As part of a longitudinal study of the predictors of preschool-aged children's peer relationships, data were collected on the social behavior of 1-year-olds. Participating in the study were 48 mother-child dyads. Individual and comparison data were gathered through observation and videotape recordings in laboratory dyadic play sessions involving…

This study, which focused on the social behavior of 4-year-old children toward peers and adults, investigated relationships of 54 children in California and Japan who were observed for 20 minutes while they were playing in preschool or day care. All their behaviors during the first 30 seconds were observed and written down during the second 30…

In order to examine whether different results are obtained from two sociometric techniques for determining children's peer preferences in desegregated schools, two studies were conducted. The techniques compared were (1) the traditional peer nomination method, in which children list a few classmates whom they consider friends; and (2) the roster…

This paper explores a model of self-supervision for professional school psychologists which maximizes the amount of supervisory resources available. The history and current status of supervision in school psychology is reviewed. One model of self-supervision for professional school psychologists, the supervisory pool concept, is described and…

Social studies student teachers were paired with a single cooperating teacher to determine whether peer interaction enhances professional development. Of the 10 students involved in the study, 6 were paired and 4 were assigned in the traditional manner, i.e., one student teacher with one cooperating teacher. Each paired student taught two classes…

Social cognition of adults, unlike children's social understanding, has rarely been addressed from a developmental viewpoint. To extend the developmental perspective to the study of adults' social cognitive skills in relation to other mental and social skills, 52 college students were compared in role taking performance and nonsocial cognitive…

The stability of sociometric measures and their use for classifying elementary-age children are discussed. This is an important topic because of the assumption that childhood social maladjustment is a very stable and consistent phenomenon. Sociometric scores were collected over a 7-month period in a study of potential developmental differences…

This paper describes data gathering and analytic procedures, and then presents examples regarding how each fits into the naturalistic research model. From the interactionist perspective, called symbolic interactionism, meaning is of central importance. Naturalistic inquiry is a way of doing social science research which provides the methodological…

This study attempted to determine whether simple, naturalistic procedures could be used to increase the rate of physically affectionate behaviors directed at stuffed toy animals and at peers in the play of 4- and 5-year-old children. Procedures were developed for scoring affection and aggression during group play. The context of reading a story…

The major findings of this study were as follows: (1) beginning teachers relied on experienced teachers to define for them appropriate standards for student achievement; (2) experienced teachers, in general, were hesitant about offering assistance to beginners for fear of appearing interfering; (3) beginning teachers asked for assistance only when…

The Del Mar Union School District in southern California began a developmental program for inarticulate, shy, poorly-peer-oriented students. A group program appeared to be the best way to give this type of child a place to make himself heard, to supply ego-supporting activities, to foster broader peer interaction and the development of…

This model of an eight-week childhood obesity program for intermediate elementary through junior high school students addresses the social, psychological, and physical penalties often incurred by obese children. The materials detail the program format in terms of: (1) a daily food log; (2) a discussion of proper nutrition; (3) a contract for…

Research has suggested that the incidence of loneliness peaks at adolescence and decreases with age. Changes in the determinants of loneliness during adolescence were investigated for grade 8, grade 11, and university students. Subjects (N=410) completed a written questionnaire which included ten items from the UCLA Loneliness Scale, the…