The effects of aggressiveness on social information processing in elementary school children

Abstract

The purpose of this article was to investigate the relationships between aggression (expressive aggression and inexpressive aggression) and social information processing. Subjects were 615 (322 boys and girls 293) elementary school children in the 4th, 5th, and 6th grades. Aggression was assessed using General Aggression Questionnaire for Children (GAQC) by teachers, and social information processing was assessed using an original questionnaire. The social information processing questionnaire, designed to test several social information processing variables, included four domains of social information processing; encoding, interpretation (hostile attribution), response search, and response decision (assertiveness and sympathy). Six hypothetical vignettes each of which had three situations were composed in the ambiguous provocation situation and interpersonal conflict situation.

As a result of the structural equation modeling, it was recognized that there is a significant causal relationship between expressive aggression and hostile attribution for the girls in the ambiguous provocation situation. Moreover, significant causal relationships were found between expressive aggression and each of hostile attribution, assertiveness and sympathy for the girls in the interpersonal conflict situation, and between inexpressive aggression and each of hostile attribution and sympathy for the girls.