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Precursors to aggression are evident by 6 months of age
Author(s) -
Hay Dale F.,
Waters Cerith S.,
Perra Oliver,
Swift Naomi,
Kairis Victoria,
Phillips Rebecca,
Jones Roland,
Goodyer Ian,
Harold Gordon,
Thapar Anita,
Goozen Stephanie
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
developmental science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.801
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1467-7687
pISSN - 1363-755X
DOI - 10.1111/desc.12133
Subject(s) - aggression , firstborn , psychology , developmental psychology , anger , intervention (counseling) , injury prevention , poison control , clinical psychology , psychiatry , demography , birth order , medicine , population , environmental health , sociology
We tested the hypothesis that developmental precursors to aggression are apparent in infancy. Up to three informants rated 301 firstborn infants for early signs of anger, hitting and biting; 279 (93%) were assessed again as toddlers. Informants' ratings were validated by direct observation at both ages. The precursor behaviours were significantly associated with known risk factors for high levels of aggressiveness. Individual differences were stable from early infancy to the third year and predicted broader conduct problems. These findings suggest that some individuals set forth on the trajectory to high levels of aggression by 6 months of age. The findings have implications for developmental studies of aggression, clinical prevention and intervention strategies, and theoretical considerations regarding the detection of precursors in different domains of development.