, of whom 18 attended a formally structured preschool…

This pilot study tested the effectiveness of direct instruction about disadvantages of aggressive behavior in helping sociometrically rejected kindergarten children break patterns of aggression. The intervention sought to change children's behavior by increasing their knowledge of the effects of their behavior on other children and by giving them…

An elementary school administrator designed and implemented a practicum study meant to enable students to gain citizenship skills needed for prosocial interactions with peers and adults. It was expected that the kindergarten through sixth-grade students would use practices acquired from their studies of law, government, and citizenship to direct…

In the developmental literature increasing attention has been given to childrearing factors and their influence on the development of childhood behavior and attitudes, focusing primarily on maladaptive behaviors. Relatively little attention has been focused on positive family factors and their influence on prosocial development. However, research…

Only recently has the question of why being in a good mood facilitates prosocial behavior been pursued. Two experiments investigated the role of pleasurable mood in: (1) choice bets as a measure of riskiness, a variable possibly implicated in helping behaviors, and (2) allocation of funds among categories intended to vary along a prosocial…

Prior research has indicated that, although negative mood induction procedures reliably lead to enhanced helping in adults, such procedures do not produce increased helping in young children. Consistent with the negative state relief model, it was expected that, relative to neutral mood subjects, children in a negative mood would be more generous…

This report statistically aggregates 230 studies on the effects of television viewing on social behavior. All empirical studies that measured a social behavior or attitude of subjects who had seen a non-educational television film or videotape and which had a program comparison group were considered appropriate. Pre-post comparison studies and…

Frequency of aggression in 5- to 8-year-old children was examined in relation to frequency of helping, comforting and sharing. Subjects (39 boys and 40 girls attending a summer day camp) were each observed for two hours and their aggressive and prosocial behaviors recorded. This study differed from previous investigations of this issue in two…

Maturity in conative development (type of motivation included in Maslow's needs hierarchy) was found to be predictive of helping behavior in middle class white male college students. The effects of safety and esteem needs were compared, and the acceptance of responsibility was also investigated. (GDC)

Third grade children were taught to share by viewing videotapes of themselves and models in a situation involving sharing. (BD)