Teaching Vocabulary with Students with Learning Disabilities Using Classwide Peer Tutoring and Constant Time Delay

This study examined the effectiveness and efficiency of combining classwide peer tutoring (CWPT) and constant time delay (CTD) on the academic performance of 3 students with learning disabilities (LD) and 15 students without LD enrolled in an inclusive sixth-grade language arts class. Treatment integrity checklists were used to measure the extent to which the tutors with LD used the constant time delay procedure correctly. A multiple-probe design across behaviors replicated across students was used to examine the effectiveness of the CTD peer tutoring procedures. The results indicated that students with LD reliably implemented the CTD peer tutoring procedures with a high degree of treatment integrity. When implemented by students without LD, the procedures were effective and efficient for teaching targeted vocabulary words to students with LD. Similarly, students without LD mastered the targeted vocabulary words when tutored by peers with LD and by peers without LD using the CTD peer tutoring procedures. Additionally, students with LD and without LD maintained the targeted vocabulary words over time, generalized the words across context, and generalized the CTD peer tutoring procedures across content. Finally, measures of social validity indicate that students and teachers involved in this study were satisfied with the CTD peer tutoring procedures.     

Children's coping with peer rejection: the role of depressive symptoms,social competence,and gender

The present study investigated children's anticipated emotional response and anticipated coping in response to peer rejection, as well as the qualifying effects of gender, depressive symptoms, and perceived social competence. Participants (N = 234), ranging in age between 10 and 13 years, were presented with two written vignettes depicting peer rejection. The most highly endorsed coping strategies were behavioural distraction, problem‐focused behaviour, and positive reappraisal. Results indicate that children higher in depressive symptoms reported a more negative anticipated mood impact. Moreover, children higher in depressive symptoms were less inclined to endorse behavioural and cognitive coping strategies typically associated with mood improvement (e.g., behavioural distraction, positive reappraisal). Independent of depression, children scoring higher on perceived social competence reported more active, problem‐oriented coping behaviour in response to the stressors. Types of coping were largely unaffected by gender, however girls reported higher levels of anticipated sadness than boys in response to the rejection vignettes. Theoretical and clinical implications are discussed. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Body mass index,peer victimization,and body dissatisfaction across 7 years of childhood and adolescence: Evidence of moderated and mediated pathways

Numerous studies have reported that children and adolescents who are overweight are more likely to get bullied, yet the literature is replete with methodological limitations. We examined the transactional associations between peer victimization and body mass index (BMI), considering potential mediating (body dissatisfaction) and moderating (biological sex) factors. Participants (n = 631) came from the McMaster Teen Study, where students were assessed annually between Grades 5–11, approximately half were girls (53.9%), and the majority were white (76.4%). Peer victimization (from Grade 5) and body dissatisfaction (from Grade 6) were self‐reported by students, while parents reported their child's height and weight (from Grade 5). Cascade models were built up sequentially using path analysis across 2‐year increments (Grades 5, 7, 9, and 11). The final model had excellent fit to the data (χ² = 73.961, df = 66, p = 0.234). Grade 5 peer victimization had a direct effect on BMI across a 2‐year period in girls (b = 0.59, SE = 0.21, p = 0.005) and boys (b = 0.82, SE = 0.30, p = 0.006), and an indirect effect on BMI via body dissatisfaction across a 4‐year period (b = 0.074, 95% CI = 0.012–0.152, p = 0.036). At no point did BMI directly increase risk for peer victimization, yet there were indirect effects via body dissatisfaction among girls but not boys. Peer victimization and body dissatisfaction were proximally and longitudinally related at every time point and there was a transactional association in late‐adolescence among girls but not boys. Targeting modifiable factors in the social (peer victimization) and psychological (body dissatisfaction) domains may limit accelerated weight gain and the health risks associated with excess adiposity.     

Frequency and Intensity of Emotional Expressiveness and Preschool Children’s Peer Competence

Children’s emotional expressiveness with peers was examined as a predictor of social competence. Data were collected from 122 preschool children (57 boys, 65 girls; 86 European American, 9 African American, 17 Hispanic, and 10 other ethnicity) over a period of two?years. Observations of children’s peer interactions in Year 1 were coded for frequency and intensity of happiness, anger, sadness, and fear. Sociometric interviews and teacher ratings provided assessments of children’s peer competence in both Years 1 and 2. Frequent expression of happiness in Year 1 predicted higher social competence scores in Year 2, whereas frequent anger in Year 1 predicted lower peer competence Year 2. More intense anger and sadness in Year 1 predicted lower peer social competence scores in Year 2. Frequency and intensity of emotional expressiveness in Year 1 accounted for unique variance in peer competence in Year 2.     

Reintegrative Shaming Theory, moral emotions and bullying

This article investigates the usefulness of Reintegrative Shaming Theory (RST) in explaining the bullying of siblings in families and peers in schools. Questionnaires were completed by 182 children aged 11-12 years in ten primary schools in Nicosia, Cyprus, about sibling and peer bullying. A vignette-based methodology was used to investigate children's expectations of the type of shaming their parents would offer in response to their possible wrong doing. Children were also asked questions about the emotions they would have felt (i.e. shame, remorse, guilt or anger) if they were in the position of the child in the vignette. The level of bonding toward each parent was also examined. In agreement with the theory, a path analysis showed that mother bonding influenced children's expectations of the type of shaming offered by parents. Disintegrative shaming (i.e. shaming offered in a stigmatizing or rejecting way) had a direct effect on the way children managed their shame. Shame management directly influenced sibling and peer bullying. Father bonding had no direct or indirect effects in the model. Against the theory, reintegrative shaming (i.e. shaming offered in the context of approving the wrongdoer while rejecting the wrongdoing) did not have a direct effect on shame management. Beyond the postulates of RST, mother bonding-a plausible indicator of family functioning-had a direct effect on sibling and peer bullying. Mother bonding had a stronger effect for boys than for girls. It is concluded that RST is useful in explaining the link between family factors and bullying, and that RST has cross-cultural applicability.     

