A study compared the perceptions of the social environment of satisfied women engineering students against disatisfied students and ex-students at twelve engineering schools with varying percentages of female students. The results found no direct effects of the perceived or actual porportion of female enrollment on satisfaction with engineering.…

The extent of drinking among college students (N=800) was investigated, to compare the consumption of various groups in terms of such variables as: age, sex, religious preference, class standing, type of living accommodation and type of college (i.e., religious vs. secular and co-ed vs. all female). Various life styles and their relationship to…

A total of 734 sixth through twelfth grade students completed two questionnaires in a study that focused on the development of consumer skills, the sources of consumer skill acquisition, the effects of cognitive development and social factors on the socialization processes, and the effects of levels of competency on various consumer skills. A…

Marijuana use on college campuses is commonplace both as regards experimentation and frequent use. In attempting to understand factors contributing to this phenomenon which flies in the face of legal America, researchers have examined various aspects of parental influence including parental consumption of legal and illegal drugs and their…

One of 52 theoretical papers on school crime and its relation to poverty, this chapter presents an institutional product theory of school crime, along with related evidence and a preliminary test of the theory. Two theoretical traditions, Albert Cohen's "delinquent subculture" theory and the social psychological "cognitive balance" theory, can…

Peer pressure was shown to have a powerful influence on the verbally expressed drug attitudes of the undergraduate male sample. Subjects exposed to a group which consistently espoused either conservative (anti-drug) or liberal (pro-drug) attitudes toward the personal use of drugs were highly likely to conform to the groups attitudinal norms.…

Age trends in conformity and independence, using a sample of 366 children from the 1st, 4th, 7th, and 10th grades were investigated. Three types of stimuli were used: (1) visual judgments; (2) opinion statements; and (3) delay of gratification preferences. Age-trends were observed for unanimous peer pressure, adult influence, and peer pressure…

A 20 item television commercial attitude survey given to 232 6th, 8th, and 12th grade students tested the hypotheses that: 1) younger children are more influenced by commercials than are older children; 2) that children are more apt to buy products which exert peer pressure upon them; and 3) that children are more susceptible to commercials which…

The mother of a mentally retarded adolescent describes the implementation of her idea to hire nonretarded neighborhood peers as friends and resource persons for her daughter. The program's purpose was to educate nonhandicapped youth as well as to increase her daughter's opportunities for socialization and peer contact. (JW)

Reports on a study which examined the relationship of classroom environment to attitudes toward science and achievement in science among tenth grade biology students. Results indicated that student attitude toward the classroom environment was a signficicant predictor of the student attitude toward science. (TW)

Reviews research in the following areas of adolescent anticipatory socialization to the workplace: (1) family; (2) peers; (3) educational institutions; (4) mass media; and (5) part-time jobs. Research from each area demonstrated some influence on adolescents' occupational expectations; however, a number of inconsistencies were evident. These…

Investigated the use of popular students in promoting the acceptance of socially neglected children. Results from fifth- and sixth-grade students suggest that popular students can be effectively directed to enhance the acceptance of socially neglected children. (Author/ABB)

Reports on a comparative study of nursery school children in the United States and Italy. Identifies and discusses the importance of basic routines in the peer culture of young children for the development of communication skills and social knowledge. Explores the possibilities of universal features in young children's peer cultures and develops…

Examination of 390 Black American adolescents demonstrates that males and females experience very different structured forms of social support. Females report more frequent contact with network members, who were both male and female, slightly older, and met in private settings. Males report larger groups of intimate friends, who are overwhelmingly…

Explores the extent to which social cognitive aspects of preschool children's free play behaviors varied according to two classroom contextual variables: (1) presence in different learning centers and (2) number of children and adults in those centers. Results incdicated that children behaved differently according to these variables. (Author/AS)