Reducing Aggression by Developing Emotional and Inhibitory Control

Abstract

The objective of this study is to measure the effectiveness of a program on improving inhibitory and emotional control among children. In addition, it is assessed whether the improvement of these skills has an effect on the reduction of aggressive behavior in pre-school children. The participants were 100 children, 50 belonging to the control group and 50 to the experimental group, aged between 5 and 6 years. Pre-intervention and post-intervention measures of inhibitory and emotional control (BRIEF-P) and aggression (BASC) were taken. A Generalized Linear Mixed Model analysis (GLMM) was performed and found that children in the experimental group scored higher on inhibitory and emotional control compared to their peers in the control group. In addition, these improvements have an effect on the decrease in aggressiveness. In conclusion, preventive research should have among its priorities the design of such program given their implications for psychosocial development.

Transforming aggression into creativity: Creative thinking training as a new strategy for aggression intervention

“…Simultaneously, the test‐taking effect may have interfered with the results. Corresponding behavioral experiments can be carried out in the future, and the more objective Behavioral Assessment System for Children and Adolescents (Romero‐López et al, 2021 ) can be used to assess aggressive behavior or other measurement methods that are more ecologically valid in the context of specific situations (Love et al, 2023 ). In addition, computers serve as essential tools in the information age, and given the boom in research on video games and aggression (Blanco‐Herrera et al, 2019 ), future intervention studies can further incorporate computer‐based training methods (Benedek et al, 2006 ), integrating creativity training into daily life.…”

“…The link between aggression and creativity may have important implications for interventions. First, it questions whether the usual approaches of inhibition (Romero‐López et al, 2021 ) and self‐control training (Beames et al, 2023 ) to control and reduce aggression may also be less beneficial to the valuable capability of creativity. Second, and more importantly, it suggests that we may be able to find a way to improve creativity while simultaneously reducing aggression.…”

“…In recent years, the intervention approach has reduced aggression by promoting internal self‐control ability (Ridge et al, 2023 ; Romero‐López et al, 2021 ). However, interventions that rely solely on improving self‐control to reduce aggression are not as effective, as their impact on aggression involves a far transfer through an indirect capacity improvement, rather than a direct target to aggression itself (Beames et al, 2023 ).…”

The Impact of Working Memory on the Development of Social Play in Japanese Preschool Children: Emotion Knowledge as a Mediator

“…Furthermore, the EF is strongly associated with the prefrontal cortex (PFC): EF development is maintained by the growth of neural networks that include the PFC [ 30 ]. Children with high executive function have been shown to have better emotional control and less aggressive behavior [ 31 ]. Executive function and self-regulation skills have also been shown to interact and have indirect effects on academic achievement and social skills [ 32 , 33 ].…”