Children today do not have sufficient association with the elderly to form accurate impressions of them. Much children's information is provided through television and books which present stereotyped images of the elderly as inactive, lonely, nonproductive, crabby, and physically decrepit. To determine whether intermediate grade students respond…

Critics of a dominant model of the person, which emphasizes autonomy and independence, have called for an alternative, more social, conceptualization of the self. To describe and validate social individuality as an alternative conceptualization of the self, 84 adults (54 females, 30 males), from a range of social classes and including persons…

Psychometric analyses of data from 230 individuals yielded a 29-item 4-scale revision of the original 50-item 5-scale Mental Retardation Attitude Inventory. Results showed adequate item characteristics; adequate reliability and homogeneity; adequate reliability, homogeneity, specificity, and independence of the four scales; and initial validity…

The Test of Knowledge about Mental Retardation was developed to measure attitudes, not knowledge. It consists of 20 error-choice items requiring respondents to select one of four incorrect alternatives. An additional 20 questions address general knowledge of mental retardation. Psychometric analysis indicates satisfactory item characteristics,…

Since the turn of the century, American Jews have been closely associated with reform movements that seek to improve social conditions, to help the disadvantaged, and to achieve international peace. Jewish religious traditions and social circumstances have disposed many Jews to view politics and power idealistically. However, traditional…

Previous research on physical attractiveness stereotypes about marriage have used stimulus individuals in isolation. To examine these attractiveness stereotypes using couples as targets, 72 college students (36 females, 36 males) rated eight photographs of four male-female couple types. Members of each couple were either matched (attractive…

There are two perspectives from which the academic performance of children from high or low socioeconomic backgrounds can be viewed. The non-environmental perspective specifies a direct relationship between performance and innate ability; environmental deficits may be correlated with poor performances but perhaps are not causally related. The…

Discusses the eighteenth-century view of virtue as an end in itself. Observes that property, prosperity, and individualistic attitudes were essential aspects of economic virtue, whereas majority rule became a central tenet of civic virtue. Explains that public education and governmental checks and balances were seen as means of promoting economic…

This research study was based upon a national survey in March 1992, conducted to assess the economic literacy of the U.S. public. The survey data were used to measure the economic knowledge of the public, to identify factors that affect economic knowledge, and to evaluate the influence of economic knowledge on public opinion about current economic…

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between young children's sociometric status and their communication patterns. A total of 43 middle class children enrolled in three preschool classes were asked to select three children they liked to play with (measure of social acceptance) and three they did not like to play with (measure…

The study was designed to assess the impact of high school community service programs on students' social development. These programs enable students to earn academic credit through volunteer work in various agencies. Their work is supervised by teachers and on-site supervisors. Frequently a seminar or class is part of the program. Eight community…

Self-disclosure is a process by which individuals permit themselves to be known by a select other and has been shown to be central to the development and maintenance of close relationships. Two studies were done to investigate whether people self-disclose for reasons that are related to a relationship with their listener and whether the intimacy…

This response to Drash et al. discusses these issues: the historical context of total habilitation of the retarded; the need for a clear conceptualization of intelligence and social adaptation; and the obstacles of society, the profession, attitudes, and the human service structure to the intensive pedagogic matrix required for total habilitation.…

In this monograph, I discuss the current and historic under-representation of economically disadvantaged students, students of color, students from ethnic minorities, and students with limited English proficiency in programs for gifted students. I examine the likely causes of the under-representation of these students, drawing on research and…

Reports a study that examined the relationship among classical authoritarianism, directiveness, and attitudes toward institutional authority among young adolescents in Adelaide, Australia. Concludes that the concept of classical authoritarianism has limited relevance to the social attitudes of children, and that attitude towards authority is not…