Sought to describe and categorize specific processes by which friends serve to influence emerging life structures of early adulthood. Five categories were developed from open-ended interviews of 34 young adults between 20 and 28 years of age. These categories describe friends in the roles of models, active agents for change, reactors, interactors,…

This study utilized a social learning framework to test the hypothesis that adolescents who have tried smoking in the past differ from those who have never smoked on several factors that theoretically place them at higher risk for beginning to smoke again. Implications of the findings for the design of school-based smoking prevention programs are…

Discusses the Just Community Approach to corrections that, partly through the use of participatory democracy, strives to make the two cultures into a single community in which staff act as leaders and advocates for justice and the welfare of the community, rather than as authoritative managers of the correctional institution. (CT)

Investigated whether conformity in the experimental setting suggested by Asch was related to American culture and less likely to be replicable elsewhere. Kuwaiti subjects (N=200) were used in replicating the original experiment. Obtained an 'Asch effect' of a comparable magnitude to that of Asch. Individual differences in conformity were evident.…

Evaluated whether age differences in children's generosity result from increasing altruistic motivation or increasing susceptibility to experimenter influence strategies. A total of 282 first, third, and fifth graders voted on how to spend a gift of money under one of five instructional sets--three levels of experimenter influence, peer influence,…

Explores the relationship between adolescent lifestyle and the development of autonomy. Suggests that the expansion of the high school system with its emphasis on continued dependence, and the rise of the market economy emphasizing economic independence, create potential discontinuity in adolescent socialization. (JAC)

The transition to junior high school is often as hard for both children and parents as starting kindergarten. The school and home have a great need to stay in contact. Eight suggestions to help children through this difficult period are noted. (MT)

The effects of a positive peer culture program upon the moral development of "youths in distress" within the framework of street-corner gangs was measured. Moral-development measures indicated a positive effect upon the participants, and for some moral indices, on their friends' moral development. (Author/LMO)

Describes a program called the Character Education Curriculum developed by the American Institute for Character Education that is the most widely used plan for teaching the basic traits of character, conduct, and citizenship. (MD)

A study investigates the relationship between an activity-centered health program and positive health attitudes, future use of cigarettes, and changes in smoking behavior of parents. Results show that the experimental group posessed more positive health attitudes, and parents reported favorable changes in their own smoking behaviors. (Author/DF)

Based on data collected from 181 students across grades six to eight in rural northern Michigan, results suggest that peer substance use is highly correlated with personal substance use and increases with age. Sexual differences were also noted. (Author/PN)

Aggressive and prosocial peer interactions were observed in 38 preschool-age children. Attractive girls received more prosocial and fewer aggressive advances than unattractive girls. There was no differential treatment of boys related to attractiveness. Results are discussed in relationship to possible developmental implications and their parallel…

This paper examines the negative messages that Appalachian students receive about pursuing a college education. Appalachian culture has traditionally valued loyalty to family and community, hard work, self-reliance, strong sense of religion, and resistance to change. While most of these values seem positive, they may be a factor in perpetuating…

This report examines risk and protective factors associated with adolescent tobacco involvement. Of interest are family contexts, peers, and individual covariates. Participants were 399 youth, parents, and a close-in-age sibling. Of the youth, 150 initiated use early (7th, 8th, or 9th grade), 82 later (10th or 11th grade), and 167 abstained.…

Some perspectives on the potential of undergraduates' formal and informal experiences outside of the classroom are detailed. The paper presents historical information beginning with the concern of inculcating good manners and habits of responsibility as learning objectives for the extracurriculum. It discusses the analogy of the extracurriculum…