Emotional development of handicapped children is examined from the perspective of attachment-separation-individuation theory. Data suggests that handicapped children are at greater risk of disordered patterns of interaction, delayed progression through stages of attachment-separation-individuation, and incomplete internalization of object and…

A content analysis was performed on 57 selected children's books to identify the kinds of information presented about death. Among the factors analyzed were the place of death, who died, cause of death, feelings expressed by the dying person, the nature of the funeral, and questions asked by the child characters. (A selected bibliography of…

Reviews a study's findings on children's (N=267) knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors toward animals and natural habitats. Research results indicate that existence of three stages in the development of children's perceptions of animals. Major differences in age, sex, ethnicity and urban/rural residence were also noted. (ML)

Considers forces which influence the behavior of adolescents during dating, and traces changes in dating patterns. The main areas of influence during dating are seen as physiological changes, social pressures, and the personal meaning attributed to these forces in the individual's striving toward maturity. (JAC)

A 14-year-old with mild mental retardation and behavioral features suggestive of Asperger's syndrome is described. At the onset of puberty lethargic episodes took on a more dramatic form and became more reminiscent of cycloid/manic-depressive psychosis. Neurobiological links with and differences from the syndrome of infantile autism were found.…

Researchers are investigating how emotions affect the ways in which children think and interact with others. The Minnesota Preschool Project used observation measures for general types of positive, negative, and inappropriate emotional expression. "Social competence" was found to be highly correlated with the number of positive expressions minus…

Compared eight lower socioeconomic status abusive mothers with eight matched controls and eight middle class controls on three measures of emotional and somatic distress. Abusive mothers showed far greater depression and physical distress than controls and used more physical punishment. (BH)

Affective education's goals can be sabotaged by unrecognized ethnicism in the teacher, the school, or the materials used. Teacher/facilitators of affective strategies should develop a sensitivity to all types of ethnicism. This paper considers the implications and concerns of ethnic awareness which are specific to drug education. (Author)

Interprets a range of affective evaluation practices, with a brief discussion of the strengths and limitations of each. Ideas for some new directions are also explored. (Author/JG)

The hypothesis tested was that the evaluations and affective responses which accompany ongoing behavior may operate as reinforcers and punishers, thus exercising control over the persistence of those behaviors. Results indicate potent systematic effects due to the differing content of such evaluations and the associated affect or affective tone.…

Noting that the death of a loved one brings grief to children as well as adults, this Digest draws on research to examine how children respond to death and the role of parents and teachers in helping children cope with loss. The Digest delineates children's "tasks" during mourning that are essential to their adjustment to loss, such as…

In the recent past, research on binge drinking has focused on the incidence and reasons for drinking among college students. Students at a mid-sized suburban university answered questions regarding their alcohol consumption, their reasons for drinking, and the negative experiences that they had as a result of drinking. The results of this survey…

Contextual perceptions, motivational beliefs, and achievements of 389 female high school students in Seoul, Korea were examined longitudinally during an academic year. Contextual perceptions and motivational beliefs were assessed within the contexts of general school learning and specific school subjects. Overall, personal motivation beliefs were…

In this communication we analyze a dichotomy that pervades research on attitude in mathematics education: the classification of attitude as positive/negative. After highlighting the ambiguity of the term "positive", and some problems related to it, we suggest that the positive/negative dichotomy is too simplistic to take into account the deep…

This paper reports on conversations with Palestinian youth to help gain insight into their perceptions of the ongoing events of the Intifada. Through the children's responses the study determined that they search for their national identity throughout the struggles. Many have gotten actively involved, which has added to their confidence. During…