Examined whether physical restraints are related to decreased social behavior among nursing home residents. Data collected from 112 nursing home residents suggest that low social performance puts resident at risk of being restrained, but more frequently use of restraint hampers resident's performance of social behavior. (Author/NB)

Discusses technical and vocational education in China as it relates to the status and trends of youth employment. Indicates that in addition to providing labor skills, it integrates the behavioral norms of modern civilization and cultural knowledge with technical training and the cultivation of vocational morale. (JOW)

Describes a computer program that simulates the emergence of affiliation networks in preschool groups and examines theoretical issues raised by the model. The simulation implies that triadic interactions are not essential in the formation of affiliative structures and that polyadic friendship groupings can be understood as sets of dyadic…

Studies social play and social and solitary pretend play in well-acquainted toddlers aged 14-38 months in order to describe a sequence of progressively more complex social pretend play forms. Results indicate that social pretend play forms emerge later than comparable solitary pretend and social play forms. (RJC)

Studied 14 peer dyads at 16, 20, 24, 28, and 32 months to assess developmental changes in social coordinations. Results indicated a marked increase with age in acts coordinated with those of a peer. Imitations of the peer's nonverbal actions accounted for most of the developmental change. (RJC)

Examined the relation between infant-sibling affective involvement and the attachment security of 1-7-year-old children of 53 mothers. Secure infants reacted less negatively than insecure infants when mothers turned their attention to an older child. (RJC)

Outlines a lecture designed for an introductory sociology course. Explores the ways that cult leaders manipulate their followers. Deals with possible dysfunctions of extremely religious groups of people. Utilizes a card trick to illustrate the ways in which charismatic leaders successfully control their audience. (KO)

Basketball experts (N=28) responded to "rule- and norm-related behavior" questionnaire, assessing crisis relevance of behaviors which were against rules of situation and were either fair or unfair, called or not called by officials. Results revealed that officials' calls and fairness of violations substantially influenced diagnostic…

Investigates factors of social influence strategies employed by 195 children aged 11-15 and 114 mothers. Girls reported more frequent use and success of strategies anticipating noncompliance and boys more frequent use and success of autonomous strategies. Mothers reported differential reinforcement of boys' and girls' strategies. (RJC)

Behavioral and physiological assessments of 41 seven-and-one-half-year-old children who had been selected to be inhibited or uninhibited at 21 months and observed again at four and five-and-one-half years revealed that each of the two original behavioral profiles predicted theoretically reasonable derivatives. Shy children remained shy, while…

This introduction to and overview of a special issue on social behavior assessment within schools discusses the impact of function-based methodologies on assessment and intervention practices in identification and remediation of challenging social behaviors. (JDD)

Provides an analysis of America based on the travel accounts of several foreign visitors and diplomats over the course of U.S. history. Viewpoints are expressed that reveal an America with many contradictions and a dark side. (GLR)

Describes investigation systematically comparing influence of naturalistic social behaviors and nonbehavioral variables, measured by live observations, on development of peer status in unfamiliar boys attending summer research program. Participants included attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and comparison boys. Discusses implications for…

Examined the relations among strategy knowledge about making friends, prosocial and antisocial behavior, and peer acceptance at school in a sample of 423 sixth and seventh graders. Findings indicated that knowledge of both appropriate and inappropriate strategies for making friends was related to both types of social behavior and to peer…

This paper discusses historical efforts to integrate social competence into a definition of mental retardation; presents a reconceptualized model of mental retardation as a condition characterized by deficits in social, practical, and conceptual intelligence; and argues that a definition of mental retardation based on social competence outcomes…