This report describes the formative evaluation of the first three rough-cut instructional television programs for "On the Level," a series of 12 lessons dealing with personal and social growth for secondary school students. Results discussed are based on viewing three programs in a total of 36 classrooms at sites in Maryland, Tennessee,…

Helping students to understand how and why people in the present interpret the past differently is a challenge. It is also vital if we are to develop an understanding of why the meanings we ascribe to the past are not fixed, but rather are subject to our own prejudices or goals. A number of articles in previous editions have explored how students…

A set of prevalent emotions, including pity, anger, guilt, pride (self-esteem), gratitude, and resignation, shares a common characteristic, i.e., causal attributions appear to be sufficient antecedents for their elicitation. Research in the field of emotions has shown that the underlying properties or dimensions of attributions are the significant…

Although the recognition of the affective experiences of peers is an important prerequisite for social adaptation, children's ability to recognize peers' facial displays of emotion remains unexamined. To investigate the degree to which young children were able to enact expressions of emotion that were recognizable by peers and adults, and to…

This study of 469 elementary and secondary classroom teachers examined the relationships among role conflict, role ambiguity, and teacher burnout. Three phases of burnout were examined: feelings of emotional exhaustion, negative attitudes toward students, and feelings of lack of accomplishment. Multiple regression analysis was used to examine the…

Recent studies have investigated the transition of relationships from a more intimate to a less intimate state--the depenetration process. Various phases of interpersonal conflict in the dissolution of marital dyads have been described, and factors indicating that a marriage might be "in trouble" have been identified. Processes that are…

To investigate the emotional parameters of jealousy and to examine the differences between male and female labeling of jealousy, 288 college undergraduates completed the Emotional Parameters of Jealousy Questionnaire. The questionnaire consists of 59 statements that refer to emotions experienced by a person in a situation in which he/she feels…

This brochure, a presentation of observations made by stepparents about their experiences, is designed to help new and future stepfamilies look realistically at problems which may confront them. Steps to take before remarriage which may ease the transition into the new family are suggested: (1) examining motives for marrying; (2) accommodating…

A review of pertinent research on the adaptation of ethnic minority elderly to life-threatening events (personal, man-made, or natural) exposes voids in the research, presents methodological considerations, and indicates that ethnic minority elderly are disproportionately victimized by life-threatening events. Unusually high numbers of…

Data on the attention patterns of Sesame Street's intended target audience were analyzed and compared with data on middle-class children. Attention scores gleaned from a series of formative research studies performed in New York day care centers in 1972 and 1973 yielded the following conclusions: (1) within each of the four categories of affect…

Data were collected regarding the problem of the effects of the Human Development Program procedures on the generation of linguistic tools for the written expression of feelings. Two classes of elementary students participated in the experiment, one a sixth grade of denied children and the other a fifth grade identified as gifted on an…

Separation and greeting responses were examined in a longitudinal study of 26 infants, aged 15 to 54 weeks, observed at home. All instances of a person's leaving and entering the room during home visits were observed. The developmental trend--both onset and relative frequency--of each separation behavior was plotted at three-week intervals. The…

The rationale, design, and data collection methods of a study of factors that may influence the effectiveness of adult instructional groups that included interaction are discussed. Two aspects to be considered when studying instructional groups are called work and emotionality. The Work-Emotionality Theory is discussed. Six types of…

Used newly developed codes for parenting behavior during the Great Depression reported in the Oakland Growth Study. Results indicated that economic hardship adversely influenced the psychosocial well-being of adolescent girls, but not boys, by increasing the rejecting behavior of fathers. This effect was particularly strong for unattractive girls.…

The strong association established between attention skills and school performance has led to increased research in understanding the development of children's attentional processes. How attention develops during early childhood is crucial to understanding partly why children enter school with varying readiness skills. This Snapshot highlights the…