Alice Rossi's 1977 article, "A Biosocial Perspective on Parenting," considered relationships among biology, the family, other social structures, and feminism. In this article, Rossi, together with a panel of sociologists and psychologists researching dimensions of physiological/psychological links to behavior, comment on the original…

A study assessed effects of gender and status on the tolerance of college freshmen (N=377) and faculty (N=83) for gender-based humor, and attitudes toward the humor's acceptability in the classroom, social gatherings, and family parties. Results indicated tolerance ratings were determined by gender, status, and their interactions. Implications are…

One college developed a substance abuse education program involving several prevention and intervention strategies. The goal was to improve the atmosphere of the college community by intervening in the behavioral patterns of students through an educational intervention. This paper describes program rationale, development, content, and…

Discusses the importance of supporting young children's socialization process from the perspective of a teacher educator/researcher, a parent, and a caregiver. Describes four stages of socialization (using physical aggression, asking for help, using words, and problem solving) and offers recommendations for corresponding spacial needs, play…

A study compared language development and social competence among 96 preschool children with disabilities in inclusive and segregated classes. Pretest ability was the strongest predictor of progress. Subjects in inclusive classes had higher posttest scores in language development and social skills, but more behavior problems, than peers in…

Compared free-play social behaviors of preschoolers with special needs in two inclusive preschool programs with those of typically-developing classmates, matched by age and sex. Found that children with no/little productive language spent more time in solitary pursuits than others and seldom initiated interactions. Children who were incapable of…

Behavioral correlates of social status and the relative importance of physical appearance, reputation, and current behavior in the assignment of social status by peers was assessed in 2 studies of elementary school students (68 and 119 students, respectively). Videotapes and photographs were used to compare popular, rejected, and neglected…

Evaluated effectiveness of school-based social skills program. Middle school children (N=34) selected for behavior problems were assigned to social skills training or to a no-treatment control group. Assessed change by teacher, parent, and self-report measures. Findings suggest significant improvement in social activity and parental report of…

Describes research exploring links between commitment laws and homelessness among mentally ill. Shows treatment differences in rural and metropolitan areas. Suggests narrow urban interpretation of laws leads to homelessness while rural overreaction leads to more unwarranted commitments. Identifies continuum-of-care needs. Suggests topics for…

Examines the cross-dimensional and cross-situational consistency of the aggressive, assertive, and submissive behavior of male adolescents observed in a variety of naturally occurring school activities. Behavior was found to vary as a function of sex role orientation and the class of behavior investigated. (LS)

Twenty children were observed at age four during free play at good and poor quality day care centers and again at age eight in triadic play sessions. Significant continuity was found between the four-year-olds' behavior in the day care centers and the children's functioning at eight years. (RJC)

Investigated how children's decisions about allocating money to story characters were affected by the relationship (friends versus strangers) among the characters. Children's rationales for their decisions showed that equality was the most salient principle for decisions at all ages and that older children provided rationales based on benevolence…

Describes the development of Project 4-Health, a California program that recruits and trains teenagers to deliver a tobacco education program to children ages 9-12. The program was based on studies involving the social context of tobacco use, a survey of 4-H members, and randomized field trials of the prevention curriculum. (LP)

Studies the "urban unhelpfulness" effect in England and the Sudan and the validity of cultural and dispositional explanations that have been put forward to explain it. Responses from 270 participants show the urban unhelpfulness effect to be quite equivalent in both countries. Additionally, the dispositional explanation was not supported…

Reports on a study of competition, motivation, and performance among 60 adolescents in India. Finds that direct competition with another person led to higher levels of immediate performance. Also finds that indirect competition against a pre-set standard resulted in greater intrinsic motivation. (CFR)