An increase in reciprocity of interpersonal attraction during the early acquaintance period followed by continuing social reciprocity are propositions that are central principles of several social psychological viewpoints. However, there is little empirical evidence of increasing reciprocity of interpersonal attraction over time. Two potential…

Part of a larger investigation of teacher-child-peer interactions among two- and three-year-old children in day care, this microanalytic study of toddler-initiated bids (attempts to communicate with caregivers) and teacher responses depicts in detail toddler-caregiver interaction. Subjects for the study were 25 males and 25 females between the…

This investigation probes nursery school activities and children's interactions in relation to private and communal property. Analysis of 27 hours of taped interaction spread over 4 months of participant observation reveals that children attempt to gain access to private property in a different way than they try to obtain access to communal…

A brief review is presented of the structural differences between play, games, and sport activities and the subjective experiences of young participants. Three contexts were examined--spontaneous play, informal games, and organized team sports. Findings suggested that patterns of experiences varied according to the context in which they occurred.…

The theoretical perspective of Sullivan proposes that during preadolescence, a "chum" relationship increases a child's sense of self-worth. Subjects were 60 male sixth graders, with an equal number in the chumship and non-chumship groups. Self-concept was measured with the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale. The results show that…

This report compares the first and second years of a 4-year study on changes in patterns of social behavior and conceptions of 8-12 year-old children following the introduction of television in their community. Three towns of similar composition were selected for their naturally occuring differences in quantity and duration of experience with…

Awareness and acknowledgement of stress-related overeating and loss of control tendencies may facilitate subsequent weight loss efforts, provided that alternative stress-coping resources are available to aid adjustment to major life changes. College students with weight concerns, particularly those susceptible to "mood" eating and binge…

Agoraphobia is the most pervasive and serious phobic response seen by clinicians, accounting for approximately 50 to 60% of all phobic problems. The symptoms of agoraphobia, a condition in which an individual fears entering public areas, include fears of leaving home, fainting, entering open and closed spaces, shopping, entering social situations,…

George Herbert Mead's theory of mind, self, and society is synthesized in this paper, as is the extension of that basic theory by Peter Berger and Thomas Luckmann. The paper argues that Mead's functionalist perspective, while rich and internally consistent, is naive in that it lacks a theory of institutions, and it shows how Berger and Luckmann's…

This document presents the results of observations, interviews, and a review of the literature on assessment of children's social behavior. Categories of types of social behavior which can be observed easily and which seem to hold importance for most child care staff were selected. These categories are conversation, acquisition, social…

Personal dispositional variables conflicting with social pressure and the resulting behavior, which follows a cusp catastrophe, were investigated. Female undergraduates (N=200) completed a set of attitude questionnaires using a Crutchfield console. Results indicate that: (1) when social pressure is low, behavior is a smooth, monotonic function of…

New measures of sex role style assess the respondent's self-attribution of sex-typed interpersonal characteristics. In light of claims that androgynous roles are related to behavioral flexibility, the current study investigated the relationship between sex role orientations and performance in interpersonal situations. Males and females in each of…

Objective self-awareness theory and stimulus incongruity theory suggest that focusing one's attention on one's behavior in an unfamiliar situation will increase the drive to evaluate oneself, which may be manifested in social comparison. Videotapes of male undergraduates conversing with hand-held puppets were used to study direction of attention…

Pre-existing cognitions may influence a child's social perceptions, and the extent of this influence is measured in groups of children from grades 1-6. The children were shown slide shows of congruous (e.g. doctor befriending bullied child) and incongruous (e.g. minister shoplifting) interpersonal behavior. Half of the children saw stories in…

A program of behavioral procedures for the self-management of social-effectiveness skills was evaluated within the context of a university course on principles of behavior self-modification. Sixteen students received training and direction in conducting seven-week self-modification projects focusing either on improving skills of interpersonal…