An alternative social psychological model of moral development, proposed by Robert Hogan, is assessed. Five character-trait dimensions of moral character (moral knowledge, socialization, empathy, autonomy, and ethical attitudes) were used to predict a measure of rule-breaking behavior. Results indicate some support for Hogan's model. (Author)

"America's Kindergartners," a National Center for Education Statistics report, suggests that kindergarten is becoming increasingly academic. Children's scores on the 1998-99 Early Childhood Study-Kindergarten reflected their mothers' educational and racial/ethnic backgrounds. Two-thirds of black and Hispanic kids fall into the lowest…

A Canadian Institute of Child Health's report suggests that children are becoming increasing unsympathetic to others, are becoming more aggressive as they age, and are being bullied more often. More 8- to 11-year-olds seem hyperactive and/or anxious and exhibit problematic behavior. Health care is underfunded. (MLH)

Many students attending public schools exhibit discipline problems such as disruptive classroom behaviour, vandalism, bullying, and violence. Establishing effective discipline practices is critical to ensure academic success and to provide a safe learning environment. In this article, we describe the effects of whole-school positive behaviour…

A painstaking investigative report by the Washington Post describes pre-massacre Columbine as filled with social vinegar. The high school was dominated by a "cult of the athlete." In this distorted environment, a coterie of favored jocks, who wore white hats to set themselves apart, consistently bullied, hazed, and sexually harassed their…

Systematic assessment of anger among people with developmental disabilities has been lacking, especially for hospital inpatients. Reliability and validity of anger self-report psychometric scales were investigated with 129 male patients, mostly forensic. Anger prevalence and its relationship to demographic, cognitive, and personality variables and…

Recent trends show noticeable increases in the involvement of girls in the juvenile justice system. A disproportionately high number of these girls have co-occurring mental health diagnoses that are related in part to their victimization through sexual, physical, and emotional abuse. Many girls also come from unstable families, whereas others are…

The teaching community is challenged by the responsibility of meeting the academic, social, and behavioral needs of children with and at risk for antisocial behavior. Although intervening with these children is challenging at best, the literature suggests that intervention efforts are most likely to be successful when they occur early in a child's…

This paper analyzes autism as a contingency-shaped disorder of verbal behavior. Contingencies of reinforcement in effect during the first to third year of a child's life may operate to establish and maintain those behaviors that later result in a diagnosis of autism. While neurobiological variables may, in some cases, predispose some children to…

This research reports on college students' attitudes regarding alcohol abuse and rioting and beliefs about university- and community-based environmental management strategies to quell riotous behavior. Using a primarily qualitative research technique, the researchers explored attitudes toward recent rioting at a northeastern Big Ten University…

Attributional bias and social problem-solving deficits in two groups of adult males (aggressive vs. nonaggressive) with mild mental retardation were investigated. When presented with vignettes depicting various problem situations, aggressive participants were less accurate in correctly identifying interpersonal intent, characterized by more…

This paper explores the relationships among adolescent leisure activities, peer behavior, and substance use. We suggest that peer group interaction can have a differential effect on adolescent deviant behavior depending on the type of leisure pattern adolescents engage in. We analyze data from a representative national sample of Icelandic…

The self-report version of the Antisocial Process Screening Device (APSD) has become a popular measure for assessing psychopathic features in justice-involved adolescents. However, the internal consistency reliability of its component scales (Narcissism, Callous-Unemotional, and Impulsivity) has been questioned in several studies. This study…

This article examines the explanations behind these questions: (1) Why do American teenagers behave the way they do?; (2) Why are many obsessed with the brands of clothes they wear, their lunchtime seatmates, the parties they are invited to, the latest popular music, the intrigues of school cliques, and who is hooking up with whom?; (3) Why do…

Approximately 3 million teens are diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease (STD) annually; STDs rates for American Indian young adults are among the highest of any racial/ethnic group. An important risk factor for STDs is early initiation of sex. In this study, we examined risk for early initiation with 474 American Indian youth ages 14-18,…