Detailed accounts of activities of 19 committees of the Social Science Research Council form the major portion of this annual report. In addition, the Council president's report summarizes the activities, trends, and goals of the Council in areas such as research planning, the improvement of research methodology, and the training of competent research personnel. The report indicates that during 1977-78, growth in international scholarly contacts and some collaborative research occurred. However, only a small number of scholars have undertaken specific cross-national comparative studies. Committees added during 1977 dealt with evaluation research, ethnicity, life-course perspectives in middle and old age, and mathematics in the social sciences. Other reports cover biological bases of social behavior, biosocial science, cognitive research, economic stability, gifted children, law and social science, mass communications and political behavior. Topics discussed include methodology of longitudinal research, childhood development, social indicators, sociolinguistics, television and social behavior, and work and personality in the middle years. Finally, reports of committees on training and development of research personnel are presented. (KC)