Smoking is not an issue for children before the 5th or 6th grade except in rare cases. About 80 children in the 3rd, 5th and 7th grades were interviewed about their smoking habits and their views on smoking. Younger students had a strongly negative attitude to smoking but in the middle years toughness is important. Smoking is something which is…

The influence exerted by parents on the psychological development of children in youth sports programs is examined, and the risks and benefits attendent on youth participation in sports is discussed. Parents are considered as role models for their children, and the attitudes and self-concepts a young child acquires through his or her early…

This study deals with three questions concerning the political socialization of young children: (1) at what age evidence of political socialization begins to emerge; (2) at what age media, principally television, begins to socialize children politically; and (3) how a Presidential election campaign and the media relate to other sources of…

In an audience research study, 64 high school students responded to a questionnaire concerning their movie attendance habits and the importance of ten variables to their decision-making process when choosing a movie to see. The results indicated that 26.6% attended movies once a month, 23.4% twice monthly, 6.3% three times a month, 4.7% four times…

This paper briefly reviews studies of infant-peer and infant-mother interaction, and describes a study which compares the effects of mothers and peers on toddler play. Twenty-six toddlers (13 males and 13 females) aged 21 to 24 months were observed in two social situations each: playing with his/her mother, and playing with a familiar peer (after…

Describes a study which investigated whether students exposed to the opinions of peers regarding the instructional effectiveness of their professors would evaluate that professor's performance in accordance with these opinions. Negative opinions were found to be more effective than positive ones in producing a change in instructor ratings. (KC)

Propositions concerned with reference group and role correlates of Ira Reiss' premarital sexual permissiveness theory were tested. Reiss' basic propositions are only partially supported. Closeness to mother's sexual standards is considerably more predictive of self-permissiveness than was obvious in Reiss' theory. Closeness to friends' and peers'…

This article lists strategies based on research into child development which can be used to protect the mental health of young children. (CM)

Action goal setting uses power of peer influence in a healthy and constructive manner, and provides appropriate follow-up for many counseling and classroom activities. This process could help individuals of all ages to take more control over their behavior and create life-styles congruent with their abilities, interests, and values. (Author)

Examined differential relationships among well established psychosocial correlates when predicting several dimensions of adolescent alcohol consumption (N=1,720). Factor analysis revealed three dimensions of use: recent drinking, lifetime drinking, and drunkenness. Results suggest that drunkenness is best predicted by peer influences and tobacco…

Examined the role of family and friends in accounting for alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana use among young adolescents. Lack of parental affection, concern, involvement, and modeling appeared to be central factors in the family's influence. Friends' delinquency and use of drugs largely determined the influence of friendship. (Author/ABB)

Questionnaire responses of women students indicated that 41 percent considered themselves abused physically, verbally, or both. Many admitted abusing their friends. Abused students were four times as likely to have seen or heard abuse between their parents. Dating abuse was reciprocal, but certain nonabused women abused boyfriends and girlfriends.…

Discusses the increasing problem of drug abuse among young people in terms of social causes, including the disappearance of childhood, the changing family unit, changing value systems of the peer culture, prevailing social norms, and parental attitudes. Examples are given of mass media messages that promote drug use. (CB)

Examined the effects of integrating an unstable group of seriously disturbed adolescents into an existing day treatment program. Found the new admission subjects' disruptive behavior was not imitated by members of the established group, where there was a significant decrease in aggression and the overall number of psychiatric events. (Author/KS)

With two autistic boys as subjects, a teacher prompt and praise procedure was applied sequentially across dyads composed of a subject and a nonhandicapped peer (n=8, aged 11-12). Following social interaction training with several nonhandicapped peers, one subject showed across-peer and across-setting generalization, while the second subject did…