Adults (N=48) with mild to moderate mental retardation were interviewed concerning the skills they considered important for successful community living. Vocational and social skills were rated as most important, followed by personal, academic, and leisure skills, a ranking similar to that by the significant others questioned in a previous study.…

The study examined work and work-related social behaviors of moderately and mildly mentally retarded workers as well as those of nondisabled workers. Nondisabled workers tended to exhibit greater amounts of time on task, more solitary work behavior, more movement while working, more giving and receiving of mutual assistance, and more talking while…

The validity of using self report to assess competence on the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales was investigated with 16 mentally retarded adults. Self report and informant report showed close agreement for both daily living skills and socialization. Higher functioning subjects provided more information regarding problem behaviors than did their…

The paper describes a structured model for planning and monitoring behavior change programs with handicapped learners. The Behavior Teaching Plan functions as both a process and product, emphasizes the teaching of socially acceptable behaviors, and utilizes formative evaluation through use of intervention planning sheets and flow charts.…

Investigated the relationship between parents' efforts to initiate and monitor children's peer contacts and the qualities of children's peer relations in nonschool and school settings. (PCB)

Preschool children observed during periods of free play were assessed on two measures: Parten Scale for social participation and teachers' rating of children's social behavior. Discussion of results includes implications of relationship of positive and negative behaviors, inverse relationship between teacher-directed and group positive behaviors,…

Analyzed interaction and emotional atmosphere categories of interactions among old and young participants in support-discussion groups. The groups differed in frequencies of boundary, self-disclosure, and support behaviors, with the elderly exceeding the young on the first two and the young exceeding the elderly on the third. The young showed…

Presents S. Jackson's and S. Jacobs' theory of conversational argument and demonstrates flaws in the representational validity of their research from the perspective of face-to-face interaction. Describes characteristics of a "paradigm case" of interactional argument that extends Jackson's and Jacobs' ideas about argumentation in…

The synthesis of 18 single subject research studies on early intervention for socially withdrawn children indicated that reinforcement and measurement of targeted socially interactive behaviors showed the largest effects, with some treatment (such as unreinforced modeling of behavior) showing little effect. There was little evidence for skill…

Examines relations between Matthews Youth Test for Health ratings on hyperactive boys and diverse measures obtained from five sources: direct behavior observations; staff evaluations, nonparticipant observer ratings, peer nominations, and self-reports. (HOD)

Using the Ainsworth Strange Situation Procedure, a study examined the interrelations between dimensions of emotion and social interactive behaviors to explore the regulatory role of each in mother-infant interaction and how these roles may change in the second year. (HOD)

Most successful studies of roommate compatibility in residence halls use approaches that match students according to living habits or other factors students view as important. (Author)

Suggests that many students are not aware of proper etiquette and proposes that business communication instructors offer a short bibliography and a few tips that can help students acquire more polish. (DF)

Reports a study of the correlation of linguistic variation with the variables of gender and context specificity in Brazilian Portuguese. The study focused on differences found in the expression of a particular directive by adult middle-class male and female speakers of the Carioca dialect of Rio de Janeiro. (SED)

An information-support group developed to meet the needs of moderately hearing-impaired college students featured role playing, simulation, group discussions, and social activities. (Author/CL)