Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

This study extended past findings on the effects of children's hostile attribution bias on aggressive behavior to an adolescent population. Male high school students (N=58) aged 16 to 18 years participated in the study. We examined the relationship of their perceived hostile intent, harm, and importance of social interactions to the adolescents' aggressive responses. It was hypothesized that the greater the participants' perception of hostile intent, the more they would respond with aggression. Participants were randomly presented with three vignettes of social situations and were asked to state their responses to them. The vignettes consisted of problematic social interactions between two males, an antagonist and protagonist. The intent of the antagonist was ambiguous in all cases. Items from the Youth Self Report of the Child Behavior Checklist were also used to measure the aggressive behaviors of the students. It was found that the adolescents' perceptions of hostile intent were related to their level of aggressive responses and aggressive behaviors.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Achenbach, T.M. , & Edelbrock, C. (1987). Manual for the Youth Self Report and Profile. Burlington, VT: University of Vermont, Department of Psychiatry.

Berkowitz, L. (1990). On the formation and regulation of anger and aggression: A cognitive-neoassodationistic analysis. American Psychologist , 45, 494-503.

Berkowitz, L. , & Thome, P.R. (1987). Pain expectation, negative affect, and angry aggression . Motivation and Emotion, 11, 183-193.

Blishen, B.R. , Carroll, W.K. , & Moore, C. (1987). The 1981 socioeconomic index for occupations in Canada. Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology, 24, 465-486.

Dodge, K.A. (1980). Social cognition and children's aggressive behavior . Child Development, 51, 162-170.

Dodge, K.A. (1986). A social information processing model of social competence in children. In M. Perlmutter (Ed.), Minnesota Symposium on Child Psychology: Vol. 18 (pp. 77-125). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

Dodge, K.A. , Bates, J.E. , & Pettit, G.S. (1990). Mechanisms in the cycle of violence. Science, 250,1678-1683.

Dodge, K.A. , & Coie, J.D. (1987). Social-information-processing factors in reactive and proactive aggression in children's peer groups. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 53, 1146-1158.

Dodge K.A. , & Frame, C.L. (1982). Social cognitive biases and deficits in aggressive boys. Child Development, 53, 620-635.

10.

Dodge, K.A. , & Newman, J.P. (1981). Biased decision making processes in aggressive boys. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 90, 375-379.

11.

Dodge, K.A. , Pettit, G.S. , & Bates, J.E. (1994). Socialization mediators of the relation between socioeconomic status and child conduct problems. Child Development , 65,649-665.

12.

Dodge, K.A. , Price, J.M. , Bachorowski, J.A. , & Newman, J.P. (1990). Hostile attributional biases in severely aggressive adolescents. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 99, 385-392.

13.

Feldman, E. , & Dodge, K.A. (1987). Social information processing and sociometric status: Sex, age, and situational effects. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 15,211-227.

14.

Huesmann, L.R. , Eron, L.D. , Lefkowitz, M.M. , & Walder, L.O. (1984). The stability of aggression over time and generations . Developmental Psychology, 20, 1120-1134.

15.

Huesmann, L.R. , Eron, L.D. , & Yarmel, P.W. (1987). Intellectual functioning and aggression. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52, 232-240.

16.

Jarvelin, M.R. , Laara, E. , Rantakallio, P. , Moilanen, I. , & Isohanni, M. (1994). Juvenile delinquency, education, and mental disability . Exceptional Children, 61, 230-241.

17.

Kupersmidt, J.B. , Griesler, P.C. , DeRosier, M.E. , Patterson, C.J. , & Davis, P.W. (1995). Childhood aggression and peer relations in the context of family and neighborhood factors. Child Development , 66,360-375.

18.

Lochman, J.E. , White, J.W. , & Wayland, K.K. (1991). Cognitive-behavioral assessment and treatment with aggressive children. In P.C. Kendall (Ed.), Child and adolescent therapy: Cognitive-behavioral procedures (pp. 25-65). New York: Guilford Press.

19.

Milich, R. , & Dodge, K.A. (1984). Social information processing in child psychiatric populations. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 12, 471-490.

20.

Moskowitz, D.S. , & Schwartzman, A.E. (1989). Painting group portraits: Studying life outcomes for aggressive and withdrawn children. Journal of Personality, 57,723-746.

21.

Sinclair, J.J. , Pettit, G.S. , Harrist, A.W. , Dodge, K.A. , & Bates, J.E. (1994). Encounters with aggressive peers in early childhood: Frequency, age differences, and correlates of risk for behavior problems. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 17, 675-696.

22.

Slaby, R.G. , & Guerra, N.G. (1988). Cognitive mediators of aggression in adolescent offenders: 1. Assessment. Developmental Psychology, 24, 580-588.

The Effects of Hostile Attribution on Adolescents' Aggressive Responses to Social Situations

Abstract

Get full access to this article

References