Examined the relation between a history of maltreatment and cognitive control functioning in two groups of preschool and early school-age maltreated and nonmaltreated children. Maltreated children showed developmentally impaired cognitive control functioning on a number of tasks. (RH)

Regarded as the nation's gang violence capital, Los Angeles' politicians and law enforcement and school administrators are using knowledge from lost battles to win the war. Solutions include targeting younger children, teaching self-esteem and communication skills, as well as organizing group graffiti cleanups. (SI)

Examines the relationship between the rated sex, aggression, and sexism values of cartoons and their perceived funniness. Results, interpreted by Zillmann's social predisposition theory, indicated response differentiation by sex. (MW)

Analysis of observations of 70 adults making public verbal threats to physically punish or hurt children indicated that adults typically attributed unshared responsibility for group problems to the child and normalized their own aggression by acting as though nothing unusual had happened. The role of the ongoing interaction and the social context…

This article proposes a model for the functional analysis of aggression in school-age children and youth. The model incorporates multimodal data collection and data triangulation to generate credible hypotheses regarding the functions of aggression. Key features include operational definitions of target behaviors, examination of the environmental…

One explanation for male sexual aggression implicates certain adverse consequences of male gender socialization. Two studies tested the hypothesis that sexually aggressive men would be more gender stereotyped and would manifest lower capacities for empathy and intimacy. Results were mostly supportive of the hypothesis. (JBJ)

This study investigated behavior problems in 66 school-aged physically abused, neglected, and control group children in the Basque Country, Spain. Abused and neglected children had higher subscale scores for social problems, delinquent behavior, and attention problems and showed lower school adjustment. Neglected children appeared more aggressive,…

This family study with parents of 983 college students examined 2 models regarding the intergenerational transmission of corporal punishment. The social learning model asserts that corporal punishment influences aggressive child behavior, whereas the temperament theory suggests that aggressive child behavior impacts parental use of corporal…

A self-administered survey examining multiple factors associated with engaging in sexual intercourse was completed by 1,026 high school students in a classroom setting. Findings suggest that effective interventions to address teenage pregnancy need to utilize a multifaceted approach to the prevention of high-risk behaviors. (JPS)

Three studies examined children's ability to differentiate aggression and social withdrawal using attributional constructs. Found that even very young children understand the meaning of responsibility and are capable of using it to act as intuitive judges, weighing the evidence to make inferences about responsibility and then meting out judgments…

Explores the development of behaviors by using Erik Erikson's psychosocial developmental theory, with emphasis on adolescents. Examines factors, such as identity versus identity diffusion, that may be contributing to increasing acts of violence by African American adolescents. Other factors are examined that may contribute to increased violence.…

Using police reports and court testimonies, examined women's resistance strategies to rape. Results indicated that 85 percent of the women who resisted with physical force were responding to the offender's initiated violence. Women reacting with physical aggression to violent attack were more likely to avoid rape than were nonresisting women. (RJM)

Tested hypothesis that women's attitudes and fantasies about rape arise partially from their socialization to accept sexual aggression as normative. Female participants answered questions on childhood exposure to pornography, sex fantasies, and rape attitudes. Early exposure to pornography correlated to "rape fantasies" and attitudes…

Reviews sex differences in child adjustment in intact families. Maladjustment in boys is not more related to marital discord than maladjustment in girls. However, the association between marital discord and adjustment difficulties is stronger in boys than in girls when clinical samples are used, when family members are the only informants, and…

Behaviors of 66 youth, 8 to 18 years old, with emotional and behavioral disorders that put them at risk for placements outside their homes and/or communities were investigated. Behaviors most predictive of at-risk status were physical aggression, extreme noncompliance, peer interactions, and extreme verbal abuse. (Author/SW)