A study involving 117 children with and without mental retardation in grades 1 through 5 found children with mental retardation had difficulty recognizing benign intention social cues that accompanied a negative event, had difficulty varying their social strategies to fit the social conflict, and often suggested appealing to authority. (Contains…

Describes a strategy that teachers can use to target social goals for the classroom, teach skills, and evaluate interventions. Discusses how teachers can tap all areas of the curriculum to create learning environments; details the design, implementation, and evaluation of the program; and offers a case study. (RJM)

Investigates the potential of 11 traditional play activities in a nursery classroom for contributing toward the development of sociability and cooperation in children. Findings suggest four elements characteristic of cooperative play: (1) communication of imaginative ideas; (2) interactive, activity-related dialog; (3) problem solving; and (4)…

Contributes to scholarship on technology and society by examining portrayals of the information highway in a wide range of magazine articles. Finds that a sense of powerlessness pervades these narratives, which portray the world as autonomous economic forces toward which individuals must adjust their actions. Argues that these narratives close off…

A study examined the conversation skills used by 10 kindergartens with hearing loss and 11 chronological age-matched hearing peers. Results indicate that there were no significant differences in the majority of the conversational skills used by the children with hearing loss and the children with normal hearing. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

Examines college students (N=70) for associations between friendsickness, precollege predictors, and the dimensions of college adjustment 10 weeks into the first semester. Results reveal friendsickness is associated with precollege social concerns, discrepancy between precollege expectations and college experiences, more precollege friends in the…

Examined age and gender differences regarding the nature, meaning, and function of cherished possessions. Among the significant differences found were that younger children were egocentric in meanings assigned to cherished possessions, whereas older children held social relationships meaningful; females favored items to be contemplated, while…

A critical, often neglected element in school renewal is developing a sense of community among students and adults. Few decision-makers understand the long-term benefits: students that are more ethical, caring, socially adept, academically motivated, and better behaved. High expectations and an engaging, challenging curriculum complete the…

A social skills problem-solving intervention was used to teach social leisure skills to four adults with moderate levels of mental retardation. The intervention produced immediate positive changes in targeted social skills with all participants. They also generalized the use of the social skills to other settings. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

A study reviewed 16 studies that investigated the effects of interventions designed to increase early social communicative skills of young children with autism by increasing their role as initiator of social interactions. Positive changes were reported for social and affective behaviors. Limited generalization or maintenance of target behaviors…

Discusses the origin of the categories of relational, social, and indirect aggression in Finnish studies on the nature of female aggression, arguing that all three names represent the same issue. Considers early research into the developmental origins of indirect aggression, and the role of physical, verbal, and indirect aggression as three…

Responds to issues raised by Archer and Bjorkvist, focusing on four issues: definitions; normality, deviance, and context; developmental origins and outcomes; and getting along. (JPB)

Presents the Twin Earth model, proposing specific relations between pretend play and understanding minds, from ontogenesis of pretense to later emergence of role play and representational understandings of pretense. Central to the model is supposition that pretend play functions for children much as Twin Earth functions for philosophers, by…

An adapted version of the Puppet Interview was used to examine the self-concept of 6-year-old kindergartners. Responses showed that the fundamental structures identified by L'Ecuyer (1994) were present except the Self-Nonself. The adaptive self and personal self were central structures. Three substructures (self-image, social attitudes, and…

Argues that planners should design play areas based on children's physical, emotional, social, and intellectual needs. Specific playground planning goals are examined that address childrens' physical abilities, emotional development, and social and intellectual performance as well as help satisfy the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities…