Discusses utopia and utopianism and the relevance of both to thinking analytically and practically about the form and content of education policy. Advocates a particular application of utopian imagination (utopian realism), which envisages possible futures in terms of detectable trends in actual social development, to practical educational…

Notes that functional approach to social dominance or resource control advances important and unique developmental questions not suggested by structuralist approaches. States that the functional approach to social dominance centers on consequences of competition first and form of behavior second. Notes two areas for further research: whether…

Examined gender, friendship, and contrast in choices for potential social partners among 122 children, ages 4 to 8 years. Found that gender and friendship are equal factors for the younger participants, and that friendship status moderates the influence of gender on social reasoning as children age. (LBT)

Characterizes primate and human forms of sociality and cultural transmission, describing the ontogeny of human cultural learning (joint attention, imitative learning, and cognitive representation). Humans share most cognitive skills and knowledge with other primates, but they also possess a species-unique social cognitive adaptation that enables…

Examined relation between parents' reactions to preschoolers' negative emotions and social competence. Found that the relation between harsh parental coping strategies and children's emotional responding was moderated by parental distress. Relation between the interaction of parental coping and distress to children's social competence was mediated…

Explored the extent to which variations in social initiative relate to adolescents' history of interpersonal relationships. Found that positive aspects of the parent- adolescent relationship predicted adolescent social initiative 2 years later directly or indirectly. Differences in variance accounted for in two age cohorts suggested that the…

Differences in rate and quality of parent-child communication in parents of socially anxious and normal children 9-12 years old were examined. Socially anxious children, like the control group, tended to mirror verbalizations of parents. In contrast, socially anxious children did not show the same similarities in responsiveness. (BF)

Compared mothers' and fathers' direct involvement in adolescent girls' versus boys' peer relationships, and examined the links between parents' involvement and the qualities of adolescents' friendship and peer experiences. Findings revealed mothers were more knowledgeable about adolescents' peer relationships than fathers, and both mothers and…

Bronfenbrenner's process-person-context-time model is used to examine theories that explain adverse effects of economic deprivation on children's socioemotional development. Processes of not only the family, but also those of the peer group and school, and in other levels of the ecological environment may also explain the relation between economic…

The purpose of this study was to examine how total duration of social play of preschool children with disabilities varied as a function of both chronological and developmental age of their social partners. Fifty-five 33- to 60-month-old children with mild to moderate developmental delays were observed in dyadic play situations with four different…

In a previous study of the differential effects of contrasting early intervention programs on later social behavior (Mills, Cole, Jenkins, & Dale, 2002), we found no differences in self-report of juvenile delinquency at age 15 for children enrolled in direct instruction and child-directed models. These results disconfirmed the conclusion of…

Exciting advances have been made in the study of psychological and subjective well-being. However, this literature has, curiously, had minimal impact on clinical/counseling practice or applied psychology, including counseling psychology--a subfield historically devoted to the concept of hygiology and the promotion of optimal human functioning.…

This article examines the social development of Hong Kong's cultural and national identity since its return from the UK to the People's Republic of China (PRC) nearly six years ago, focusing on the extent to which Hong Kong students are now inculcated in traditional Chinese music and express their devotion to the PRC through singing the national…

Young children in poor communities are spending more hours in nonparental care because of policy reforms and expansion of early childhood programs. Studies show positive effects of high-quality center-based care on children's cognitive growth. Yet, little is known about the effects of center care typically available in poor communities or the…

A large literature has documented the influence of child care on young children's development, but few studies have examined low-income children in community care arrangements. Using data from Welfare, Children, and Families: A Three-City Study (N=204), this study examined the influence of child care quality and the extent of care on low-income…