With the introduction of school choice as a viable option of school reform, researchers have begun to look beyond academic achievement to the effects of choice on alternative outcomes. Recently, non-cognitive skills and behavior stand at the front of those alternative outcomes. From the most up to date relevant literature it appears that school…

The cognition/conduct problem is outlined as it arises in cognitive-developmental moral theory. A model of the connection between stage of moral reasoning and behavior is developed, involving two separate steps (from reasoning to judgments and from judgments to behavior).(Author/RH)

Research supported by U.S. Office of Education Contracts OEC-3-10-032 and OEC-6-10-108.

Notes that most of those who criticized the authors' 1975 APA presidential address seem to explicitly or implicitly share the belief that issues discussed are important areas of study on which divergent perspectives should be developed and discussed even where the best available evidence falls far short of dependable scientific fact. (Author/AM)

Considers areas of consensus from commentaries, including the value of an evolutionary perspective and the utility of exploring variations in physical activity play. Examines areas of debate, including the nonplay-play distinction, functions of rough-and-tumble play, and the opportunities of juveniles for exercise training. Calls for more directed…

Independent investigations have demonstrated consistent relationships among family communication, cognitive style, and media behavior when any two of these variables are associated in the same study. The evidence so far supports the hypotheses that family communication patterns are associated with different strategies for dealing with persons and…

Written by a biologist, this paper is intended to present information on the sociological study of man from a biological perspective. Perspectives include that (1) sociology neglects biological variables that are part of understanding human behavior and human societies; (2) the sociobiological or evolutionary view of human development is…

Notes that psychologists' interest in behavioral development concerns individual differences in behavior. Explores complexities of genetic and environmental determination of development, and of canalization. Intelligence is considered as an example of the canalization of human behavior. (BC)

The previous articles in this journal on social skills are examined for their implications for training and practice of school psychology. The author concludes that recent developments from studies of social competence and social skills provide increased opportunities for school psychologists to make progress in general areas. (Author/EGS)

Reviews studies of television's socializing impact on Black children. Discusses viewing behavior and exposure patterns, program preferences, motivations for watching television, and the effects of watching. Concludes with an agenda for future research, emphasizing the need for investigation of variables that mediate television's influence. (KH)

This exploratory study of children's use of electronic text systems drew upon site visits, interviews, and data compilations for an overview and synthesis of issues. Systems studied included Green Thumb (videotext, Kentucky); Channel 2000 (videotext, Ohio); KCET (teletext, California); WETA (teletext, Washington, D.C.); QUBE (interactive cable,…

The literature on children's acquisition of sex-typed knowledge, preference, and behavior is reviewed, and a matrix of sex-typing constructs and sex-typed content areas is offered. Two major themes are discussed. The first theme concerns the importance of activities, interests, and peer associations in the early acquisition of sex-typing…

Studies on learning in infants show that in infancy every month of life represents a new level of learning. The functional state of the central nervous system can be influenced by physiological factors which cause fluctuating changes in functions important for learning. Once a stimulus becomes a conditioned signal, it acquires strong power in…

This book represents the proceedings of the Conference on Advancing Research on Developmental Plasticity: Integrating Behavioral Science and the Neuroscience of Mental Health. The conference featured scientific presentations from many leading scientists in behavioral sciences, neuroscience and psychiatry, as well as a poster session for newer…