Evaluated were the effects of symbol versus speech training instruction on the behavior of four autistic children (8-9 years old). Following observation of their classroom and free play behavior, Ss participated in a training sequence involving Peabody Rebus Reading symbols and more traditional speech training procedures. Ss' inappropriate…

It was hypothesized that if perceived reality is an important factor in determining children's reactions to television, radical differences in the structure of perceived reality should lead to radical differences in its functioning as well. Questionnaires were answered by 153 children from first, third, and sixth grades in a suburban Wisconsin…

This study investigated the relationship between media use and political activity in a sample of 380 Charlotte, North Carolina, registered voters. Although voters were interested in the campaign (particularly as it came to an end), they rarely engaged in political activities other than discussing politics and voting. Political activities measured…

By filming and coding the eye movement patterns of poor readers, the effectiveness of various experimental segments of "The Electric Company" to draw attention to printed material on screen was tested. Twenty-two segments of the program were shown to 30 nine to eleven year olds divided into poor readers and non-readers. Analysis of the…

This is the first stage of a research project concerned with the various ways in which parents perceive and categorize children's behavior and the effect this perception may have on parental reaction to such behavior. The present study compared the various ways in which mothers and fathers perceptually categorize the behavior of girls and boys. A…

This paper investigated whether children can learn to cooperate under minimal social conditions. The research also compares the effectiveness of verbal instructions and a training task for teaching subjects the "win-stay/lose-change" rule. This rule has been used to explain the development of cooperation in the minimal social situation. Subjects…

Three variables, derived from Blau's (1955) analysis of consultation networks among federal agents and Homans' (1961) social exchange analysis, were manipulated to observe their effects on help seeking. Subjects were presented with a hypothetical situation where help was needed. Subjects indicated that they would be more likely to seek help from a…

It has been suggested in previous literature that the wife's employment status has both positive and negative influences on marital interaction and companionship. The differences in findings and hypotheses can be interpreted by either the theory of role strain or the theory of role accumulation. The purpose of this investigation is to determine…

The National Institute of Mental Health recognizes the need for careful research investigations into the influences of sex roles on individual behavior and on societal institutions. During 1973 and 1974 the Institute held a series of research workshops to identify and encourage needed studies on sex roles, their biological and social bases, and…

Several misconceptions regarding the status of human communication systems relative to the systems of other animals are discussed in this paper. Arguments are offered supporting the expansion of the communication discipline to include the study of the communication systems of other species. The "communicative continuity" view which ranks…

This publication is an informal report on a technical research problem, that of manpower utilization. This report is based on the results of a questionnaire sent out in 1973 and completed and returned by 621 men. The sample was the result of a steady attrition of the 3,000 men who responded to a short news item in "Science" magazine inviting…

The purpose of this study was to test an informational vs. a dispositional hypothesis in predicting how children resolve instances of attributional conflict. Sixty-four sixth grade boys served as subjects after scoring in the upper and lower quartile of the Intellectual Achievement Responsibility Scale (IAR). Each child performed two separate…

The article suggests that many uncertainties exist with regard to the use of the "mega-hallucinogen" STP. Discussion centers on the history, chemistry, and pharmacology of the drug and its patterns of use. The subjective effects on humans as well as on animals is reviewed. Psychological and physiological effects of STP continue to be researched,…

Empathy has been hypothesized as a mediator facilitating prosocial behaviors such as altruism. Definitions and measures of empathy disagree as to the extent to which the observer's response is affective and the necessity for the observer to understand the other's point of view. A conceptualization of empathy which includes these considerations has…

The purpose of this essay is to propose a different explanation of collective behavior and also to hypothesize how communication functions in this process. Using the experimental finding known as the "risky shift," this essay (1) summarizes the history of the risky shift, (2) presents two different theories which have been proposed to…