Aggressive behavior in children's dolls' house play

Abstract

The present study addressed the question of whether there are gender and age differences in aggressive behavior when it is studied as the spontaneous expression of mental contents and not as the result of immediate social interaction. This study also investigated whether aggression, in terms of mental content, is related to temperamental aspects. Aggressive behaviors were examined in make-believe play, in relation to age, gender, and temperament in a near-ecological context, i.e., the Dolls' House Play. The participants, 55 boys and 47 girls, subdivided into three age levels (4 years-4 years and 6 months; 5-6 years; and 7 years and 6 months-8 years and 6 months) were requested to represent what happens in their family 1) during Mealtimes; 2) at Bedtime; 3) on the Saddest day; and 4) the Happiest day; their Dolls' House Play was then recorded. Children's temperaments were measured with the TABC-Teachers' form [Martin, The Temperament Assessment Battery for Children, Brandon, VT: Clinical Psychology Publishing, 1998]. Data analysis was conducted considering aggressive behaviors in their distinct expressions-physical, verbal, direct, and indirect. Results revealed no statistical differences between boys and girls when all aggressive behaviors were compounded. However, when the distinct types of aggressiveness were considered, boys presented statistically higher levels of physical aggression than girls did. Moreover, boys and girls reacted with different types of aggression in the different emotional contexts created by the four episodes. Few age differences were observed. Surprisingly, there was a significantly greater presence of indirect verbal aggressiveness in younger children. With respect to temperament, a higher level of negative emotivity was significantly linked to a greater degree of aggressive behaviors in some of the episodes. In conclusion, this paper confirms gender differences in the type of aggressive behavior children display even in the absence of any immediate social interaction, which might itself trigger aggression. Aggr. Behav. 30:504-519, 2004.

Doll play.

“…Doll play has been used frequently in research to determine temperament and aggressive and anxious traits. For instance, research indicates that although there are no statistical differences between genders across displays of aggressive behaviors, boys showed more instances of physical aggression than did girls (Sears, 1951;Tallandini, 2004). Some research on aggressive behavior indicates that children are more spontaneous during doll play compared with interview methods (Raya, 1986).…”

An Examination of Peer Relationships And Exposure to Peer Violence Among Pre-School Children in Terms of Different Variables

“…4-8 yaş arası çocuklarda saldırgan davranış, yaş ve cinsiyet farklılıklar ile ilgili yapılan bir çalışmada, erkeklerin fiziksel saldırganlıkta, kızlara göre daha yüksek puanlar aldıkları saptanmıştır (Tallandini, 2004). Anaokulu öğrencileri ile yapılan başka araştırmalarda da, erkeklerin, kızlara göre daha tepkisel ve baskıcı olduğu (Walker, Berthelsen ve Irwing, 2001), erkek çocukların kız çocuklarına göre fiziksel saldırganlığa daha eğilimli oldukları belirlenmiştir (Crick, Casas ve Mosher, 1997).…”

“…Çocuklarının cinsiyet, sosyal konum ve sosyal davranışları arasındaki ilişinin incelendiği başka araştırmaların sonuçlarına göre de, erkekler, kızlara göre akran grubu içerisinde anlaşmazlıkları çözerken saldırgan ve zarar verici stratejileri daha sık kullandıkları (Walker, 2004), erkeklerin kızlara göre saldırgan ve zarar verici davranışları daha sık, başkalarına yardımı amaçlayan sosyal davranışları ise daha seyrek gerçekleştirdikleri tespit edilmiştir (Walker, 2005). 4-8 yaş arası çocuklarda saldırgan davranış, yaş ve cinsiyet farklılıklar ile ilgili yapılan bir çalışmada, erkeklerin fiziksel saldırganlıkta, kızlara göre daha yüksek puanlar aldıkları saptanmıştır (Tallandini, 2004). Anaokulu öğrencileri ile yapılan başka araştırmalarda da, erkeklerin, kızlara göre daha tepkisel ve baskıcı olduğu (Walker, Berthelsen ve Irwing, 2001), erkek çocukların kız çocuklarına göre fiziksel saldırganlığa daha eğilimli oldukları belirlenmiştir (Crick, Casas ve Mosher, 1997).…”

Aggression Levels of 5- to 6-Year-Old Turkish Children in Terms of Gender, Age, and Peer Relations Variables

“…Studies (Farwer, 1996;Gülay & Akman, 2009) indicate that 4-year-old children, at a stage when they start establishing friendships, can adopt aggressive behaviors through imitation. As age proceeds, it is expected that there will be a decrease in aggressive behavior, especially during preschool; new social and language skills are learned through maturity (Connor, Steingard, Cunningham, Anderson, & Melloni, 2004;Fujisawa, Kutsukake, & Hasegawa, 2006;Tallandini, 2004). This raises the question of rapid development, noticeable within an age range during preschool.…”