Browsing by Subject "Peer relations"
Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Item Attachment and social behavior in middle childhood: a comparison of maltreated and non-maltreated children.(2012-08) Jagadeesan, Lisa MichelleThis study examined perceptions of attachment and social behavior in an ethnically diverse, low-income sample of maltreated (N = 334) and non-maltreated (N = 339) 6- to 12-year old children who attended a summer camp research program. Children completed questionnaires assessing their perceptions of security and propensity toward avoidant or preoccupied coping with their mothers, and their counselors and peers rated their social behavior. Consistent with previous research, avoidant coping was negatively correlated with both preoccupied coping and security, whereas preoccupied coping was positively correlated with security. Avoidant coping was more common among boys and showed an age-related increase that was most pronounced in girls. In contrast, preoccupied coping was more common among girls and showed an age-related decrease that was comparable for girls and boys. Children who reported high levels of preoccupied coping were less liked and accepted by their peers, and those who reported high levels of security were seen as less withdrawn by their counselors. Overall, maltreated children reported slightly lower levels of avoidant coping, but did not differ from non-maltreated children in terms of security or preoccupied coping. When attachment was examined in relation to maltreatment characteristics, early maltreatment was associated with more avoidant and less preoccupied coping, whereas recent maltreatment was associated with less security. Counselors and peers perceived maltreated children as less likeable and more prone to problematic social behaviors, but there was no indication that attachment mediated the association between maltreatment and these behaviors.Item For better or worse? a developmental perspective on the role of executive function in relational aggression.(2012-08) Lingras, Katherine A.Different forms (e.g. physical and relational) and functions of aggression (e.g. proactive and reactive) have been acknowledged in the literature on aggressive behavior. Physical as well as relational subtypes are associated with psychological, social, and academic concerns for both victims and perpetrators (e.g. Fantuzzo & McWayne, 2002; Crick et al., 1999). However, other findings note associations with prosocial behavior and positive outcomes (e.g. Hawley, 2003). Less work has examined differential outcomes between the two functions of aggression. Additionally, limited work has considered cognitive factors to help explain these behaviors. In order to reconcile some of these conflicting studies, the current study examined the role of executive function (EF) and effortful control (EC) in subtypes of relationally and physically aggressive behavior. Children between the ages of 7 and 12 (N=130) completed laboratory session tasks assessing EF and related social-cognition. Parents and teachers completed rating forms of social behavior, effortful control (EC), and academic outcomes. Regression analyses yielded support for both models posited, but only for the constructs of IQ, delay of gratification, abstract thinking, inhibitory control, and anger/frustration. However, results were not in expected directions (i.e. analyses with younger children showed evidence for the deficit model, while results for older children were consistent with the cognitive sophistication model. Associations between subtypes of relational aggression and academic and social outcomes were also examined in secondary analyses, along with social-cognitive moderating factors (e.g. theory of social mind, victimization). Applications and considerations for intervention are discussed based on the current findings.