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Gender Differences in Preschool Aggression During Free Play and Structured Interactions: An Observational Study
Author(s) -
Ostrov Jamie M.,
Keating Caroline F.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
social development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.078
H-Index - 91
eISSN - 1467-9507
pISSN - 0961-205X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-9507.2004.000266.x
Subject(s) - aggression , psychology , sociometry , developmental psychology , dominance (genetics) , verbal aggression , nonverbal communication , sociometric status , verbal abuse , poison control , injury prevention , medicine , biochemistry , chemistry , environmental health , gene
We observed 48 children from rural preschools (M=64 months old) in two different social contexts to test hypotheses about the type (relational, physical, verbal, nonverbal), contextual independence, and sociometry of girls’ and boys’ aggressive tactics. We predicted and generally found that (1) girls displayed more relational aggression than boys while boys displayed more physical and verbal aggression than girls, and that children received more physical and verbal aggression from male peers, and tended to receive more relational aggression from female peers, (2) behavioral observations of aggression corresponded with teacher reports of children's aggressive styles, (3) aggression observed during free play predicted children's aggressive styles in a structured setting at both the group and individual levels, and (4) aggressive tactics were associated with projected sociometric characteristics (dominance and peer acceptance).