This booklet explains the value of networking--a procedure for establishing connections, securing information, and making problem-solving bridges out of shared experiences of work. It advises looking for networking opportunities to discover career strategy techniques as well as to provide support and, perhaps, to find a new or better job. The…

Exploratory research was conducted to generate hypotheses regarding behaviors of a 2-year-old subject during social interaction with multi-age partners. The subject of the study was a female child age 2 years and 4 months. Interactions observed were limited to those occurring with a number of partners who were members of the subject's social…

The Inventory of Socially Supportive Behaviors (ISSB) appears to be a satisfactory measure of social support with good reliability and some evidence of validity. To investigate the dimensionality of the ISSB through factor analytic procedures and to predict social support from social network variables, 179 college students (97 male, 82 female)…

The normative transition from adolescent to adult is interrupted by adolescent motherhood. Many argue that obstacles presented by adolescent motherhood can be overcome with support of family, friends, and the baby's father. To examine the size of social networks and the perceived and actual support derived from such networks, data were obtained…

The performance enhancement model (PEM) presented in this information sheet will help administrators and supervisors establish a school program to meet the special needs of first-year teachers. Inservice sessions for new teacher training should be played with the help of peer supervisors who are chosen by the principal for their teaching and…

Social support systems often relate to a person's ability to cope with stressful events. When the stressful event involves relocation, however, the benefits of social support may not extend beyond the relocation. A study was conducted to examine how a move to college affects social support and homesickness. College freshmen (N=70) who were from…

The role of the social network in adjustment takes on greater significance during the aftermath of divorce because of the many changes these networks undergo as a result of divorce. For most children of divorce, the father-child relationship changes dramatically and thus transactions within this relationship may be particularly impactful. This…

To determine whether the change from the highly structured, peer-based life style associated with the college community to more heterogeneous environments would have a significant impact on graduates' social support networks, social support levels of 49 men and 49 women were assessed 1 month prior to college graduation, and 1 and 6 months…

Supplementing a national survey of self-help group members, a study examined the functioning of an epilepsy self-help group in order to identify communication patterns establishing mutual aid. An examination of eight tape-recorded sessions was combined with an observer's field notes to develop a profile of the group. Analysis revealed a loosely…

Although studies have linked stressful life events with illness, good support resources have been found to mediate these effects. To investigate the processes involved in assessing one's social network, identifying areas where change is desired, and modifying specific social network variables, 18 undergraduate students (14 females, 4 males)…

To explore families as networks and communities from an evolutionary perspective, two studies were conducted with rural elders in West Virginia. In the first study, examining the social factors that influenced the use of public transportation, 28 elderly individuals, divided into three groups by transportation styles (users of public…

Recent research has established that the well-being of older adults is very much influenced by the quality and the quantity of their social relationships and their social support network. Weiss has argued that for adults in general, different relationships are needed to meet the diverse requirements of well-being. In this study the Weiss model was…

Operational and organizational principles are suggested for guiding the establishment of networks to facilitate ongoing interactions between the practitioner and scholar communities in mathematics, science, and technology. These networks would define problems that need attention, carry out research on the problems, and incorporate the results of…

A mathematical model that describes attitude change in human communication networks is developed in this paper. The parameters of the model are drawn from a review of the literature related to network analysis, small group influence, mass communication, and attitude change. The literature review identifies key variables that influence attitude…

Unconventional advice to help college graduates be successful is offered. Ways to find sources of money (i.e., jobs) are described, including: using services or products offered through the mail, making phone calls to build a network of contacts in a particular industry, attending seminars to further one's knowledge of a field, learning about…