This document examines the function of social conventions among strangers. Conventions are regularities in behavior, sustained by an interest in coordination and an expectation of cooperation. Such regularities may arise temporarily or fall just as temporarily; they may exist in a particular time or place and may take time to evolve. From the…

Saying no to friends, classmates, and adults is often difficult for young children. In school, children may find themselves in uncomfortable situations that involve choosing between what they perceive as right and going along with others whom they trust. This multimedia workshop kit (16 minute VHS video plus guidebook) helps children understand…

This document contains a collection of instructional strategies to help elementary school children: (1) develop an accurate concept of who they are; (2) practice skills for interacting with others; and (3) experience a sense of personal agency in formulating goals, making decisions, and shaping the course of their lives. The goal of the activities…

In an investigation of social inference (the ability to decode and comprehend cues), prompt questions of decreasing cognitive complexity were employed to train 60 mildly mentally retarded adolescents to logically interpret pictorial stimuli. Cartoon line drawings were used illustrating social situations representing a variety of family and peer…

Although it has been suggested that an understanding of shyness may come from a better understanding of social anxiety, there is no hard evidence that shy people are in fact socially anxious. To explore the link between shyness and social anxiety, a 297-item questionnaire was administered to 302 college students. Analysis of the 100 questionnaire…

The second of three booklets in a series intended for parents of handicapped children, the booklet considers ways in which parents can develop socialization skills in their children. Developmental milestones are charted for the period from birth to age 5. Social learning processes (using the senses, experimenting, imitating, and playing) are…

Life-sized body puppets are used in role playing situations to facilitate children's problem solving and social skill learning. (CL)

Third and fourth graders from middle and low income schools participated in a study of the relationship between social skills, social interaction and popularity. (JMB)

Tests the hypothesis that women who go into male dominated fields (pioneers) are more cognitively complex in social relationships than women who go into female dominated fields (traditionals). Results support the hypothesis. (Author/HMV)

This ERIC Digest advocates assessment of children's social competence with various measures, including behavioral measures, peer nominations, teacher ratings, and standardized tests. Content focuses on: (1) the insufficiency of the use of academic tests alone; (2) the importance of observing children's interactions with peers; (3) research…

Although suicide is the second leading cause of death for adolescents in the United States, there are little empirical data available on psychological factors which may lead an adolescent to consider or attempt suicide. To address this issue, the relationships among depression, social skills, and severity of suicidal attempt were investigated in…

The social competence of 68 preschool children, including special education, at-risk, and control Ss, was examined to determine whether at-risk Ss would differ from comparison children in social skills and acceptance by peers. Teacher ratings of social skills were reported on the California Preschool Social Competency Scale while peer and…

The study examined social status as determined by conceptions of friendships, perceptions of social competencies, and behavior in school in 23 learning disabled (LD) Caucasian boys, 8-11 years old; 23 nonLD controls matched for age, sex, race, IQ, socioeconomic status, and homeroom; and 141 nonLD children both boys and girls, in the third grade…

The paper describes for elementary and secondary teachers a planned, direct, and systematic way of teaching prosocial behaviors to behaviorally disordered students. The assessment process involves a pre-teaching assessment in which students and specific instructional skills are selected and a post-teaching assessment phase which includes…