Kindergarten children (N=90) were given opportunities to report to their class during "sharing time" the cooperative or friendly behaviors of their peers which had occurred during the day. Cooperative behavior increased and aggressive acts decreased when peers reported prosocial behavior to the class. (Author)

Peer abuse in the form of bullying is now recognised as an endemic feature of school life and in terms of impact, outcomes and intervention requirements can be equated with other forms of child abuse. It is argued in the light of data presented here that the parallels between peer abuse and more generally accepted forms of child abuse must be…

The causes and symptoms of violence among children and adolescents can be complex and difficult to control. A strategy that was designed to help one youth center's staff, volunteers, and members recognize the signs and symptoms of verbal and physical violence is described here. The youth facility is located in a crime-ridden part of an urban…

This paper reviews the assessment measures developed to recognize nonviolent dispositions. Based on computer searches of the Psychological Abstracts (PsychLit) database, the document identifies the best measures for assessing nonviolence such as: (1) The Nonviolence Test developed by Kool and Sen (1984); (2) the Gandhian Personality Scale…

Several hypotheses have been generated about the functions of mock aggression, including its association with dominance. This paper describes a study that expanded this line of research by interviewing college students about a broad array of mock aggressive behaviors and their contexts, targets, benefits, and functions. The hypotheses were that:…

Violence in America is a public health problem of the highest magnitude. In order to address this problem, the causes of violence and an overview of some effective treatment and prevention programs are presented in this booklet. It focuses on biobehavioral factors (ways in which physiological characteristics influence behavior) and centers on such…

This review of the literature on aggression and violence in girls, especially girls in Canada, begins with data showing increasing rates of assault and other violent crimes by Canadian girls, although the rate for girls continues to be much less than for boys (a fact possibly responsible for the small amount of research on this population). The…

The commission studied the establishment and effectiveness of district-wide school disciplinary policies and practices and developed a plan to address the growing concern of violence in the public schools. The following 11-point plan was presented, including key findings and recommendations: (1) adopting statewide student conduct and…

This study examined effects of exposure to violence on symptoms of psychological trauma and on aggressive behavior in 3rd-8th grade children. Children in 11 public schools in three school districts in Ohio were administered the Life Experiences Survey, a self-report questionnaire designed to measure children's exposure to violence and the…

This monograph brings together information on school safety trends, policies, and projects from various countries around the world. It has been written for school principals, superintendents, administrators, boards of governors, school-parent bodies, and others in leadership positions who are concerned about school safety issues. It discusses the…

Psychiatric care for deprived children presents special problems if treatment is undertaken in the office of a private practitioner. An experimental program indicates the effectiveness of supportive measures made possible through special funding. (Author/ST)