The current study explored the nuanced associations between components of executive functioning (EF) and subtypes of aggression, using a latent variable approach. Participants were racially diverse undergraduate students who completed a self-report of reactive (RA) and proactive aggression (PA), and traditional neuropsychological tasks of EF. The appropriateness of using a nested bifactor model of EF was confirmed, and this bifactor model of EF was used to examine the specific associations between components of EF and RA and PA. Results revealed components of EF are differentially associated with RA and PA, such that impulsive, provoked aggression is associated with lower levels of goal-oriented inhibition and higher levels of flexibility, whereas planned, goal-oriented aggression is associated with higher levels of working memory. Findings from the current study underscore the importance of considering the multidimensional nature of EF as well as aggression when examining their associations with external constructs of interest.

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In the current study, we investigated the association between relational aggression and measures of delinquency and overt aggression in a sample of detained adolescent girls. We also tested the validity of the distinction between reactive and proactive subtypes of relational aggression by testing their independent associations with important emotional, behavioral, personality, social, and cognitive variables that have been studied in past research and found to be important for distinguishing between reactive and proactive overt aggression. Our sample consisted of 58 predominantly African-American (78%) adolescent girls recruited from three juvenile detention centers in the southeastern United States. Participants ranged in age from 12 to 18 (Mn = 14.98; SD = 1.30). Relational aggression was measured using both self-report and observation, while overt aggression, delinquency, and social-psychological variables were measured using self-report only. As predicted, both self-reported and observed relational aggression were associated with higher rates of self-reported delinquency. Self-reported relational aggression was also associated with self-reported overt aggression, while observed relational aggression was not. On a self-report rating scale, we found evidence for four subscales that were moderately correlated and had good internal consistency. These subscales corresponded to the four aggressive subtypes (i.e., reactive overt, reactive relational, proactive overt, proactive relational). Further, we found evidence for divergence between reactive and proactive relational aggression on emotional dysregulation, CU traits, and positive outcome expectations for aggression, supporting the hypothesis that these are important subtypes that could involve distinct developmental processes, similar to reactive and proactive subtypes of overt aggression. Finally, this study found that relational aggression accounted for unique variance in callous and unemotional (CU) traits among detained girls, even after controlling for levels of overt aggression. The current findings highlight the importance of assessing relational aggression in detained girls and could have implications for designing more successful interventions for girls in the juvenile justice system.

Previous research has demonstrated an association between violence exposure and aggression; however, research exploring the association between violence exposure and the forms and functions of aggression is scarce. The aim of this study was to explore the associations between trauma exposure with both reactive and proactive functions of aggression by examining two potential mediators (e.g., psychopathic traits and emotional dysregulation). Participants included 132 male juvenile offenders mandated to treatment in a residential facility (M = 16.78 years old; SD = 1.25). Results indicate emotional dysregulation partially mediated the association between trauma exposure and reactive aggression while controlling for proactive aggression. However, no evidence was found to support the hypothesis that psychopathic traits mediated the association between trauma exposure and proactive aggression. Results suggest trauma exposure is important in the development of reactive aggression. Thus, treatment approaches for aggressive youth should address issues of trauma exposure.

This study investigated the relations between teacher-rated reactive and proactive aggression and self-ratings of peer intimacy, peer group integration, inhibition of anger and coping with anger in children in grade 4 to grade 6 (n = 519). Grade and gender differences in the study variables were also examined. Although not significant, as predicted, there was a trend towards significance where proactive aggression increased by grade; however, contrary to predictions, the occurrence of reactive aggression did not decrease by grade. The two functions of aggression were strongly correlated with one another. Males were reported more aggressive than females and self-reported lower anger management and less peer group intimacy than females. Further, females who were rated as more reactively aggressive reported less peer group integration and peer intimacy. Males who were reported as reactively aggressive also reported less peer group integration. Reactive and proactive aggression in males was related to coping with anger.

No description available.

While both social information processing and cortisol secretion in childhood aggression have generated a great deal of interest and research in the past few decades, these social-cognitive and physiological components of aggressive behavior have not been examined in the context of an integrative model. This lack of an integrative framework may underlie some of the inconsistencies that have plagued the literature in this area to date, especially with respect to hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis functioning in aggressive children. This investigation tested a mediational model of the relationship between social-information processing, cortisol secretion, and reactive and proactive aggression. Specifically, it was hypothesized that social-information processing variables would mediate the proposed relationship between reactive and proactive aggression and cortisol secretion. One hundred and twenty-six children between the ages of 13 and 18 were administered the Child Behavior Rating Form (CBR), the Home Interview with Child (HIC), the Response Decision and Social Goals Instrument (RDSGI), the Antisocial Processes Screening Device (APSD), the Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory (BDHI), the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI), and the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS). Each child also contributed two samples of saliva for cortisol assay, and each child's teacher completed a teacher-version of the APSD and the CBR. Regression analyses revealed no significant associations between proactive or reactive aggression and cortisol secretion, or between any of the social-information processing variables and cortisol secretion. Predicted associations between proactive and reactive aggression and social-information processing variables were found. Overall, therefore, the mediational model was not supported. However, cortisol secretion was found to be associated with both anxiety and depression, and exploratory analyses revealed significant associations between cortisol secretion and Psychopathy as measured by the APSD. Taken together, the findings suggest that while the specific relationship proposed here among social-cognitive, psychophysiological, and behavioral variables was not found, an integrative model examining each of these components may be useful in further investigations of the complex phenomenon of childhood aggression. / Ph. D.

