JUDGMENTS AND ACTION IN PRACTICAL SOCIAL SITUATIONS

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The proposed project is a continuation of a currently funded project on social judgments and action. The current project was aimed at furthering understandings of children's thought and actions in practical situations involving interactions with other persons. The research, which was conducted in various settings within elementary and junior high schools, focuses on judgments and behaviors pertaining to rules, authority relations, social conventions and moral issues. The proposed study extends that research to include the investigations of the influences of social experience on children's judgments and actions. This will be accomplished by studying transitional periods involving marked changes in children's social environments. Assessments are to be made as children enter elementary school (first grade), junior high school (seventh grade), and high school (ninth grade). Fourth graders will also be included to ascertain judgments and behavior in middle adulthood. A follow-up assessment will be made approximately six months later. The methods developed in the current study are well-suited for the proposed extensions. One method involves systematic observations of naturally-occurring interactions in the school setting. Assessments will also be made of children's immediate judgments about the actual events in which they participated, as well as their reflective judgments about comparable issues. The general aim of the research is to extend knowledge regarding the interactions among social experiences, behaviors, and reasoning. The research would also contribute more generally to the psychology of cognitive and social development.