Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 82-97). Also available in print.

This study examines the enactment of leadership communication during videotaped play sessions of thirty kindergarten children. Eighteen of the children demonstrated skills in a cluster of five specific leadership behaviors. All five coders agreed that these eighteen children were sometimes leaders of their individual triad. The coders further agreed that the leadership in the triads flowed from one child to another as the session progressed. The study concluded that leadership is a facilitative process that is fluid rather than statically centered in one or more participants.

In this short- term longitudinal study (N=428), the unique predictive association between the positive peer nominated characteristic of being fun and peer status (peer preference and popularity) was assessed in a sample of fourth through sixth grade students. Concurrent hierarchical regression analyses and longitudinal structural equation modeling analyses found that peer nominated fun positively predicted preference and popularity, after accounting for the contribution of predictors potentially confounded with being fun, such as prosocial behavior, academic achievement, relational aggression, and physical aggression. The longitudinal association between fun and preference was qualified by grade in school, such that being fun predicted increases in preference for younger children but not for older children. There were bidirectional associations between peer status and fun; fun predicted increases in peer preference and popularity, but peer preference and popularity also predicted later increases in fun. The findings point to the need to expand existing conceptualizations of the antecedents of peer status beyond known predictors and to examine the developmental shifts in the landscape of children’s peer interactions that make certain characteristics more desirable at different ages. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2016. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

by Siu Fung Ying. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 48-54). / Abstract and questionnare in English and Chinese. / ABSTRACT --- p.ii / ACKNOWLEDGEMENT --- p.iii / TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.iv / LIST OF TABLES --- p.v / Chapter CHAPTER 1: --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / Chapter CHAPTER 2: --- METHODOLOGY --- p.14 / Chapter CHAPTER 3: --- RESULT --- p.20 / Chapter CHAPTER 4: --- DISCUSSION --- p.37 / REFERENCES --- p.48 / APPENDIX --- p.55

Choy E Hang. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 83-99). / Abstract in English and Chinese. / ABSTRACT --- p.2 / ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS --- p.4 / Chapter CHAPTER I: --- INTRODUCTION --- p.7 / Theory of Mind Hypothesis --- p.7 / Executive Dysfunction Hypothesis --- p.10 / Inhibitory Control --- p.12 / The Present Studies --- p.15 / Hypotheses --- p.17 / Chapter CHAPTER II: --- STUDY 1 --- p.18 / Method --- p.19 / Participants --- p.19 / Materials --- p.19 / Measures --- p.20 / Procedures --- p.23 / Results --- p.25 / Examining Hypothesis 1 --- p.21 / Examining Hypotheses 2 and 3 --- p.28 / Discussion --- p.35 / Chapter CHATPER III: --- STUDY 2 --- p.38 / Method --- p.39 / Participants --- p.39 / Materials --- p.39 / Measures --- p.40 / Procedures --- p.44 / Results --- p.45 / Examining Hypothesis 1 --- p.48 / Examining Hypotheses 2 and 3 --- p.48 / Discussion --- p.52 / Chapter CHATPER IV: --- STUDY 3 --- p.55 / Method --- p.56 / Participants --- p.56 / Materials --- p.56 / Measures --- p.57 / Procedures --- p.61 / Results --- p.62 / Examining Hypothesis 1 --- p.64 / Examining Hypotheses 2 and 3 --- p.64 / Discussion --- p.76 / Chapter CHAPTER V: --- GENERAL DISCUSSION --- p.78 / Conclusion --- p.82 / REFERENCES --- p.83

Recent research has shown that children under two years demonstrate some early social understanding. Previous research has also demonstrated that mother talk about mental states is a factor in older preschoolers� later theory of mind understanding. In order to learn more about the predictive nature of mother mental state talk to very young children, this study examined the relation between mother talk about mental states at 15 and 24 months and their later mental state language and emotion understanding at 24 and 33 months. At all three time points, 71 mothers and 3 fathers (N=74) described pictures to their infants and mother talk was coded for mental and non-mental state language at 15, 24 and 33 months. In addition, at all three time points, children�s mental and non-mental state vocabulary levels were obtained via parental report. At the second and third time points the children were administered an emotion situation and a body emotion task. The mothers� ability to interpret emotion faces was also assessed. The results showed that mother use of desire language was more prevalent at 15 months, with references to thinking and knowledge increasing at 24 months. Partial correlations demonstrated that mother use of desire language with 15-month old children uniquely predicted a child�s mental state language and emotion situation task performance at 24 months, even after accounting for earlier child language, mother socioeconomic status, mothers� own emotion understanding, and other types of mother non-mental state language. Similarly, at 24 months of age, after accounting for potentially confounding variables, such as child language, mother use of think/know language as well as desire language were both predictors of children�s mental state language and emotion task performance at 33 months. The results further demonstrated that mothers� tendency to refer to the child�s (versus others�) desires at 15 months was the more consistent correlate of children�s mental state language and emotion understanding at 24 months. At 24 months a different pattern emerged with both references to the child�s and others� thoughts and knowledge correlating with child mental state language and emotion task performance at 33 months. It is proposed that Vygotsky�s zone of proximal development provides a framework within which maternal talk about specific mental states scaffolds the development of children�s later social understanding. I also suggest that such scaffolding motivates mothers to talk more about the child�s mental states when they are younger, before introducing talk that focuses on others� mental states.

Thesis (EdD)--Open University. BLDSC no. DXN081883.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--York University, 1999. Graduate Programme in Psychology. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 133-143). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/yorku/fullcit?pNQ39296.

The study was intended to determine interobserver agreement for studying social interaction among young children in a natural setting. Social interaction was categorized into parallel, associative, and cooperative play. The observational setting included a sandbox with miniature toys. The sample of pre and primary school-level children was drawn from two private schools located in a medium-sized city. Forty children, ranging in age from four to seven years were selected on a voluntary basis. Three students from The University of Arizona along with the investigator served as observers. The student observers received training from the investigator prior to the commencement of the study. The observed data was scored to include both frequency and time spent on each category. Two procedures for computing interobserver agreement were utilized. These procedures yielded results indicating interobserver agreement ranging from 68% to 90% agreement. These results indicated adequate reliability of the observational procedures used in the study. In addition to reliability of observational procedures the findings also indicated that the observed frequency of parallel play was highest for subjects of all ages, whereas the observed frequency of cooperative play was found to be the lowest for all subjects. Additionally findings indicated that there were no significant differences in the difficulty of observing any category of social interaction of children of varying ages. Educational and social implications of the findings were discussed.

The present study examined whether children and adolescents develop mental models of peer relations that reflect observed gender differences in size and in density of friendship structures. A total of 278 children and adolescents, ranging from preschool level to CEGEP, participated in the study. Participants were given a questionnaire, consisting of schematic drawings of different forms of peer interactions, to assess their ideas about how friendships are organized for children of their age. Results indicated that both female and male participants at all grade levels judged typical boys to have a greater preference for group than dyadic interactions than did typical girls. Typical girls, however, were not judged to have preference for either dyadic or group interactions. Results also indicated that both female and male participants at all grades judged that the probability of mutual friends also being friends as higher for typical boys than for typical girls. Overall, the findings from the present study demonstrated that children and adolescents of both genders possess internal working models of peer interactions, beginning in early childhood, that are gender differentiated in a way that reflects patterns of behaviour.