Discusses the controversy concerning "The Nurture Assumption," a book that suggests children are shaped by their peers more than their parents. The message runs counter to decades of child development research and recent findings that parents are crucial in children's emotional and intellectual development. This paper examines criticism of the…

Shows how latent variable growth modeling can be utilized to examine change in students' attitudes toward science over the middle and high school years. Reports that students' attitudes toward science generally decline during the middle and high school years. Defines the factors that affect student attitudes as teacher encouragement, peer…

Examined how peer interaction influenced Chinese-American high school students to adopt strategies of accommodation or resistance. Choice of strategy for the six students studied arose not only from the group's voluntary minority status, but from more local factors. Results are explored in terms of cultural ecological theory. (SLD)

Role play can teach college students responsible alcohol consumption behavior. The paper presents a technique to help students develop skills and attitudes that lead to responsible alcohol use behaviors. The technique models appropriate behaviors for party hosts, helps students put knowledge into action, and lets students explore the potential…

Study comparing self-reported alcohol-use patterns and the personal beliefs and expectancies about alcohol use of 385 fraternity and sorority members and 1,518 non-Greek-affiliated college students found alcohol use higher among Greek-affiliated students and highest at private parties. Peer norms and perceived benefits predicted use levels. (EMK)

Focuses on teasing as a form of verbal aggression in the educational environment. Examines the relationships between undergraduate students' recollections of receiving peer teasing during their junior and senior high school years and students' self-esteem and affect for school. Yields limited correlations between peer teasing and self-esteem, and…

Examined relationships between worksite influences and smoking and quitting behavior among adolescent grocery employees. Surveys on interpersonal, intrapersonal, and organizational factors indicated that regular smokers were 30 percent more likely to receive co-worker encouragement to quit than occasional and experimental smokers. Compared to…

Emotional intelligence and social behavior were explored in a study with 11 adolescents. Results found that those with higher emotional intelligence were better able to identify their own and others' emotions in situations, use that information to guide their actions, and resist peer pressure than others. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

Examined adolescents' peer structures and the quality of their friendships as antecedents of romantic relationships among 180 high schoolers followed from grade 9 through 11. Found that small groups of close friends predicted other-sex peer networks that, in turn, predicted the emergence of future romantic relationships. Found indirect effects for…

Investigated longitudinally peer influence on students' school performance and future planning. Data on European- and Hispanic-American students' perceptions of peer support and guidance from elementary to junior high school and peers as challenges and resources for youth in a community college academic outreach program illustrated the…

Examined genetic and environmental contribution to self-reported peer-group characteristics among adoptive and nonadoptive adolescent sibling pairs. Found that although peer preference is influenced, in large part, by nonshared environment factors, genetic influence is present. Substantial genetic influence emerged for college orientation, and…

The purpose of this study was: (1) to determine whether attitudes are a better predictor of adolescents' intentions to use dietary supplements than are subjective norms, and (2) to assess the influence of significant others on attitudes, subjective norms, and intentions among adolescent athletes. Results indicated that attitudes were a better…

Drawing on social learning and structural family theories, this study examined connections between young adolescents' experiences with their parents and their best friends. Findings revealed links between European American boys' experiences with their fathers and their best friends and between the nature of the parent-adolescent hierarchy and both…

Investigated whether friendships with deviant peers would be related negatively to the emotional and behavioral adjustment of 305 adolescents, 13 years of age. Found that adolescents with deviant friends were more delinquent than those with no mutual friends or nondeviant friends, and showed similarly problematic depression levels as friendless…

Examined predictors of body image in preschool children, including models, verbal messages, physiological factors, and experience of competence related to body image. Data from child interviews and parent and teacher questionnaires indicated that there were no gender differences in children's body image. Messages from the mother to "be bigger"…