Research has found that the need for personal space is greater for normal persons who are interacting with stigmatized persons, such as overweight people, and that one who is identified as deviant may be more sensitive to environmental cues and react more strongly to affective stimuli. To investigate the reactions to approach/distance among…

A study was conducted to assess the ability of 4-year-olds to make differentiated judgments of characteristics of their nursery school classmates. A paired-associates sociometric task, a technique that does not rely heavily on verbal skills and is reliable with young children, was used to obtain these judgments. Children were presented with all…

The paper reviews research on methods for assessing social skills in handicapped (specifically severely handicapped) students. The authors cite studies critical of much current social skills training. The need for social validity of behavior and for additional measures of adaptive behavior proficiency is pointed out. Types of target behaviors for…

The report describes first year accomplishments of the Career and Life Skills Project, an approach using the arts to enhance basic skills development of moderately and severely handicapped youth. Among major accomplishments reviewed are staff selection, experimental site selection, conduct of writing seminars for staff, and development and…

The guide, developed by the Secondary Transition and Employment Project (STEP) in Idaho, is intended to help students with mild handicaps develop job related social skills. The STEP social skills program requires: (1) identifying those skills which are considered important or socially useful by significant others; (2) clearly defining the…

The paper reports on an exploratory study of the turntaking and pragmatic language skills of handicapped children during parent-child reciprocal play, compared to that of non-handicapped children. The four handicapped children were 25-36 months of age. The paper also describes a pilot intervention involving carefully structured joint activity play…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relation between social status and negotiation strategies in preschool boys and girls. With the use of peer nominations, 84 preschool children were classified as liked, disliked, or low-impact. Children were videotaped in free play interactions in which one child entered the play of a pair of…

Research on the nature of gifted children's learning is reviewed. Studies are cited on the following topics: cognitive style (learning style preferences, field independence/dependence, locus of control, and hemispheric specialization), cognitive development (differentiated stage development), cognitive strategy selection (components of problem…

The presentation describes the development of an interdisciplinary team approach to working with mildly retarded students (5-9 years old). The approach featured group discussions and activities to enhance students' listening, communication, and social skills, and to improve individual and group behavior. Individual and group goals were designed by…

The Community Aging Program is a demonstration outpatient, mental health program designed to study and treat elderly individuals. The individual's skills relevant to living independently are assessed and those individuals with deficits enter an appropriate treatment program. Two of the treatment programs or modules help the individual adjust to…

Regular educators need to develop skills to work collaboratively with specialists in meeting the special needs of young children in the mainstreamed classroom. These skills include: (1) developing a common knowledge base; (2) using effective interpersonal strategies; (3) using a problem solving approach related to individual and classroom…

The psychological effects of perceived lack of control have been extensively investigated. This study was conducted to examine a compensatory control strategy called boundary expansion. Boundary expansion is exhibited in social interactions where control needs are directed toward influencing others' views on a particular subject. Boundary…

A great deal of research has been done in the area of "compliance-message" tactics and strategies, but this research has not produced a coherent framework for studying this interpersonal communication process. Based on six axioms concerning the nature of communication behavior in general and on one postulate and five theorems defining…

Research has shown that producers and consumers of television programs are still uncertain about the nature of the "grammar" or "lexicon" that makes up the language of television. Although attempts have been made in experimental television ("video art"), systematic studies on the idiosyncratic nature, unique features,…

Part of a series of instructor training modules on related subjects instruction for apprentices, this booklet deals with communicating with apprentices. The first chapter consists of an outline of the scope and content of the instructor training modules as well as a self-assessment pretest. Covered in the module are identifying aspects of good…