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The Judge Specificity of Evaluations of Youth Social Behavior: The Case of Peer Provocation
Author(s) -
Dirks Melanie A.,
Treat Teresa A.,
Weersing V. Robin
Publication year - 2010
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.1467-9507.2009.00559.x
Subject(s) - psychology , aggression , provocation test , developmental psychology , assertiveness , social competence , competence (human resources) , peer group , social psychology , social skills , intervention (counseling) , social change , economics , economic growth , psychiatry , medicine , alternative medicine , pathology
Increasingly, theorists have suggested that social competence is an evaluative construct that will vary as a function of who is judging behavior. This study examined how two key groups in children's social environments—peers (N = 663, age range = 10.83–15.25 years) and teachers (N = 49)—rated the effectiveness of different behaviors generated by youth in response to physical, verbal, and relational provocation by peers. Results indicated that youth evaluated aggressive responses as more effective than teachers whereas teachers evaluated seeking an explanation as more effective than youth. Both groups judged responses combining assertive and aggressive elements to be more effective than ‘pure’ aggression. Implications for measurement and intervention models of social competence are discussed.