Examines association between intimate premarital relationships and subsequent marital dissolution. Results suggest neither premarital sex nor premarital cohabitation by itself indicate either preexisting characteristics or subsequent relationship environments that weaken marriages. Findings are consistent with the notion that premarital sex and…

Used interviews and questionnaires to assess preschool teachers' beliefs about the importance of young children's social competence. Found that teachers valued peer competence in early childhood, but academic goals were more frequently valued than social goals. Teachers felt peer competencies were influenced more by the child's inherent nature…

This paper examines current literature about social competencies and individuals with developmental disabilities, explaining the role of leisure in enhancing social competencies through the lifespan. After defining perceived social competence, the paper looks at how recreation and leisure can increase communication and social skills for this…

Discusses the role of friendships in children's development. Examines the meaning of the term friendship; the roots of friendship development; the role of parents, teachers, and siblings; and concerns about children's choices. Suggests that positive attitudes, when established early in life, can affect physical and mental health and the quality of…

Tabulated the frequencies of dyadic and group interactions in single-sex playgroups of 4- and 6-year-olds. Found that boys and girls at both ages engaged in similar frequencies but in different patterns of dyadic interactions. Only 6-year-old boys interacted in groups. (BC)

Followed 8-year olds' friendship dyads through school year to determine if they remained friends, and compared their interaction in structured potential conflict with nonfriend dyads. Found that friends made more proposals than nonfriends to negotiate object sharing, spent more time negotiating, compromised more, and showed more competitive…

Research has shown that the classroom social environment is a chief psychological determinant of academic learning. A recent study showed students who gave their classrooms high ratings on cohesion, challenge, satisfaction, and absence of friction and favoritism on the Learning Environment Inventory achieved more academically, had better attitudes…

Describes aspects of self-concept that develop in toddlerhood: (1) self-recognition; (2) self-representation; (3) self-description; (4) self-assertion; (5) self-evaluation; and (6) self-regulation. Intervention ideas for children with special needs are presented based on three dimensions of the socializing environment: provision of inanimate…

The behavioral and heart rate responses of 22 children (ages 3-4) with autism and 22 with other developmental disabilities were compared while they were watching videotapes of a baby either playing or crying. Both groups of children showed heart rate slowing when watching the video of the crying baby. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

General and specific issues of the risk and resilience framework in the social development of children with learning disabilities include: (1) integrating current research with prior related studies; (2) measurement problems; (3) more differentiation regarding gender and severity of learning disabilities; (4) potential risk and protective factors;…

This response to a paper on risk and resilience models in learning disabilities research supports this framework for research and practice with regard to the social and emotional functioning of children with learning disabilities. Research is urged to address the effect of family functioning and parenting, peer victimization, and the interaction…

A study involving 9 preschool children with visual impairments found that following a cooperative learning strategy intervention in an integrated preschool, the children with visual impairments interacted with peers at levels comparable to those of sighted children, while those in the self-contained class maintained the same rate of interactions.…

The ability of 10 high-functioning individuals (ages 10-14) with autism to understand the complex emotion of embarrassment was investigated. Results indicate participants showed significant difficulty with non-embarrassing scenarios and in providing appropriate justifications for embarrassment. A significant relationship between scores from false…

This article discusses how the exploration of opera with high-ability students can contribute to positive social and emotional development, particularly the development of humane intelligence, by stimulating ethical and moral awareness, making connections with age-old truths of humanity, and providing a powerful genre for self-expression. Teaching…

Summarizes findings of report "Critical Links: Learning in the Arts and Student Academic and Social Development," released in 2002 by the Arts Foundation Partnership. Report describes certain important relationships between the arts and academic and social skills. Describes what principals can do to link the arts with other subjects. (PKP)