Examined judgments of intolerance given by children, adolescents, and adults toward disagreeing others. The evidence suggested that intolerance may be a lower level of reasoning in a social cognitive developmental progression. (Author/DB)

This study investigated the relative effectiveness of principle testing discussion (PTD) and its possible interaction with moral development levels in students' demonstrations of positive attitudes toward women, the physically handicapped, and East Indians. Analysis of attitude scale responses provided equivocal support for the use of PTD.…

This study examined the effects of parameter controls (highly structured v unstructured play) and student ability and sex on the extent to which junior high students engaged themselves in four social studies simulation games. Internally parametered (unstructured) games produced greater role acceptance. Sex and ability variables were not…

Results suggested that when role taking is viewed as requiring a shift to less subjective views, different types of role-taking skills (communicative, spatial, relational, and cognitive) are moderately related. Results also indicated intellectual ability underlies these role-taking skills. (Author/DB)

Examines the development of social relations in kindergarten, first-, second-, and third-grade children through an assessment of the children's role-taking skills and classification abilities. (CM)

Sophomores were assigned to a no-training control group or to one of three empathy training methods: the double method, involving role taking; reflection, where the trainee is asked to mirror back another's feelings; or lecture. All three methods proved effective, but the double method provided the best results. (SJL)

Suggests an approach to understanding moral functioning incorporating developments in biological and cognitive theory. (Author/MP)

Discusses the human trait of attempting to read minds in an attempt to make sense of the actions of others. The term Mindblind comes from the fact that this is difficult for people with autism to do. Mindreading appears to be encoded in the genes and adaptive. (PVD)

Moving race from the margins of research paradigms entails a deconstruction of "Whiteness" as the norm against which all "others" are measured. Researchers must stop hiding behind scientific neutrality and being indifferent to how findings are used. To engage in emancipatory research, we must engage in the process of…

Two studies with a total of 17 children (ages 5-18) with autism tested a picture-in-the-head strategy for dealing with thoughts and behavior using cartoon thought-bubbles to represent various mental states. The thought-bubble training led to the children passing not only false belief tests but also theory of mind tests. (Contains references.)…

This study found that 23 hearing-impaired and 25 normally hearing children (ages 7-14) did not differ on nonverbal intelligence, but the hearing-impaired children obtained lower scores than normally hearing peers on a social decentration task and a nonsocial decentration task. Social decentration was positively correlated with nonsocial…

Investigated egocentricity and ascriptions of knowledge to others in 45 children of 3-6 years. Six-year-olds were better than younger children at assessing the other's knowledge. Subjects were better at assessing the other's knowledge when their own access and knowledge were identical. (RJC)

A review of literature on sensitivity as an affective characteristic of gifted persons is presented. A multifaceted approach to sensitivity is proposed, conceptualizing it as consisting of cognitive and affective dimensions of both interpersonal and intrapersonal sensitivity. The psychological concepts of self-awareness, perspective taking,…

This study examined the effectiveness of a social skills training program for five male adolescents with autism but normal IQ. In addition to teaching interactional and conversational skills, the program provided explicit instruction in social-cognitive principles of inferring the mental states of others. Significant changes in beliefs were found,…