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Developmental cascades of peer rejection, social information processing biases, and aggression during middle childhood

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 June 2010

Jennifer E. Lansford ,
Patrick S. Malone ,
Kenneth A. Dodge ,
Gregory S. Pettit  and
John E. Bates
Jennifer E. Lansford*
Affiliation:
Duke University
Patrick S. Malone
Affiliation:
University of South Carolina
Kenneth A. Dodge
Affiliation:
Duke University
Gregory S. Pettit
Affiliation:
Auburn University
John E. Bates
Affiliation:
Indiana University
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Jennifer E. Lansford, Center for Child and Family Policy, Duke University, Box 90545, Durham, NC 27708; E-mail: [email protected].
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Abstract

This study tested a developmental cascade model of peer rejection, social information processing (SIP), and aggression using data from 585 children assessed at 12 time points from kindergarten through Grade 3. Peer rejection had direct effects on subsequent SIP problems and aggression. SIP had direct effects on subsequent peer rejection and aggression. Aggression had direct effects on subsequent peer rejection. Each construct also had indirect effects on each of the other constructs. These findings advance the literature beyond a simple mediation approach by demonstrating how each construct effects changes in the others in a snowballing cycle over time. The progressions of SIP problems and aggression cascaded through lower liking, and both better SIP skills and lower aggression facilitated the progress of social preference. Findings are discussed in terms of the dynamic, developmental relations among social environments, cognitions, and behavioral adjustment.

Type
Regular Articles
Information
Development and Psychopathology , Volume 22 , Issue 3: Developmental Cascades: Part 1 , August 2010 , pp. 593 - 602
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

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