This study investigated the factorial validity, stability, and social, behavioral and emotional correlates of several different roles that students can play in the context of bullying. Data were collected from students at two time points across two school years, April and May of 2006 (n=284) and again in November and December of 2006 (n=185). A confirmatory factor analysis provided evidence for the validity of 4 participant roles (i.e. bully, reinforcer, assistant, and defender). However, further analysis revealed that there was a strong degree of intercorrelation between the three bully factors (i.e., bully, reinforcer, and assistant). Analyses found that participant roles are fairly stable across school years and that the greater the percentage of same raters across the time points, the greater the stability. All of the bullying roles (i.e., bully, reinforcer, and assistant) were significantly related to callous unemotional traits, emotional dysregulation, positive expectations for aggression, conduct problems, reactive relational aggression, proactive relational aggression, reactive overt aggression, and proactive overt aggression, but these relationships were stronger in boys. It was also found that the defender role was associated with less aggression and more prosocial behavior. These associations were stronger in girls. Finally, a linear regression analysis of the interaction between participant roles and victimization revealed that at T1, the association between bullying roles and aggression was moderated by victimization. Specifically, the association was stronger in those low on victimization. At T2, the association between defending and lower aggression and greater prosocial behavior was stronger in those low in victimization.

The current study was designed to explore profiles of reactive and proactive aggression in two distinct juvenile offender populations, in a group of juvenile offenders who have been adjudicated for illegal sexual behavior (n = 138) and in a group of juvenile offenders adjudicated for general delinquent behavior (n = 243). This is the first study of its kind to investigate profiles of aggression in a population of juveniles adjudicated for illegal sexual behavior. Preliminary profile analyses indicated that the two juvenile offender populations had similar profiles of aggression overall. Two step cluster analysis results were generally consistent with previous research (Crapanzano, Frick, & Terranova, 2010; Marsee et al., 2014) with 3 groups emerging for both overt and relational aggression: a combined group high on both reactive and proactive aggression, a group high in reactive aggression alone, and a low overall group. Post hoc comparisons of the clusters revealed that the high combined group consistently demonstrated higher reports of emotional and behavioral dysfunction supporting the hypothesis that the presence of proactive aggression serves more as an indicator of severity rather than as representing a qualitatively distinct group in and of itself. Policy implications regarding sex offender registration and notification laws extended to juveniles are discussed.

Relational aggression encompasses behaviour meant to hurt others by destroying their friendships and reputation (Crick & Grotpeter, 1995). As peer relationships take on greater importance in early adolescence, relational aggression becomes more accepted and prevalent, yet perceived as equally or more harmful to its targets than physical aggression. The present study explored whether reactive and proactive subtypes of relational aggression were associated with an inability to empathize with others, regulate emotional states, and hold attitudes that it is acceptable to manipulate and harm others. Empathy, emotion regulation, and Machiavellianism’s roles in predicting reactive and proactive relational aggression was examined using Crick and Dodge’s (1994) reformulated Social Information-Processing Theory’s framework. Reactive relational aggression was expected to be associated with low empathy and high emotion dysreglation. Proactive relational aggression was expected to be predicted by high empathy, low emotion dysregulation, and high Machiavellianism. Low empathy was expected to predict overt aggression indices. One hundred and thirty-three children (73 females, 60 males, Mage = 12.84 years) in grades 6 through 8 from five schools in a public Ontario schoolboard were recruited. Caregivers completed a measure of their child’s emotions and behaviours (The Emotion Regulation Checklist; Shields & Cicchetti, 1995). Participating students completed four self-report measures assessing relational and overt aggression (Children’s Social Behaviour Scale – Self-Report; Crick & Grotpeter, 1995), proactive and reactive subtypes of aggression (Little, Jones, Henrich, & Hawley, 2003), empathy (Interpersonal Reactivity Index; Davis, 1980), and Machiavellianism (Kiddie Mach Scale; Christie & Geis, 1970) during one 60 minute session. Empathy, Machiavellianism, and emotion dysregulation scores were associated with total, reactive, and proactive relational aggression scores. When contrasting subtypes of aggression were controlled, however, these emotional and cognitive variables did not predict total and reactive relational aggression. There was a non-significant trend for higher levels of empathy to predict proactive relational aggression. Low empathy significantly predicted total and reactive overt aggression indices. Machiavellianism predicted reactive and proactive overt aggression. Emotion regulation was not a significant predictor in analyses. Results provide support for the role of Machiavellianism and empathy in relational aggression, particularly proactive or goal-oriented instances.