Examines problems of the aged in organized crime, basing discussion on organized crime bosses over age 60 operating in Italy, the United States, and Israel. Looks at problems stemming from normative system in organized crime, role of the aged, intergenerational problems, fears of the aged, excuses and justifications, standards of life, and…

Outlines a cognitive model of the self-system, detailing the structural representation of self-relevant information in memory and the processes involved in retrieving and utilizing this information. Reports five experiments supporting the model. (MS)

Explores problems and solutions related to dealing with difficult people, specifically with those people encountered in the language-learning lab, including clients and employees. Classic types of difficult people include the bull, the fox, the time bomb, the whiner, the stone wall, the ultra agreeable, the bump-on-the-log, the know-it-all, the…

Analysis of home videotapes of autistic and normally developing children's first-year birthday parties found that autistic children displayed fewer social and joint attention behaviors and more autistic symptoms. Four behaviors (pointing, showing objects, looking at others, and orienting to name) correctly classified 10 of 11 autistic children and…

Used a teacher rating scale and coded videotaped observations to examine 30 toddlers' emerging social competence in an unfamiliar peer group during a 4-week summer camp. Found a correlation between the prosocial component of the teacher rating scale and observations of children's interactive-functional play and overall rate of interactive play…

Resolution of serious behavior problems requires individual functional assessment of the events that predict and maintain the challenging behavior and identification of contextual factors that are relevant to effective behavioral support. Functional assessment can involve review of school records, interviews, rating scales, direct observation, and…

The Student-Assisted Functional Assessment Interview identifies antecedent events, ecological variables, and consequences that can be modified to improve a student's classroom behavior. The assessment tool solicits information directly from students about their preferences and their appropriate and inappropriate behaviors. Interview results can…

Outlines an explanatory framework for psychological sex differences, one that is anchored in the new theoretical paradigm of evolutionary psychology. This paradigm rejects the dichotomy between biology and environment and provides a new metatheory of why sex differences exist, where they exist, and in what contexts they are expressed. (GR)

Reviews existing evidence and presents new evidence supporting the view that gender segregation in play may be in part the result of gender differences in physiological and behavioral reactions to emotional arousal and its regulation. Suggests that differences in contexts that elicit arousal in boys and girls may also contribute to gender…

Examined kindergarten social studies activities in Greece and kindergarten teachers' attitudes and training concerning the application of such activities. Found that teachers seem to understand the importance of social studies, and most occupy their students with social studies activities to a satisfactory extent. Those who did not cited lack of…

Addresses the potential of camp to promote self-esteem and nurture a sense of community. Summarizes articles in this journal issue that focus on individual and group behavior including homesickness, how camps can promote positive attitudes toward disabled campers, and a camp program that provides respite care for families of children with AIDS.…

Seven children (ages 4 to 7) with autism were taught to engage in symbolic play using Pivotal Response Training. Children with autism rarely exhibited symbolic play before training, but after training they learned to perform complex and creative symbolic play at levels similar to that of language-matched controls. Interaction skills also improved…

A study was conducted over a 15-week period during which 6 preschoolers made weekly visits to a day-care center. There was little spontaneous cooperative play between day-care children and children with disabilities. Students with disabilities showed increased social and play skills. (LB)

Investigates the relationship between social skills and depression in a college student population. Finds that depression is associated with a partial social skill deficit, most notable in terms of excessive social anxiety, low motivation to communicate with others, low social expressivity, and diminished behavioral involvement. (PRA)

This Dutch study examined the play behavior of 18 kindergarten children without mental retardation and 55 children with retardation, all at a developmental age of 4 to 5 years, as they played individually with a stimulating adult. The study found few differences with regard to activity, types and quality of play, and play content. (DB)