Examined Chinese kindergartners' play skills and, three years later, subjects' abilities to cooperate in competitive games. Found that although Chinese children conversed more than their American counterparts, who spent more time in social play, social contact scores were nearly identical across groups. Although social play strongly influenced…

Uses national survey data to examine the extent to which group differentials in early nonmarital childbearing are a function of normative differences in fertility intentions. Results indicate that birth intentions do vary by race and ethnicity, poverty status, and family structure. (RJM)

A study involving five elementary-age children with moderate disabilities and five typical peers evaluated the use of a structural analysis model as a vehicle for improving social interactions via peer-mediated interventions. Results indicate structural analysis was usable as a prescriptive tool to develop effective peer-mediated interventions.…

Role of self-efficacy beliefs as a mediator and moderator of the relation between the home environment and well-being was examined for both European American and African American adolescents. Found that self-efficacy beliefs sometimes mediate the relation between experiences in the home environment and measures of adolescent development. Effects…

A study compared the effectiveness of video modeling with in vivo modeling for teaching developmental skills to five children (ages 7-11) with autism. Targeted skills included social skills and daily living skills. Video modeling led to faster acquisition of tasks than in vivo modeling and was effective in promoting generalization. (Author/CR)

This pilot study examined the playground social behaviors of eight children (ages 6-10) with language impairments (LI) and their typical peers. Analysis of videotape recordings found LI children spent significantly less time interacting with peers and demonstrated significantly more withdrawn behaviors than did their peers, with group membership…

Explores children's play as social behavior in relation to cognitive style and identifies the social factors underlying both young children's play and cognitive style. Indicates that field-dependent children participated more in social play activities, while field-independent children engaged in more nonsocial play activities. Discusses the…

A cluster analytic study was conducted to derive behaviorally homogeneous subtypes of pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) based on a range of behavioral symptoms that characterize autism. Analysis of data on 34 children with PDD, 27 of whom met criteria for autism, indicated 4 distinct groups differing on independent measures of social,…

Investigated the influence of parental attachment on the initiation of adolescent cigarette smoking. The two models tested each specify different causal ordering among the three variables of attachment to parents, commitment to conventional activities, and belief in the conventional rules of society. Findings indicated that parental attachment has…

Social norms strategies in examining college health behavior have become popular and well-accepted. There is substantial variation in the understanding, application, and nature of social norms approaches. This paper introduces four articles on social norms research in college health that address: binge drinking prevalence; substance abuse…

This study acknowledged that parents maintain social networks that may affect the role they play in their children's education. Survey responses of 195 mothers indicated that size of social network predicted degree of involvement and that type of network predicted type of involvement. Findings suggest that parents' social networks can function as…

Investigates relationships among a diverse sample of elementary students' social skills, problem behaviors, academic competence, and academic achievement. Results indicate that social skills are positively predictive of concurrent levels of academic achievement and problem behaviors are negatively predictive of concurrent academic achievement.…

To determine the extent to which teachers typically employ praise in their classroom teaching, provides a review and analysis of the research literature on teachers' classroom use of approval/praise and disapproval/reprimand. States that praise for appropriate classroom social behavior is rarely observed. Includes references. (CMK)

States that, for the establishment of a certain order in school life, implicit rules for interaction and communication are important in the context of instruction and in dealing with members of the peer group. Explains that existing ethnographic studies of classroom culture explore the pragmatics of such rules. (CMK)

Investigates the relationship between stressful life change events and coping strategies, and high school completion status among early adolescents. Discriminant analysis was used to build a prediction model and indicated that the coping factors of Social Activities and Seeking Professional Support significantly predicted high school dropout…