Some of the features of social play in mixed-aged dyads composed of three- and five-year-old children are explored. Suggestions for further study of social interaction among children are discussed. (Author/MC)

Investigated the generally neglected effects of the cotrainer relationship in studies of the outcome of couples communication training. Male-female cotrainer pairs modeled verbal dominance patterns similar or dissimilar to those of client couples. Changes in couples' speaking patterns after a two-hour workshop mirrored their trainers' models.…

Analysis of responses of children and adolescents to video-taped, role-played problems indicated tenth-grade subjects used more negative statements, fewer disclosures, and more advisements than subjects in lower grades. (Author)

An investigation of the verbal "following behaviors" of 245 third-grade children indicated that selected role-taking groups of children chose, or were chosen by the teacher, to talk following the verbal contributions of certain role groups of children while avoiding talk following the contributions of other role groups. (Author/DS)

Measures of pragmatic development for children in the second year of life were developed based on a 30-minute language sample drawn from 20 children. Results support the view that the range of pragmatic functions grows steadily during the one-word and early two-word stage and that it is measurable. (Author/AM)

Patterns of verbal interaction between staff and 29 residents (8-32 years old) in a training center for young mentally retarded persons were examined. Conversation type initiations from staff elicited more verbal responses from residents than other types of verbal stimuli. (Author)

Examines the relationship between kindergartners' (N=168) perceptions of competence and teacher comments. Results indicate that teachers did not more frequently praise students who had higher perceptions of competence than students with lower perceptions. No relationship emerged concerning the effects of teacher praise or criticism on changes in…

The effects of sociometric (based on student choice) and nonsociometric grouping on the social acceptance and small group interaction were studied using data from 102 third graders in five classrooms. Sociometric grouping procedures had a positive effect on social acceptance and did affect the number and types of verbal interactions. (SLD)

Examines the current state of play in text production and consumption in the specific context of electronic text production and consumption. The article points out that the key to the modern textual revolution is the captured keystroke. It is concluded that text on paper, or some synthetic equivalent, will survive, although voice-driven text…

Discusses how presenters must act as guides to their audiences. As an example, the paper describes a trip through the Serengeti in which the guide was powerful and effective in teaching his audience. Notes goals that all presenters must strive for (activities, engagement, content, dispositions, capacities, and ideals). (SM)

The role of contextual factors in intelligibility was examined using sentences produced under varying conditions by a speaker with severe flaccid dysarthria. Results indicated that gestures, predictiveness, and context influenced intelligibility. It is argued that when signal fidelity is poor, different combinations of signal-independent…

Used a client-behavior system to evaluate the therapeutic process with 27 sexually abused girls enrolled in individual counseling. Findings indicate that clients were more likely to provide abuse-related answers in response to questions pertaining to child sexual abuse, regardless of whether they were treated by a male or female counselor. (RJM)

Child and caregiver conversations were studied within a highly redundant caretaking routine in a preschool setting with six children and three caregivers. Results suggest that the hypothesis of predictability and semantic contingency are of relevance in explaining how children learn to talk about the here-and-now. (SLD)

A study of verbal interaction between mothers and children in 24 poor families in Santiago, Chile, focused on the number and type of conversations, the times they began, their length, the number of subjects discussed, and the mother's role in them. Results indicate that the quality of interaction between mothers and children in poor homes can be…

Argues that the results detailed in Bryant, MacLean, and Bradley's 1990 article do not differ greatly with those reported earlier by Bowey and Patel, and suggests that discrepancies between the two statistical analyses reflect the relative size of simple correlations and are attributable to differences in the designs of the two studies. (30…