Considers forces which influence the behavior of adolescents during dating, and traces changes in dating patterns. The main areas of influence during dating are seen as physiological changes, social pressures, and the personal meaning attributed to these forces in the individual's striving toward maturity. (JAC)

A 14-year-old with mild mental retardation and behavioral features suggestive of Asperger's syndrome is described. At the onset of puberty lethargic episodes took on a more dramatic form and became more reminiscent of cycloid/manic-depressive psychosis. Neurobiological links with and differences from the syndrome of infantile autism were found.…

Researchers are investigating how emotions affect the ways in which children think and interact with others. The Minnesota Preschool Project used observation measures for general types of positive, negative, and inappropriate emotional expression. "Social competence" was found to be highly correlated with the number of positive expressions minus…

Compared eight lower socioeconomic status abusive mothers with eight matched controls and eight middle class controls on three measures of emotional and somatic distress. Abusive mothers showed far greater depression and physical distress than controls and used more physical punishment. (BH)

Affective education's goals can be sabotaged by unrecognized ethnicism in the teacher, the school, or the materials used. Teacher/facilitators of affective strategies should develop a sensitivity to all types of ethnicism. This paper considers the implications and concerns of ethnic awareness which are specific to drug education. (Author)

Interprets a range of affective evaluation practices, with a brief discussion of the strengths and limitations of each. Ideas for some new directions are also explored. (Author/JG)

The hypothesis tested was that the evaluations and affective responses which accompany ongoing behavior may operate as reinforcers and punishers, thus exercising control over the persistence of those behaviors. Results indicate potent systematic effects due to the differing content of such evaluations and the associated affect or affective tone.…

Noting that the death of a loved one brings grief to children as well as adults, this Digest draws on research to examine how children respond to death and the role of parents and teachers in helping children cope with loss. The Digest delineates children's "tasks" during mourning that are essential to their adjustment to loss, such as…

In the recent past, research on binge drinking has focused on the incidence and reasons for drinking among college students. Students at a mid-sized suburban university answered questions regarding their alcohol consumption, their reasons for drinking, and the negative experiences that they had as a result of drinking. The results of this survey…

Contextual perceptions, motivational beliefs, and achievements of 389 female high school students in Seoul, Korea were examined longitudinally during an academic year. Contextual perceptions and motivational beliefs were assessed within the contexts of general school learning and specific school subjects. Overall, personal motivation beliefs were…

In this communication we analyze a dichotomy that pervades research on attitude in mathematics education: the classification of attitude as positive/negative. After highlighting the ambiguity of the term "positive", and some problems related to it, we suggest that the positive/negative dichotomy is too simplistic to take into account the deep…

This paper reports on conversations with Palestinian youth to help gain insight into their perceptions of the ongoing events of the Intifada. Through the children's responses the study determined that they search for their national identity throughout the struggles. Many have gotten actively involved, which has added to their confidence. During…

A program was developed for the improvement of social competence in general among professionals with the improvement of the accuracy of decoding emotions from facial expressions as the specific focus. It was integrated as a laboratory experience into traditional lectures at two German universities where studies were conducted to assess the…

A tool for measuring attitudes in the social studies classroom helps the teacher observe changes in the affective domain. (Author/KM)

Classroom techniques and material usage can change student attitudes and the concept that American society, and American schools as a microcosm of that society have become one in which to be real, to extend oneself for others is the exception, not the rule. (JB)