The proposed research is aimed at a further understanding, in children and adolescents, of the relations between thought and actions in practical situations involving interactions with other persons. The settings for the research is elementary and junior high school classrooms and playgrounds, which provide a concrete context for examining a range of social behaviors. The study will focus on judgments and behaviors pertaining to rules, authority-relations, social conventions, and moral issues. Three methods of assessment are to be used. The starting-point of the study is detailed and systematic observations of naturally-occurring interactions among individuals (children and adults) in the school setting. Second assessments will be made of children's immediate judgments about the actual events in which they participated. Third, assessments will be made of reflective judgments regarding social interactions, school rules and authority-relations. The general aim of the research is to extend knowledge regarding patterns of social behavior and how they are related to social reasoning. The accomplishment of this aim would contribute to the psychology of cognitive development, as it relates to social and moral behaviors.
