The interactional competence of 12 kindergarten children was studied through naturalistic research of their sociodramatic play in a classroom context. Data were collected by both videotape and trained observers. Contextual and interactional information was analyzed according to an Interactional Competency Checklist (ICC) designed by the author.…

Two questions were examined in this study: (1) Do symbolic interaction and social learning processes independently contribute to adolescents' self-esteem? and (2) If they do, what is the relative magnitude of their contribution? Data for the investigation were gathered through self-report questionnaires. Fourteen to 18-year-old adolescents, and…

The major hypothesis of the present study is that interest and competence in interacting with age-mates emerges in two-year-olds out of the process of defining self as separate from other in the context of the mother-child bond during the first two years. Seventy-eight two-year-old boys were administered four measures of self-definition and 40…

This study investigates the interaction of three cognitive (functional, constructive, dramatic) and three social (solitary, parallel, group) dimensions of free play activities and their stability over time among boys and girls in a preschool setting. Subjects were 18 children attending a university preschool in Southwestern Ontario. Data for each…

This guide to a curriculum for Family Life Education (including sex education) for grades kindergarten through 12 was the direct outgrowth of a summer Curriculum Writing Workshop. The project was funded under Title III of the Elementary and Secondary School Act. Teachers and counselors compiled the guide so that it could be adapted by a school…

Intervention studies in which peer social initiations were used to increase the social and play skills of withdrawn preschool and school aged children are reviewed. A discussion follows of such practical application issues as selection of peer trainers, training of peer trainers, arrangement of the setting for peer intervention, and teacher…

Four patterns or generalizations about peer tutoring are discussed, including the following: (a) academic gains for the learner seem to be most uniformly produced by highly structured programs which explicitly define the content, sequence, and procedure for each lesson; (b) academic gains for the tutor seem most likely when the tutoring experience…

This study examined the reactions of 45, 10-month-old infants to peer strangers. The infants were observed in two conditions: with a stranger of the identical age (10 months) and with one who was younger (5 months). In additon, each infant's behavior when he was alone with his mother was compared to his behavior when he was in the presence of…

The Social Science Research Council's activities during its 50th anniversary year are summarized. In addition to presenting detailed accounts from 30 committees which comprise the Council, the report includes a staff essay on social development during early childhood. The report indicates that the Council pursued the advancement of research in the…

This paper, a discussion of papers by Robert S. Randall, Greta Fein, Richard Bauman and Murray Newman, looks at informal learning from an anthropological viewpoint with an emphasis on inversive theory. It is suggested that the irrational elements of informal learning, the combinations of order and disorder, allow children to relate to reality by…

This paper reviews recent evidence on a new treatment procedure for dating anxieties and inhibitions based on real-life practice dating interactions. The procedure involves randomly pairing opposite-sexed partners (both of whom are volunteers for the treatment program) for a series of practice dates, each with a different partner. Data from five…

This book discusses the moral development theories of Piaget and Kohlberg and presents practical applications of these theories for teachers and parents. The author's purpose in writing the book is to present an exposition of the work of these men to the general reading public. Chapter titles are Introduction to Developmental Theories, presenting…

Frequency of aggression in 5- to 8-year-old children was examined in relation to frequency of helping, comforting and sharing. Subjects (39 boys and 40 girls attending a summer day camp) were each observed for two hours and their aggressive and prosocial behaviors recorded. This study differed from previous investigations of this issue in two…

Presented as the outcome of a summer institute involving 30 graduate students are case histories and educational prescriptions for 34 low functioning severely handicapped individuals ages 2 to 26 years. The case histories provide information on identification, reports of previous evaluations, other contacts and assessment of present functioning…

The author offers some tentative hypotheses regarding barriers which limit progress of mature, married, black females in preparing and entering academe. The assumptions are based on limited data which are still coming in for a larger study on women in academe. The barriers discussed include: (1) limited role models, (2) limited encouragement to…