Low social inclusion in childhood: adjustment and early predictors

The principal aim of the present study was to obtain a deeper understanding than hitherto of the concurrent correlates and prospective predictors of loneliness and poor peer acceptance, both falling under the umbrella term low social inclusion. Problematic and socially competent behaviours were investigated as possible predictors of low social inclusion in grade 6, as defined by self‐rated loneliness and degree of peer non‐acceptance, respectively. In grade 6 808 children participated whereof 323 were followed longitudinally from first grade. Loneliness in grade 6 was distinctively associated with high levels of internalizing problems, concurrently as well as prospectively. Peer acceptance, on the other hand, emerged as a complex, multifaceted aspect, with concurrent, independent predictions from both externalizing and internalizing problem behaviours as well as social competence, although prospective analyses found early externalizing problems to be the strongest predictor of peer acceptance. Moderating effects of social competence were sparse, although peer nominated social competence buffered peer acceptance for children with high levels of aggression in the concurrent analyses and social competence boosted peer acceptance for children with low problem levels in the predictive analyses. Social competence did not appear to buffer the negative impact of early problem behaviours on peer relations. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

社会网络视角下的同伴关系与心理健康

近年来, 从社会网络视角考察同伴关系与心理健康的相互作用正成为发展心理学和健康心理学研究的热点。研究者多借助整体网和纵向数据, 通过两种作用机制, 即选择过程(selection process) (强调心理和行为变量对社会网络和同伴关系的影响, 如关系的形成、维持和解除)和影响过程(influence process) (强调社会网络和同伴关系对心理和行为变量的影响), 来分析同伴关系与心理健康协同演进的动态过程。实证研究关注的领域集中在青少年健康风险行为(如吸烟、喝酒、药物滥用)和情绪问题(如抑郁、焦虑、孤独感)。未来研究应该注重拓展社会网络的类型和样本、加强理论建构、增加对积极心理和消极关系的研究, 并有望在互联网领域及社会网络的生物学基础等方面取得进展。     

社会困境中同伴行为、合作信念对合作变化的影响

本研究采用连续式公共物品困境,考察不同类型的个体在同伴遵守和违反均等规范两种条件下合作的前后变化及其可能的机制。结果发现：（1）依据行为决策对被试进行的分类与其社会价值取向之间不存在相关;（2）一人违反均等条件下被试的合作水平高于多人违反均等条件下的合作水平;（3）高贡献者在前后两次互动中维持较高的合作水平和信念水平;（4）低贡献者第二次决策时比第一次决策时更合作,这可能是由于他们的合作信念提高。     

父母网络监管对青少年网络游戏成瘾为何事与愿违?——一个有调节的中介效应模型

父母网络监管对于减少青少年网络游戏成瘾的效果往往不尽相同,本研究对4105名青少年进行调查考察了不良同伴交往在父母网络监管对青少年网络游戏成瘾影响中的中介作用,以及父母网络监管对青少年不良同伴交往的影响路径是否受亲子关系的调节。结果发现：（1）直接效应显示父母网络监管能显著正向预测青少年网络游戏成瘾,不良同伴交往在父母网络监管对网络游戏成瘾的影响中起“遮掩效应”;（2）亲子关系显著调节父母网络监管对不良同伴交往的影响;（3）整体模型检验发现,父母网络监管、亲子关系、不良同伴交往和网络游戏成瘾形成了一个有调节的中介模型。     

作为社会和文化情境的同伴圈子对儿童社会能力发展的影响

基于同伴圈子的相似性假设探讨同伴圈子的形成、圈子社会情境对儿童社会能力发展的促进作用, 以及圈子文化背景对圈子社会化过程的调节作用。选取某城乡结合部一小学3至5年级898名儿童作为被试进行一年的跟踪调查, 其中在第一年当地城市儿童占36.5%, 当地农村儿童占48.8%, 流动儿童占10.4%。学生在第一和第二年都完成《班级戏剧》和《社会认知地图》问卷。研究结果表明：(1)在个体层面上, 圈子成员的社交性、亲社会性、自主性以及同伴接纳显著高于孤立者。城市儿童的自主性显著高于农村和流动儿童, 后两者之间则无显著差异。亲社会性在性别和文化背景方面存在显著的交互作用。(2)儿童会依据社会能力的相似性来组成同伴圈子, 且不同圈子之间存在显著差异。儿童也愿意与不同文化背景的同伴交往, 形成不同类型社会文化背景的同伴圈子。(3)儿童的社交性和自主性随着同伴圈子相应能力的提高而呈正向发展趋势。(4)同伴圈子对个体社交性和自主性发展的影响因圈子所注重的社会文化准则的差异而有所不同。农村－城市圈子比农村－流动圈子对儿童社交性发展的影响明显更大些; 农村圈子的儿童自主性水平更趋于随圈子自主性的提高而正向发展。