Children's (ages 8-12) interactive social responses to computers were examined. Results showed that students had not considered the social implications of using another's data. When infringements of their rights to privacy took place, students demanded penalties. Students showed preference for group problem-solving strategies. (RM)

Analyzed the complete interaction of high and low consensus groups in a basic small group course. Interaction analysis indicated that both the relational and content levels of communication are significantly different for high versus low consensus groups. The conclusion that increased feedback leads to decision satisfaction was confirmed. (JAC)

Differences were investigated between communication behaviors of small groups trained or not trained in creative problem-solving. The 110 members of groups trained in problem solving participated more, criticized ideas less, supported ideas more, exhibited more verbal and nonverbal indications of humor, and produced more ideas than the 90…

Explores challenges faced by caregivers working with school-age children. Suggests guidance techniques based on understanding of children's emotional, social, physical, and intellectual characteristics. Focuses on appropriate use of environment, group management and problem solving, and development of self-discipline. (BAC)

A study investigated ways that adult educators might introduce educational activity into a community problem-solving situation and attempted to determine the influence of this activity on growth of the community-problem-solving group. Adult educators by definition included cooperative extension agents, social workers, community mental health…

Consensus is important in the making of a policy decision. If a decision is reached without consensus, morale and unit satisfaction may both suffer. With genuine consensus, a unit tends to willingly support and implement the new policy. After analyzing how observed small groups had actually reached consensus, the following ten techniques were…

The author trained confederates to exhibit either opinionated, moderately opinionated, or unopinionated styles of leadership, then assigned them to discussion groups. Each group was assigned a specific topic and instructed to decide on a specific policy toward the topic. They were also asked to make ratings that measured four other attitudes: the…

A study of students' group learning behavior in a laboratory course in experimental engineering at the University of New South Wales, Australia is reported. Observations of students at work and students' reports of their group activities indicate continuing group involvement in an extensive range of collaborative peer learning activities.…

Using a brief experiential group activity called "Choosing a Color Exercise" as an introductory measure, this paper explains the basics of group dynamics and reviews the major theoretical relationships between the group's structure, the dynamics of maintenance and task behaviors, and effective individual performances. The types of functional and…

Social Conflict and Negotiative Problem Solving is an instructional system currently under development by the Improving Teaching Competencies Program (ITCP) of Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NWREL). In accordance with the Resource Allocation Management Plan (RAMP, 1975) of ITCP, this report presents a plan of evaluation activities for…

Investigated effects on group member satisfaction and communication behavior when male and female leaders either maintained or lost reward power during problem-solving sessions. Found group member communication was more substantive and positive when leaders maintained reward power than when they lost it; communication behavior was also affected by…

This paper reports a study designed to examine the types of behaviors students exhibit while conducting laboratory activities and assess the effectiveness of strategies students employ. The sample was 42 students enrolled in a physics lab section at a single university. Three types of data were collected: (1) observational data during the lab…

To investigate the influence of group settings on the receiver's perception of an inducement to rhetorical transactions, 45 undergraduates in a basic speech communication course were asked to rank from most important to least important a group of items that might help survivors of an arctic plane crash. After completing individual rankings,…

A review of the research literature concerning the effects of cooperation and competition on small-group productivity suggests that results have been conflicting and inconclusive. From a methodological standpoint, the inconsistent finings result from the use of experimental tasks which create systematic bias in favor of either the cooperative or…