This article compares research findings on heightened cognitive flexibility in academically gifted children and similar flexibility in social intelligence. It proposes that social-cognitive flexibility (the ability to adapt prior social knowledge to formulate solutions to new interpersonal situations) is an important component of social…

Examined whether children who vary in their behavioral responses to ambiguous provocation but have similar attributional processes differ in their social goals and self- efficacy perceptions. Subjects were 781 4th and 5th graders. Found that aggressive, withdrawn, and problem-solving responders differed in the social goals and self-efficacy…

Discusses the issue of whether sex between mentally retarded individuals is morally permissable, and if so, under what conditions. Argues that mutual consent has unacceptable consequences for the mentally retarded. Specifies conditions where caregivers can grant permission for sexual activity. Describes the implications for future professionals'…

Weaves into the adolescent concept of community those Montessori ideas related to laws of human personality, nature, and society. Examines components of Montessori practice and theory, including the importance of work, the prepared environment, social cohesion, the imagination, and the absorbent mind by linking early childhood and adolescence.…

A longitudinal study involving 250 adults who had been institutionalized found that once they moved into the community, social impairment did not change over time, although there was a significant decrease in conversation and social mixing, non-verbal communication, and initiation of conversation and social interaction. (Contains references.) (CR)

Investigated associations among constructive and destructive sibling conflict, pretend play, internal state language, and sibling relationship quality among sibling pairs with one kindergarten-age child. Found that specific resolution strategies were associated with conflict issues, aggression and internal state language, and that conflict issues…

Analyzed the relationship between elements of child welfare and an index of social well-being in Minnesota counties. Found that all except two rural counties and only two urban counties had negative social well-being scores. Counties with low social well-being scores tended to have larger numbers of child welfare recipients. Findings suggest that…

A study evaluated the effectiveness of an 11-lesson psychoeducational program designed to enhance the ability of 14 children (ages 9-13) with hearing impairments to understand their own emotional experience and that of others. Children were enrolled in an "oral" education program. Results indicate significant increases in emotional vocabulary and…

A study involving elementary students with (n=336) and without (n=548) emotional disturbance (ED) found students with ED exceeded controls on the five ED characteristics stated in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which are inability to learn, relationship problems, inappropriate behavior, unhappiness or depression, and physical…

Staff at a Louisville, Kentucky, school have created a caring community of learners whose members feel valued, personally interconnected, and committed to everyone's growth and learning. Child Development Project schools emphasize warm, supportive, and stable relationships; constructive learning; intrinsic motivation; a challenging curriculum; and…

Asserts that play is closely tied to cognitive, socioemotional, and physical development. Defines play and gives reasons for its importance in early childhood education, using Parten's (1932) and Smilansky's (1968) categories of play, along with Vygotskian and Piagetian play theories. Discusses the teacher's role as facilitator of classroom play.…

Examined relations of children's regulation and emotionality to their social functioning. Found that resiliency mediated effects of individual differences in attentional regulation on social status and socially appropriate behavior, and that negative emotionality moderated the positive relation between attentional control and resiliency. Also…

Suggests a child's overall development is what makes academic learning possible. Notes that intelligence, the capacity to gain and use knowledge to solve problems and promote well-being, is comprised of cognitive, affective, and expressive components. Asserts that children need relationships with caring adults. Notes the School Development Program…

An existential-phenomenological approach was applied to a case study of a gifted adolescent girl's perceptions of the school experience. Results of interviews and observations were interpreted in terms of awareness of self and social cognition, involvement in the school experience, and communication patterns and strategies. (DB)

Interviews Mark Warshauer, Vice Chair of the Department of Education at the University of California, Irvine. His research focuses on the role of information and communication technologies (ICT) in second and foreign language teaching, the impact of ICT on literacy, and the relationship of ICT to institutional reform, democracy, and social…