Examined how social appearance and affective factors can influence social categorization and intergroup bias. Positive affect increased the extent to which subjects formed inclusive group representations, anticipating that the members of two groups would feel like one. Subjects in dissimilarly dressed groups expected the members to feel less like…

Crocker and Major (1989) hypothesized three mechanisms by which members of stigmatized groups may protect self-esteem. The mechanisms are: (1) in-group social comparisons; (2) valuing/devaluing performance selectively; and (3) racial prejudice. A test of Crocker and Major's hypothesized mechanisms was produced with the development of the…

Research conducted in the United States has found that people exert more effort when they perform a task individually than when they do so in a group. This phenomenon has been labeled social loafing. To examine the transcultural generality of social loafing, 20 male and 20 female Chinese school children in Taiwan were selected from grades 2, 3, 6,…

Networks have emerged as a major topic of interest in the behavioral sciences, and network concepts have recently been extended by community psychologists to higher education. To examine the effectiveness of peer networks within an introductory psychology class, networks of four students each met weekly in place of a lecture to review material and…

This paper explores the power of the group to influence the initiation, maintenance, and termination of a given episode of group drinking by alcoholics. The study was undertaken to establish the parameters, within a controlled laboratory setting, of the various effects of group decision making on the social, affective, and drinking behavior of the…

A study assessed the validity of applying the Spitzberg and Cupach dyadic model of communication competence to small group interaction. Twenty-four students, in five task-oriented work groups, completed questionnaires concerning self-competence, alter competence, interaction effectiveness, and other group members' interaction appropriateness. They…

When the authors wanted to combat the myth that excessive drinking and partying were common behaviors among students, they turned for help to a recent popular book on marketing and social behavior. The result was a trial project that identified and recruited the most influential students on campus, then set them loose to get the message out.…

Examined role of friendship aspects in moderating behavioral antecedents and outcomes of peer victimization among fourth and fifth graders. Teacher-reported internalizing and externalizing behaviors predicted increases in peer-reported victimization; relation of internalizing behaviors to increases in victimization was attenuated for children with…

The second phase of a three-phase study undertaken in Iowa provided a detailed analysis of the adult basic education/English-as-a-Second-Language (ABE/ESL) population. Objectives were to determine student motivation, segment the ESL population into groups based on group behavior, segment the population into groups based on ethnicity, and describe…

Only a few general principles are provided as a foundation for an effective program. However, what is new is the emphasis on human groups as a basis for organizing a single social studies discipline. Some questions are suggested concerning what should be investigated about groups, and what the students need to understand. 1) What causes human…

In a study to assess young children's social interaction with peers, six male toddlers who were the only participants in a playgroup were observed in two situations: (1) a GROUP situation in which at least four of the boys were present and (2) a DYAD situation in which only two boys were present. Both types of observations were made at 16, 19, and…

Demonstrates that in two areas of concentrated poverty in Columbus (Ohio), so-called underclass behaviors are not associated with race. A study of neighborhood poverty and political participation in those areas is used to show that whites and African Americans exhibit statistically indistinguishable and substantively similar levels of such…

Emanuel M. Berger's scale for testing the expressed acceptance of others is based on statements describing behavior, particularly verbal communicative behavior, of others, in a study of 561 subjects, Berger's scale evidenced need of modification in explaining small group interaction and especially the differing attitudinal responses of males' and…

Presents a study of language, attitudes, and change in masculinity in two groups of Australian men. Claims that schools act as agents in constructing gender definitions. Cites a report finding that gender stereotypes abound in textbooks; career counseling; and teacher expectations. Argues that males are advantaged by this and will resist change.…

This research summary reports on a 4-month long study of 30 children, ages 10-13, who live at the elementary boarding school on the island of 'Ua Pou, Marquesas Island, French Polynesia. Of the sample of 15 boys and 15 girls, 20 of the children are from a single small valley. Follow-up studies also were done of the families of these children. The…