Discusses four areas of research in health communication and how to make them more useful for the future. (VLC)

Examines factors associated with wife abuse and describes major components of a small group program designed to help men who batter. These include self-observation, cognitive restructuring, interpersonal skills training, relaxation training, and establishing a small group environment for intervention. (JAC)

In recorded interviews, 10 camp counselors described children they believed to have high social or athletic ability. Judges rated counselors' voice tone as warmer and less hostile when describing children for whom they had high expectations. Less competent counselors were more prone to biasing effects. (Author/BS)

Presents findings from meta-analysis of 85 studies of premarital, marital, and family enrichment, representing 3,886 couples or families. Findings are discussed in terms of overall enrichment effectiveness and salient program, subject, design, measurement, and analysis characteristics. The most powerful factors related to outcome were measurement…

Describes the G.I.T. (Getting It Together) program, a heterogeneous delinquent treatment program combining affective education and social skills training. Delinquents with immature personalities or neurotic features appeared to benefit more from the program than those with characterological disorders. (JAC)

Describes a study of German children's moral reasoning about prosocial conflicts, and of the interrelations of moral reasoning and prosocial behavior. Reports that hedonistic reasoning decreased from preschool to fourth grade, but direct reciprocity, needs-oriented, and approval/interpersonal reasoning, and reasoning involving references to…

Describes a study of the influence of social skills training on cognitive and behavioral characteristics of male juvenile offenders. Results revealed a significant main effect for treatment groups on the locus of control measure, with structured social skills training and unstructured discussion groups indicating greater internality than the…

Argues that the computer's capacity to provide rapid translation between symbol systems in a socially meaningful context can be exploited to enrich learners' metacognitive skills and social awareness, as well as problem solving and creative expression. Describes software that capitalizes on this potential and proposes the development of new…

Examined whether maladjusted children lack social cognitive skills. Asked fourth- and sixth-grade boys (N=60) with positive and negative peer status to generate alternative solutions to hypothetical problems. Results indicated that negative boys generated fewer alternative solutions, proposed fewer assertive and mature solutions and generated more…

Reporting validity information, this study concludes that the CCAI is a valid and reliable instrument tapping a variety of situations in which students communicate. The method of operationalizing the construct--observation of communication behavior--is clearly superior to self-report methods. (PD)

Sixty second-, fourth-, and sixth-grade children were given opportunities to donate money to other children in order to establish age-related differences and demand characteristics contributing to variability in donating behavior. Discussion focuses on necessity of incorporating both qualitative and quantitative dimensions in general models of the…

Observed in group day care settings, responses to distress in peers were examined in 10 abused toddlers and 10 matched controls from families experiencing stress. Early development of "abusive" behavior patterns in toddlers who have been subjected to physical abuse and later behavior of abused individuals as parents are discussed in relation to…

The differences in school demands between elementary and junior high settings are identified, and a curriculum is offered to facilitate the transition for exceptional students. The curriculum outlines academic skills, self-management/study skills, and social/adaptive behavior skills. A sample lesson plan is included. (CL)

Examined the effectiveness of an interpersonal life skills course on college students' (N=200) self concepts, responding, and locus of control. Results indicated there were short-term changes in locus of control. The need for a typology of such courses is discussed. (Author/BL)

Describes an assessment of the value of individual communications skills used on the job by graduates of a technical college, in an effort to correlate communications course content with the on-the-job needs of graduates. The importance of oral and interpersonal skills was confirmed. (CT)