Pretend play and language growth are related through representational thought. Fundamental to representational thought are five connectives, at the theoretical level, which link pretend play and language growth: motor actions, roles and role changes, creative expression, concentration, and decentration. At the research level, results of selected…

Intervention to enhance Interpersonal Cognitive Problem Solving (ICPS) skills has been shown to significantly reduce observable negative, impulsive and inhibited behaviors and increase positive qualities in young, low socioeconomic status (SES) children. An ICPS model for older children was implemented with 202 low SES fifth graders to test…

A study was made of the effects of role perspective and gender on the moral judgments of children. Because they represent a transitional period in cognitive development from heteronomy to autonomy, a total of 25 male and 38 female third-grade students of approximately 9 years of age were selected for participation. The effect of perspective taking…

Developed by the Illinois Governor's Planning Council on Developmental Disabilities, this guide is intended to help parents and other laypersons communicate more knowledgeably and effectively with professionals who work with handicapped persons, as well as with handicapped individuals themselves. Section I offers suggestions for interpersonal…

Social cognition of adults, unlike children's social understanding, has rarely been addressed from a developmental viewpoint. To extend the developmental perspective to the study of adults' social cognitive skills in relation to other mental and social skills, 52 college students were compared in role taking performance and nonsocial cognitive…

As yet there is no comprehensive, systematic, demonstrably effective program for maximizing empathetic communication behaviors. What is needed are theories, concepts, and methods that would provide for such learning. One avenue of approach is to search for models and metaphors that would allow for an encompassing comprehension of empathy and…

This study examined the interactive role of empathic disposition and affective perspective-taking ability (APT) in children's machiavellianism, prosocial behavior, and motive for helping. Children demonstrating low empathy and high APT were expected to be highly machiavellian and to cite self-oriented reasons for helping more frequently than would…

This paper presents a developmental study of social competence in preschool children which examines the relationship of motor competence, egocentrism and demographic characteristics to the development of social competence. Tests of motor skills and role taking ability were administered individually to 54 preschool children ranging in age from 3…

Subjects were 50 17 year-old students from a variety of types of schools (parochial, private, public) in two New England areas were interviewed for moral and faith development according to the theories of Kohlberg and Fowler. Socioeconomic level and IQ were highly correlated with faith and moral scores. Experiences of the death of someone close…

This monograph suggests various counseling techniques for enhancing the self-esteem of minorities. A frame of reference is presented for considering minority group self-esteem. Themes related to minority group perspectives and their existence in the writings of psychotherapists are reviewed. A section on cultural diversity discusses the family,…

This paper proposes that the automatic use of therapeutic approaches devised for Americans and Europeans with clients belonging to different cultures may be counter-productive. Cultural differences between Caucasian-Americans and Japanese-Americans are examined and general elements to be considered in counseling Japanese-Americans are explained.…

This paper describes a university course on counseling women designed to provide an integration of: (1) a general cognitive understanding of women along psychological, physiological, sociological, and developmental dimensions; (2) a recognition and understanding of cognitive-developmental theory as a framework within which to counsel women; and…

The effects of content schemata, embodying the reader's existing knowledge about a topic, on reading comprehension were examined in two experiments in which high school and college students were instructed to take a distinctive point of view while reading and recalling a story. Perspectives assigned before reading, shortly after reading, and long…

The development of young children's internal representations of large space was assessed by asking 15 boys and 15 girls to construct a three-dimensional model of their kindergarten classroom. Three groups of 10 children (ranging in age from 4 years, 8 months to 6 years, 3 months) were tested, two in the spring and one in the fall. One of the…

The jigsaw technique of classroom instruction utilizes small groups and peer teaching to help students develop the skill of cooperation. The authors review research on its effect on achievement, role taking abilities, and interethnic perceptions in Mexican American and Anglo students. Implications for desegregation are drawn. (SJL)