Compared effects of different visiting programs (people, people and pets, pets, no visit) on behaviors of nursing home residents. Found all three visiting programs increased behaviors of smiling and alertness in comparison to control conditions. Close proximity to person-alone visitor was associated with greatest number of positive resident…

Investigates two methods of assessing social interactions among different ethnic groups: sociometric testing and protracted ethnographic observation. Highlights inherent limitations of sociometric testing and points to those aspects of inter-pupil contact that are likely to form the basis of teacher's perceptions of students' friendship choices.…

Compared the prosocial moral reasoning of Israeli city, kibbutz, and American third graders. Children responded to four moral dilemmas about helping situations. Although there were considerable similarities in reasoning across the three groups, there were also clear differences. (Author/BB)

Kindergarten and fourth-grade children participated in a study designed to assess the effects of number of models and type of behavior modeled on developmental differences of children's subsequent generosity. As predicted, generosity of younger children was affected by behavior of model(s) to a greater extent than was that of older children.…

People seem to have a natural need for friends. Friends increase enjoyment of life, relieve feelings of loneliness, and can help reduce stress and improve ones health. Having good friends is especially helpful when one is going through any kind of hard time: experiencing anxiety or panic attacks; depression, phobias, or delusional thinking; living…

Discusses the child who has newly immigrated, the importance of peer acceptance, the skills of friendship, the promotion of prosocial behavior, the developmental sequence of friendship, the impact of moving on friendship, the encouragement of peer interaction, and the role of the teacher as mediator. (RH)

Describes how one day care program for children and infants from low-income families developed, implemented, and evaluated a curriculum approach to facilitate children's social development and to deal with the problem of aggressive peer interactions. (RH)

Examines the effects of age, sex, and communicative situation on several comforting communication skills of first- through twelfth-grade subjects. Results indicated that the number, variety, and sensitivity of comfort-intended message strategies increased significantly with age and that strategies were used differently by males and females.…

Male and female experimenters requested adult shoppers (N=178) to fill out a questionnaire. Refusal data showed shoppers helping other-sex more than same-sex experimenters. Other results showed a significant three-way interaction among helper and helpee sex and sex-typing and situation sex-typing and that helper sex-typing did not have significant…

Fifteen fifth graders in a dilemma discussion group which viewed films that sought answers to dilemmas and then discussed possible solutions were subsequently found to be more generous (altruistic) than their control group counterparts. Implications for educators, psychologists, and researchers are discussed. (NEC)

One hundred and fifty-six children between the ages of 18 and 76 months were observed three times for 10 minutes each during free play in an attempt to describe the helping behavior of preschool children. (Author/RH)

Delinquents' patterns of play may be used as the context for teaching youths to adapt to societal demands. Games are uniquely self-reinforcing. The game preferences and behavior of delinquents are seen to differ from those of nondelinquents and may be used as the focus of a planned program of treatment. (Author)

The theory is a plausible explanation of a phenomenon: students in the presence of a student tutoring program seem to manifest prosocial attitudes and behavior. (Author)

Investigates the relationship between empathy and two measures of moral development (Prosocial Moral Reasoning and Helping) and parental socialization practices in a sample of 72 students from grades 9, 11 and 12. (Author/SS)

Investigates whether several factors (intelligence, political liberalism, and altruistic behavior) previously found to be related to prohibition moral reasoning (about issues involving laws, rules, authorities, and formal obligations) are also associated with level of prosocial moral reasoning. Students in grades 9, 11, and 12 were tested.…