Boys and girls were exposed to a same- or opposite-sex televised peer model who played with a sex-inappropriate toy for the children. The model was then administered positive or negative reinforcement or no consequences by a female adult figure. Girls played with the sex-inappropriate toy more than boys following exposure, particularly when the…

Its director describes a successful public library program for lending toys and games. (PF)

Examined sex differences in the play preferences of 2-year-old nursery school children and determined whether teachers of this age group reinforce female sex-typed behaviors as do teachers of older preschoolers. (SDH)

A study on the interaction between the physical environment, parental attitudes, and socialization settings of young children living in first- or second-floor apartments revealed that children living in second-floor apartments were more restricted and had fewer social contacts than children living in first-floor apartments. (A G)

Author outlined a theory explaining why young people make drawings. (Author/RK)

A multidimensional aggression scoring system for preschool children's responses to the structured doll play interview is described. The system, which incorporates previous investigator's findings, scales doll play responses along three dimensions of aggression: intensity, agent, and directionality. (Author)

This study examined the influence of literacy-enriched play centers on preschoolers' conceptions of print. Subjects, 25 boys and 12 girls aged 4 and 5 years from 2 urban preschool classes, were systematically observed before and after 5 basic design changes were made in the classrooms. Four distinct play centers (post office, library, office, and…

Creative dramatics (the spontaneous expression of feelings and ideas in an imaginative manner) brightens the reading program and provides teachers and students with both enjoyable and academically profitable experiences. Any reading teacher can comfortably integrate creative dramatics into the basal reading program. Activities such as creating…

This book describes the type and condition of playground equipment in community parks in the United States, and indicates the current status of safety of that environment. The results are then compared to play theories to explore the ways the environment stimulates play. Appropriate suggestions for change are made. Chapters cover the following…

In this case study, the language and cognitive development of a 4-year 5-month old profoundly deaf girl and her normally hearing identical twin sister were investigated by videotaping the twins in their home interacting with each other, the investigator, and family members. Materials used with the children were designed to elicit spontaneous,…

The article looks at the role of play and recreation in the lives of children with learning disabilities and suggests ways parents can help integrate such children into recreation and sports programs. The importance of three systems of support--the family, the school, and the peer group--is stressed. Parents are urged to work toward providing the…

This study of the influence of social context on children's learning investigated the functions of literacy-based verbal exchanges of 37 preschoolers in a print-enriched play environment. Play settings in two preschool classrooms were enriched with print materials and literacy-related props. Four play settings were created: post office, library,…

Initiations of prosocial actions by mainstreamed handicapped and normal preschool children were studied to discover (1) which preschool activity setting was more conducive to prosocial interactions; (2) which specific prosocial bids were more likely to occur in various settings; (3) whether frequency of prosocial behaviors was related to…

Examined were the relationships of children's (1) negotiation of play context and (2) enactment of pretend episodes to (3) children's social adjustment, social acceptance and social cognition. It was predicted that negotiation and enactment of pretend play would be relatively independent, and that enactment would be strongly related to indices of…