Resource Utilisation in Groups of Black South African Adolescents: Gender,Age,and Individual Differences

Abstract

This study uses a movie-viewing instrument to assess patterns of resource utilisation in South African township adolescents. The degree to which resource utilisation and other task behaviours were associated with gender, age, and individual differences form the focus. Boys used more gestures denoting dominant and subordinate status, were more physically aggressive, and were generally more coercive than girls. Older children shared the resource more equitably, showed more positive affect, and spent less time issuing directives. There were inequities in children’s access to the movie. However, neither on-task behaviours nor participants’ academic achievement were consistently associated with some children accessing the movie more than others.