Title from PDF of title page (University of Missouri--Columbia, viewed on Feb 11, 2010). The entire thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file; a non-technical public abstract appears in the public.pdf file. Dissertation advisor: Dr. Jamie Arndt. Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.)--Florida State University, 2004. / Advisor: Dr. Robert Olen Butler, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Dept. of English. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed June 17, 2004). Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.) -- University of Texas at Arlington, 2008.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2000. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 102-111). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

Thesis (M.A.)--Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, South Hamilton, MA 2001. / Abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 86-92).

Thesis (D. Ed. Min.)--Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 107-114).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Trinity International University, 2002. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 224-237).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2003. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Available also from UMI Company.

Children’s social behaviours have significant implications to their adjustments. Aggressive children display emotional, behavioural, and social problems. On the other hand, prosocial children are better adjusted (for review, see Card, Stucky, Sawalani, & Little, 2008). Adopting the social cognitive approach, the present study aimed to investigate the relationships between several social-cognitive capacities related to empathy (i.e., perspective-taking, affect sharing, and emotion regulation) and social behaviours (physical aggression, relational aggression, and prosocial behaviours) in children. The results showed that perspective-taking was the most predictive factor of both prosocial and aggressive behaviours, whereas the capacity to share emotions and to modulate emotion was found to have little predictive value to both positive and negative social behaviours. In addition, the present study also investigated the sex-related and age differences of aggressive behaviours in children. Consistent with the findings of previous studies, this study found that boys enacted more physical aggression than girls. However, sex-related difference in relational aggression was not found. Besides, older children were found to use more relational aggression but the trend of decreasing physical aggression across development was not evident. Clinical implications of the present findings were discussed. / published_or_final_version / Clinical Psychology / Doctoral / Doctor of Psychology

The present study compares the relation of early adolescents’ academic self-concept, effort regulation and task value with their peer of three distinct relationships, which named as mutual friendships, frequent interactive pairs and social groups. Data was collected from a secondary school in Hong Kong with 135 form 1 students and 176 form 3 students. Moderating effect of adolescents’ own motivation on help-seeking and peer-learning in each type of peer relationship and developmental difference were also explored. Different correlation found in academic self-concept and effort regulation across forms proves the existence of three distinct types of peer relationship. Result shows that social group’s academic characteristic is most predictable for early adolescent’s own academic motivation. Result also suggests that motivation on help-seeking and peer-learning moderate the relation of adolescents’ academic effort regulation and task value mainly in dyadic relationships, such as mutual friendships and frequent interactive pairs. / published_or_final_version / Educational Psychology / Master / Master of Social Sciences