Presents PEERS, a broad based intervention program designed for remediating social withdrawal among isolate children and promoting increased peer interactions. PEERS examines deficits in four skill areas: the child's social, language, and motoric competencies, and the parents' child-rearing ability. (MJL)

Examined the support for, and consequences of, youths' drug involvement in neighborhoods having different degrees of toughness and drug use. Surveyed junior high school students (N=1,045) about their drug use. Found an interactive relationship between neighborhood setting and supports and consequences of drug involvement. (JAC)

The process by which boys from different subcultures use racial and behavioral cues in establishing their preference for unfamiliar children was studied. Racial but not socioeconomic status differences in the use of behaviors as social cues was found. (Author/GK)

Explores a structural exchange theory of marital interaction. Discusses importance of considering structural and temporal dimensions involved in marital exchange. Suggests examining the influence of the social structure on the cognitive orientations of marital partners and the subsequent exchange relationship. Examines how trust and commitment…

A co-educational living-learning center for the arts was studied through participant observation and quantitative assessment. The results document the importance of full self-selection into a membership group and demonstrate the relationships between reference group identification, basic interests in personality, and social behavior. (Author)

Recounts a series of teaching exercises designed to develop a critical awareness of attitudes toward gays and lesbians. The first set consists of short, active-listening exercises between students. The second involves observation and comparison of public displays of affection between heterosexual couples and gay couples. (MJP)

The behavior of 80 individuals with mental retardation living in community residences was assessed to investigate the influence of architectural features identified with homelikeness. Results found that adaptive and maladaptive behavior covaried with homelikeness ratings. Associations between specific architectural features and the behavior of…

Examined peer group contextual effects on relations between academic achievement and social functioning among Chinese 9-, 13-, and 16-year-olds. Found that peer groups were highly homogeneous on academic achievement. Academic achievement and social adjustment were associated at within-group individual and group levels. Group academic performance…

Discusses language and interpersonal communication skills in light of the pervasiveness of electronic devices, that do not require speaking. Correlates the lack of communication skills to the rise in violence in America. Concludes that we cannot allow the proliferation of information technology to vitiate the strength of our personal communication…

Studied adolescent personal and interpersonal characteristics, including social competence and thoughts on friendship and romantic interests during a camp reunion. Found that concurrent interest in relationships is a stronger predictor of social competence for participants with anxious histories, although participants with secure histories were…

Examined the impact of computers on the social behavior of 14 preschoolers over a 2-month period. Found that there were a total of 91 peer interactions and 33 teacher interactions, including children acknowledging each other, children commenting and being ignored, and children sharing or helping each other. Boys used the computer more than girls.…

Studied whether social skills intervention would be more effective when delivered in presence of high-social-status (HS) students in grades two, three, and four. Assigned 35 low-social-status students to intervention with HS peers, without HS peers, or no intervention. Evaluations of peer ratings, social problem solving, and teacher ratings…

Examines fifth- and sixth-grade children's responses to social rejection in relation to beliefs about the relative malleability of social skills and perceptions of responsibility for and control over social outcomes. Results show such beliefs and perceptions are associated with children's ability to surmount rejections and persist toward social…

Examines the importance of goals and style in female competition. Describes an ethnographic study of 27 girls and 12 boys playing a ball game at a Quaker school. Finds that the girls used stereotypically feminine rhetoric to support aggressive competition. (FMW)

A small group program designed to improve social interaction between children and their autistic siblings is evaluated. Problem solving, role playing, rehearsal, homework projects, and contingency management procedures are used in group sessions. Results of the observational assessment confirm the feasibility of successful interactional training…