SKATEBOARD parks, and the boys who use them, have a bad reputation. Ask the neighbours. They complain about noise, rubbish, the bowls turned into scenes of late-night drinking and fighting, and even repositories for stolen cars.

But the negative stereotypes are wrong, an associate professor of psychology at Griffith University discovered when he studied skate parks.

''Skate parks don't deserve the negative press,'' Graham Bradley said. ''We found them to be harmonious, co-operative, safe and pleasant places. There was little aggression or bullying. It's where some boys learn their social skills - sharing, turn-taking, respecting property.''

His study, published in the Journal of Adolescent Research, is based on interviews with skate park users, observations at Gold Coast skate parks, and a survey of students' attitudes.

In the attitude survey, negative comments outnumbered positive comments two to one.

But the interviews with park users, and the observations from the sidelines, revealed the positive attributes: unwritten rules of etiquette studiously applied, the older boys looked out for the younger ones, and there was a complete absence of fights, bullying or intimidation.

The findings were even more remarkable given skate parks were crowded with up to 40 boys of different ages and abilities, some with boards, others with bikes or scooters, vying for space on the graffiti-daubed slopes.

''You would think there'd be power struggles, masculine stuff,'' says Dr Bradley. ''A couple of times we even saw boys bringing brooms. They like a clean surface.''