Direction dependence analysis (DDA) is a recently developed method that addresses the need for more sophisticated tools to evaluate causal mechanisms of developmental processes and interventions. The present study applied DDA to evaluate the hypothesized mediators of a classroom behavior management training program on student academic competence.…

This study introduces a social context model within which peer acceptances of prosocial-leadership, aggression, and social withdrawal were examined as functions of the contextual norms of these behaviors. The major postulate of the model is that the extent to which a behavior permeates a social context facilitates peer acceptance of the behavior.…

Investigated relations among moral reasoning, classroom behavior, and sociometric status. Among boys, hedonistic moral reasoning was associated with lack of social competencies, acting-out behavior, and low social preference. Moral reasoning influenced sociometric status indirectly through social behavior, and explained variance in sociometric…

The relation between time spent in day care by preschool children and their social behavior was investigated at three child-care centers through observations of the children's free play. A positive relation was found in a large community center and in a small university center, but not in a small private center. (Author/BN)