A mail survey was used to investigate 5-year trends in Japanese mothers' reports of their 3-year-olds' cognitive, psychomotor, and social developmental attainment. Findings indicated significant decreases in all domains, not attributable to changes in family structure, although scores were higher among children in nuclear families than in extended…

This study tested the applicability of the Social Identity Theory (SIT) to cooperative behavior in a mixed gender setting. The findings indicate that gender categorization does not lead to majority or minority status in the same way as ethnicity. (MYM)

A social skills training program used with 40 New Zealand adolescents with mild mental retardation found that, while the subjects showed modest gains in the specific skills taught by the program and there was some evidence of generalization from the training to school contexts, the subjects' self-perception did not change. (Author/MSE)

Reports on collaborative effort at Seattle University to bring closer together academic and student life administrative components. Describes typical academic and student life model and "Horizon Model" that structurally integrates academic and student life missions to promote student cognitive and affective growth. (Author/CM)

Affective responses of two year olds to their day care teachers' affectionate and caregiving behaviors were observed during free play times. Teacher behaviors were affectionate and caregiving physical contact, affectionate words, smiling, and use of questions and instructions. Smiling was the behavior most likely to elicit positive responses from…

Many learning-disabled students experience social skill problems which call for training to promote success in school, work, and social settings. Social skill problems fall into three categories: skill deficits, performance deficits, and behavioral excesses. Interventions generally focus on increasing the individual's repertoire of skills, using…

Adolescents with and without learning disabilities (14, 16, and 18 years old) were tested to determine whether they differed in auditory, visual, and/or multisensory social perception abilities. The adolescents with learning disabilities at all age levels were not as adept at understanding nonverbal social information regardless of whether it was…

Reports on a study of 18 pairs of mothers and infants of 14-22 months to determine the cognitive and social development of the child in its second year. Results support the prediction that a new stage of development is achieved between 18 and 22 months in both cognitive and social domains. (RJC)

Investigated the intentions underlying practice in the classes of 24 nursery teachers. Many of the teachers valued cognitive growth and saw children's developing social competence as supporting that growth. (RJC)

Examines the issue of moral relativism as it pertains to conceptualizations of gender effect on moral development. Reviews positions of theorists regarding the importance of formal and contextually relative criteria to the development of moral reasoning. Argues that neither a justice nor a caring ethic alone can solve the problem of moral…

The proposed modified definition of learning disability by the Interagency Committee on Learning Disabilities, which includes social skills deficits as a specific learning disability, is presented and analyzed from primary, secondary, and social learning theory causative hypotheses. Development of an adequate assessment technology is urged.…

Incorporating group socialization procedures into a classroom with young children with developmental difficulties requires identifying target children, implementing the procedures, and evaluating the procedures. Socialization activities may include encouraging children to interact with one another, frequent modeling of prosocial behavior, frequent…

Discusses difficulties faced by contemporary West German youth as they search for their place in society. Identifies three domains of socialization (private, public, and commercial), describing tensions, contradictions, and incoherences between them. States that children must now respond as individuals to contrasting demands and multiple roles.…

The social interactions of 19 employees with developmental disabilities and 18 control employees were observed during work and breaks. Analyzed were the rate of social interaction, participants in social interactions, and content of social interactions (work-related or not work-related, commands, directions, offers of assistance, greetings, social…

Examined children's emotional and behavioral regulation and emotional and prosocial responses to a crying infant. Found that children who could regulate their arousal were unlikely to become distressed and more likely than other children to talk to and comfort the crying infant. Girls were more responsive and engaged in more active responses than…