The primary core deficit in autism spectrum disorders is social development. While frequently acknowledged as a critical aspect of intervention for improved functioning, research on the specifics of social development and effective models of intervention is not commensurate with the acknowledged importance. We present a model of social competence…

This study evaluated the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral interventions in the treatment of persons with schizophrenia who experienced significant residual symptoms and impaired functioning despite their adherence to medication. The study used an aggregated AB single-system research design across 22 participants to evaluate change in clinical…

Damage to the brain in children results in a multiplicity of visual difficulties which have to be managed both at home and at school. Parents of such children have detailed knowledge about the nature and characteristics of their child's visual difficulties and develop a range of coping strategies, often without realizing they have done so. The…

Systematic analysis of interview data for 6 African American and 4 European American women who were survivors of battering and who are marginalized in society indicated that the women used active strategies (e.g., social support resources) to preserve their sense of self and agency within the conditions of violence. Previous experiences of abuse…

The Multisource Assessment of Social Competence Scale was developed, based on the School Social Behavior Scale and examined to test the factor pattern and the consistency of the ratings of self, peers, teachers, and parents. The findings of the confirmatory factor analysis supported a four-factor solution consistent with two main dimensions…

This research tests the proposition that national leaders generate international interactions in the process of maintaining sentiments about nations and international actions. The analysis deals with 1,934 international incidents in which one of 25 Middle Eastern nations responded twice within four weeks to an instigation by another of the 25…

Many studies have demonstrated that student motivation is an important factor in student learning. The recently proposed General Model of Instructional Communication, however, does not include motivation. Based on the assumption that student motivation may be an important factor in student learning, particularly long-term learning and retention,…

This simulation activity introduces the concepts of cooperation and competition and exploring positive models for problem solving. The activity can be used with elementary and secondary school participants, as well as with adults. Suggestions for adapting discussion for younger participants are provided. The group task is to form five equal-sized…

Young people are concerned with making and keeping friends, and they invest a great deal of energy in group social life to do so. This book charts the interactions of young people both in and out of school and the role of peers and friends in strengthening social attachments and in establishing social identities. It describes how social identities…

This study evaluated the impact of a program for improving group functioning through reducing the frequency of inappropriate student behavior. Participating were 160 students in grades 3, 7, 10, and 11 from a primary school, a junior high, and 3 high schools. All of the subject schools were in low- to upper-middle class communities located in five…

Children's leadership expression in different types of group activities from early elementary school through high school was examined. Parents and teachers of 354 Western New York kindergarten through twelfth-grade public school students completed questionnaires assessing the children's leadership expression. Results indicated that leadership in…

This summer institute was specifically designed to give the Wai'anae community in Hawaii a chance to share ideas that would strengthen the support for all of their youth. It also gave them a chance to learn about resiliency, which is defined as "a person's capacity to survive through life's difficulties." Resiliency can be fostered in youth by…

An applied anthropological study was done of college student drinking games for insight into their role and function. Historical evidence suggests that drinking games have existed since ancient times, that such games encourage heavy drinking, and that despite awareness of the dangers associated with high levels of alcohol consumption, drinking…

Thirty-three deaf and 33 hearing children were videotaped playing with their hearing mothers at 22 months and 3 years of age. The deaf and hearing dyads differed at 22 months only on communicative competence. In addition, interactions in deaf dyads were mother dominated and less harmonious than in hearing dyads. At 3 years, the deaf children also…

This manual was developed for use in studying the sociomoral competence of children in three kindergarten classes. The work described follows that of Robert Selman, whose goal was to build a structural-developmental model of children's reflective reasoning in several domains of interpersonal understanding. Each of these domains involves the…