Responds critically to Beatty and Payne's data allegedly demonstrating that assessments of cognitive complexity are severely confounded by "loquacity." Argues that those researchers employed a flawed measure of loquacity and inappropriate data analytic procedures. Reports on two empirical studies in which alternative measures of…

Evaluates the relations between visual attention received from peers and social competence in young preschool children by correlating Q-sort scores for social competence with visual regard. Results suggest that visual regard from peers may index general social visibility rather than social competence. (SKC)

The responses of 46 corporate health promotion managers to a survey rating the importance of skills and competencies for their profession indicated that they highly valued successful interaction competencies (such as verbal, listening, and motivation skills) that were not directly related to other essential health competencies. (CB)

Three films recommended for class use are reviewed. Five other films are noted briefly. The films deal with affective issues such as handling rejection, being bullied, and being self-conscious. (MT)

Describes a program which uses the natural structure of a game and integrates principles of group work with cognitive and skill-oriented strategies to help children (ages 8-11) develop effective social competencies. Includes evaluation of the game's effectiveness. (ABL)

Examined the attributions made about males and females who have children, remain childless by choice, or who are involuntarily childless. Multidimensional scaling of the similarity judgments revealed two dimensions: the first related to likability, being loving, devoted, and emotionally mature; the other differentiated among fertility-status…

The semantic usage of five learning disabled (LD) and five nonlearning disabled sixth-grade boys in conversational interaction with an adult and with peers was analyzed. Results indicated that, overall, LD and non-LD boys were highly similar in meaning usage and showed internal consistency of meaning usage across interaction types. (Author/DB)

Examined a diathesis-stress-hopelessness model of suicidal behavior. Found that the suicidal group (N=50) differed from the control group (N=50) on a number of dependent measures in accordance with the hypothesis that suicidal individuals are deficient in impersonal and interpersonal problem solving, experience more stress, and are more hopeless.…

An anger management procedure and a moral education intervention were added to Structured Learning, a prosocial skills training intervention for adolescents, to constitute a combined intervention package labeled Aggression Replacement Training. The package was tested with a sample of 60 adolescents. (Author/CH)

Surveys relevant literature, including Kohut, Rochlin, Kernberg, and others. Offers a theoretical formulation on the rhetorical implications of unhealthy narcissism, particularly misjudgments of audience and occasion and misshaped messages. (MS)

A social/sexual skills training program for institutionalized mentally retarded adults using a commercially available table game and a specially designed card deck featured response-specific feedback, self-monitoring, individualized reinforcers, and individualized performance criterion levels. There were increases in all skill areas.…

Evaluated the effectiveness of exposure treatment for social phobia, and whether anxiety management would increase the effects of exposure in 45 patients. Results showed both exposure treatments were effective, although the combination of exposure and anxiety management was even more effective. (JAC)

The study evaluated effects of integrated special education preschool programs, relative to comparable groups of children in nonintegrated special education preschools, across a broad assessment battery. Children in both types of programs made significant gains across the year, while Ss in integrated classes scored significantly higher only on a…

Four high-school-age students with autism and severe disabilities were trained to initiate and sustain social interactions with nondisabled peers at two community job sites. Results showed that all Ss acquired a chain of social break behaviors using one peer trainer. (Author/CL)

A functional model of social competence for handicapped infants and preschoolers involves stimulus situations, behaviors, and outcomes. Socially competent behaviors are assumed to be affected by functional capacity, social awareness, temperament, and learning history. Four outcomes are requirements for socially competent behaviors: behavioral,…