Examines whether three-month-old infants can detect variations within the single expression category of smiling and whether individual differences in infants' sensitivities are related to identifiable mother or infant behaviors. (HOD)

Current research concerning affective development in infants and children is selectively reviewed. The focus of findings and discussion is on three general and related topics: (1) expression of emotion and affective interaction in infancy; (2) socialization and regulation of emotion; (3) comprehension of emotions and empathy with others by…

In the four studies reported, facial expressions of emotion are considered to be not merely responses indicative of internal states; they are also stimulus patterns that regulate the behavior of others. Results indicated that one-year-old infants seek out and use maternal facial expressions to monitor behavior. (Author/DST)

In order to determine how use of responsive listener cues (e.g. head nods, yesses, smiles, etc.) changes over preschool years, children were videorecorded as they listened to an adult speaker talk about his experiences. Age and sex differences in preschoolers' responsive behaviors are discussed as well as the relationship between the development…

Investigated whether abused and neglected children differ from other children in their nonverbal attachment and communicative behavior. Found that in comparison (1) abused children avoided contact and interaction and (2) abused females exhibited more avoidance than males. (PD)

Stresses that learning to understand and speak a foreign language is the acquisition of a skill, not of a system of abstract knowledge. Primary objective is understanding through a receptive, semantic approach, which incorporates rising expectancy level, discrepency feedback levels, and confidence in later speech production. Suggests incorporating…

Study indicates that hearing impaired residential students are more proficient users of American Sign Language than are hearing impaired children enrolled in local, public school programs, and older such residential students are more proficient in the language than are younger students. (SL)

A Microcounseling Skill Discrimination Scale (MSDS) was developed to measure ability to discriminate between effective and ineffective verbal and nonverbal helping messages. Both trained and naive groups successfully discriminated between effective and ineffective verbal and nonverbal helping messages, with trained raters showing a greater range…

Reveals that (1) it is possible to develop a low per-student-cost computerized verbal category system, (2) teacher behavior was modified and student participation increased, and (3) curriculum investigations suggest that improvement is possible with more experienced coders. (Author)

Discusses semiotics, which, in dealing with how meaning is communicated, views language as only one component of communication activity. Gives special attention to the new perspectives which semiotics has given to the study and teaching of intonation. (FB)

The use of communication boards with teachers by seven nonspeaking, nonambulatory, severely mentally retarded students in a residential classroom setting was studied. Analysis of videotaped nonspeaking student-teacher interactions revealed that these students rarely used their communication boards despite their severe inability to convey messages…

Examined two components of counselor attractiveness--perceived similarity and liking--in a comparison of two theoretical approaches to attractiveness and influence in counseling--the referent power hypothesis and an attributional approach. Results generally support the attributional approach over the reference power hypothesis. (Author)