Obtained peer nominations and observed peer contacts for three-, four-, and five-year-old preschoolers from fall to spring. Found that children's sociometric ratings became increasingly negative, especially for cross-sex peers; the frequency of cross-sex contacts decreased; and four-year olds spent more time in large groups than three- and…

Presents a model of cognition and emotion that suggests that feedback between cognition and emotion generates, maintains, and reconfigures interpretations of emotion-eliciting events at micro- and macrodevelopmental time scales and that personality and behavior self-organize in response to fluctuations in perception or cognition and trace…

The purpose of the study was to determine the relationship between language and interactive strategies used by children with peers in a shared activity. The subjects were 20 middle-class Italian children, 10 male and 10 female, between the ages of 4 and 5, who were in their last year of preschool. (CFM)

The need to recognize the social and emotional needs of children who are gifted is briefly addressed. It is noted that some gifted children have problems at school due to a lack of respect for and understanding of the ways they differ psychologically from others their age. (SW)

Examined social conflict in preschoolers' play. When children resolved conflicts, they behaved differently with friends than with acquaintances. Conciliatory gestures were used more often with friends than with acquaintances. The overwhelming majority of conflicts were resolved by children yielding to other children. (BG)

Examined adolescents' preferences for pleasure: drugs or recreation. Data from 200 high school students revealed 4 statistically significant associations in motives or pleasures sought in recreation and in drug behaviors: enhancement of personality, provision of means for self-discovery, achievement of personal goals, and means to rebel against…

Examines the predisposition of Aboriginals to use sign language in place of speech and presents observations of the use of signs in everyday interaction along with a discussion on how this tendency to communicate gesturally may relate to the use of other forms of communication. (six references) (GLR)

This research review concerning intervention to improve young children's social behavior and strategies for promoting generalization and maintenance of young children's social responding focuses on taking advantage of natural communities of reinforcement, training diversely, and incorporating functional mediators. Implications for interventionists…

Administration of the School Social Behavior Scales to 81 elementary-age gifted students indicated that subjects had higher levels of social competence and lower levels of antisocial behavior than did a comparison group. Findings also indicated the presence of a small subset of gifted students with extremely poor social competence and high levels…

Reviews three articles in this journal on pretend play. Emphasizes that, although the articles are provocative, a wider range of processes must be considered for a comprehensive theory of pretense. Argues that a complete theory of mind must successfully explain how pretense develops and becomes a socially shared activity. (MM)

Rated gender boundary violation and maintenance of 47 preadolescents participating in a summer day camp. Found that children who violated gender boundaries tended to be unpopular with peers; and children who maintained boundaries were judged by camp counselors to be more competent socially than children who violated boundaries. (MDM)

Examines whether computer-literate college students can be induced to use social rules distinguishing "self" and "other" to respond to the behaviors of technologies. Finds that respondents used voices but not boxes (computers) to distinguish self from other behavior in applying the social rules on performance evaluation, praise, and criticism. (RS)

Examined how aspects of preschoolers' peer-conflict behavior varied according to partner. Found that initiating and negotiating behavior in early sessions better predicted behavior in the fourth session for the same-partner versus change-partner group. Results indicated that much of preschoolers' conflict behavior was sensitive to influences…

Presents curriculum as a complex social process. Explores chaos theory as a metaphor for understanding curriculum and a framework for viewing the curriculum-development process. Provides examples of collaborative leadership (described by David Chrislip and Carl Larson) and shows how they might answer Joseph Schwab's call for a deliberative…

Defines "identity deployment" as a form of strategic collective action and asks under what political conditions are identities that celebrate or suppress differences deployed. Compares strategies used by lesbian and gay rights campaigns; shows that interaction among social movement organizations, state actors, and opposition movements…