The theory of "reasoned action" is applied to the teaching-learning process. This theory asserts that people use the information available to them in a reasonable manner to arrive at their decisions and that a person's behavior follows logically and systematically from whatever information he has available. To illustrate application of the theory…

This study was designed to provide additional understanding of the construct of social competence by using multiple assessments, including both behavioral and inferential techniques. Indices of qualitative social behaviors and of quantitative interaction dimensions were collected on 66 preschoolers during free play. Scores on the Kohn and Rosman…

The University of Evansville basketball team and others associated with it were killed in an airplane crash in December, 1977. The University had to decide how to respond to the tragedy. Advice received from other universities was based upon impression rather than systematic data collection. At Evansville, interviews were held with 87 students who…

The effects of a training manual designed to decrease dating discomfort and increase social skills were investigated. Males (n=22) who saw themselves as socially anxious and lacking in social and dating skills volunteered to take part in a program designed to increase dating frequency, communication skills, and comfort in male-female interactions.…

The paper discusses some of the "belief systems knowledge" used in language understanding. It begins with a presentation of a theory of personal causation. The theory supplies the tools to account for purposeful behavior. Using primitives of the theory, the social aspect of an action can be described. The social aspect is that which depends on…

This paper traces the development of interpersonal skills and characterizes the essential features of social interaction as they change from infancy to adolescence. It is demonstrated that, at each life stage, the quality of social relationships is dependent on the person's capacity for interpersonal closeness, his ability to use language, and his…

Significant desired changes occurred in the conference behavior of a group of supervisor-trainees who participated in a microteaching practicum. There was also a significant shift in the way the group evaluated teaching skills; at the end of the practicum their ratings more closely approximated those assigned by a group of experienced supervisors.…

The first article in this collection examines civil disobedience and the protections offered by the First Amendment. The second article discusses a study on antagonistic expressions in a free society. The third essay deals with attitudes toward free speech and treatment of the United States flag. There are two articles on media; the first examines…

The Differentiated Child Behavior (DCB) Observational System has a two-fold purpose: first, it provides a description and analysis of patterns of classroom interactions in educational programs and program impact on children's functioning; and second, it provides feedback to supervisory staff so that analysis of programs contributes to…

A group of social scientists met to advise the National Institute of Mental Health on how best to follow up on the work of the Surgeon General's Scientific Advisory Committee on Television and Social Behavior. Participants were asked to: 1) define research issues and approaches, 2) identify means for conducting research, and 3) provide guidance…

To understand the developmental bases of moral-rational behavior in children, the effectiveness of four training paradigms in modifying social behavior was compared. The specific behavior studied was that of taking-turns in situations where mutual assistance was necessary in order for either of two children to receive prizes. The four training…

The three studies involved attempt to assess the nature of cooperative and competitive behavior of young children in different socioeconomic classes. In the first study, 36 pairs of Head Start children, representing Mexican-American, Negro and Caucasian ethnic groups, were investigated concerning their cooperative-competitive behavior in relation…

The information contained in this report is intended for the "Sesame Street" writers who are assigned the task of creating program material in the interpersonal area. This information will also be useful for evaluation of program materials aimed at interpersonal goals. First, a list of interpersonal strategies is presented; these are:…

Teaching style of junior and senior high teachers was investigated through student perceptions of "good" and "bad" teachers. Nearly 500 sets of unstructured, raw student comments were content analyzed from a communication standpoint. The four major dimensions of the communication framework were: Social Aspects, Presentation, Expressive Aspects,…

The studies in this fifth volume of technical reports to the Scientific Advisory Committee on Television and Social Behavior explore the role of mediated aggression and violence on relevant human behaviors in some new and interesting ways. The volume begins with an overview of the studies, presenting a statement of the principal questions asked,…