The concept of behavior settings--the environments shaping individual behavior--was originated by Roger Barker in 1950 in connection with his community surveys in a small Kansas town, code-named Midwest. This book seeks to provide rural social scientists with an understanding of Barker's eco-behavioral approach and proposed adaptations of it to…

The behavior of 19 decision-making groups provided the basis for a model of the development of norms in newly formed groups. Data from the decision-making groups are used to illustrate the model, and implications for related research domains are discussed. Appended are 39 references. (MLF)

Examines institutionalization and marginalization in the context of the history of education. Contends marginality is a fluctuating concept. Introduces the concept of an intermediary zone between marginality and normal life defined as the area of fragile existence. Argues that studying the history of marginality can help researchers investigate…

The present experiment investigated factors which enhance the salience of group membership and consequent ingroup bias. Subject dyads, who were always white, interacted either competitively or interdependently with either white or black confederate dyads. Ingroup bias was assessed as a function of attraction toward the outgroup (experimental…

This booklet, a discovery/work text, asks learners to take a careful look at the ways they participate in communication situations, at the form their participation in communication takes, and at the personal and societal consequences of communication. Laboratory activities focus on techniques of communication and on strategies for dealing with…

Analyzed data from Asian-American undergraduates (N=87), using the Ethnic Identity Development Exercise. Research indicated Asian-Americans are largely influenced by relationships and external forces. In addition, avoidance of shame was a strong motivating factor in determining ethnic identification. Reviews and summarizes identify formation,…

Observations of the contrasts between Puerto Rican and Anglo nonverbal communication patterns, and their relevance in the classroom, are outlined and discussed. A general observation is that what is acceptable and permissible in one culture is usually not in the other, and teachers are urged to develop ways of making Anglo and Latin American…

A series of three studies investigated the role of play materials in supporting social interactions of nursery school children. Subjects were 14 boys and 11 girls, 4 and 5 years of age, who came from a variety of socioeconomic and racial backgrounds. Observations were made for 16 days, during the free play hour at each of four play centers: art,…

Affirmed that verbal behaviors (time speaking, initiated assertions, referrals received and first-person statements) were related to self-traits as measured by personality measures and a subjective self-report. The results are indicative of a proactive-reactive dimension of social interaction from both self and behavioral perspectives. (Author)

This study found that use of a dependent group evaluation system effectively decreased the group's inappropriate verbalizations and that the 9 students (ages 11-13) with disabilities had positive reactions to the system. The system involved delivering reinforcement based on an identified student's rating and congruence of the student's rating with…

This study investigated whether Science Curriculum Improvement Study or more recent interpretations of the learning cycle could be used by teachers to engage students in social constructivist learning. Two researchers and six science teachers implemented instruction based on the reciprocal use of language and action. Changing beliefs and practices…

The purpose of the Commons Game is to teach students how social traps work; that is, that short-term individual gain tends to dominate long-term collective gain. Simulations of Commons Dilemma have grown considerably in the last decade; however, the research has used small face-to-face groups to study behavior in the Commons. To compare the…

This student manual is intended to help undergraduate political science students analyze human behavior. The manual poses the problem of why a group of high school students failed to take their cafeteria trays to the dirty dish room. It presents alternative solutions which students discuss as they explore various interpretations of human…

This teaching guide, developed by the Los Angeles (California) Unified School District, presents concepts about relationships and a description of instructional objectives and activities which deal with family relationships, qualities of character and personality, and the teaching-learning act. A particular concept and objective are defined for…

Data from an ethnographic study of an integrated kindergarten suggests that children's disputes are strongly influenced by the activity and role structure of a given event and that variations in how an event is contextualized are linked to the classroom's social structure. (Author/CB)