ERIC Number: EJ843300
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009-Aug
Pages: 20
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0961-205X
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Who Dislikes Whom, and for Whom Does It Matter: Predicting Aggression in Middle Childhood
Erath, Stephen A.; Pettit, Gregory S.; Dodge, Kenneth A.; Bates, John E.
Social Development, v18 n3 p577-596 Aug 2009
This study investigated the role of mutual dislike dyads (MDDs) in the development of aggressive behavior across the middle childhood years. Of particular interest was whether involvement in MDDs predicted later aggression, and whether the magnitude of the association between MDDs and later aggression varied based on characteristics of target children and "others" involved in their MDDs. Data were collected on a community sample of 453 children participating in an ongoing longitudinal study. Classroom peer nomination and rating-scale measures were collected in kindergarten through third grade; aggressive behavior problems were assessed via teacher ratings in the early elementary years (kindergarten and first grade) and late elementary years (fourth and fifth grade). MDD involvement in the middle elementary years (second and third grade) was associated with higher levels of aggression in the late elementary years among boys (but not girls), and these predictions held after controlling for group-level peer disliking in the middle elementary years, aggression in the early elementary years, and demographic variables. The association between MDD involvement and subsequent aggression was also qualified by the aggressiveness of others in children's MDDs: Having more MDDs predicted later aggression only among boys whose MDDs involved mostly non-aggressive others.
Descriptors: Behavior Problems, Aggression, Males, Predictor Variables, Longitudinal Studies, Elementary School Students, Correlation, Gender Differences, Peer Relationship, Social Development, Social Environment, Social Cognition, Student Behavior
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education; Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A