ERIC ED436229: Impulsivity and Its Relationship to pdf

ERIC ED436229: Impulsivity and Its Relationship to

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Noting that current conceptualizations of children’s externalizing behavior problems suggest that impulsivity underlies diverse behavior problems and may contribute to peer rejection, this study examined the association between impulsivity and peer status. The study also assessed the unique contribution of aggression and impulsivity in predicting peer status, and examined mechanisms through which externalizing behaviors and peer status were linked. Participating in the study were 200 second- and fifth-grade boys, their parents, and their teachers from rural Midwestern communities. Data on impulsivity, aggression, social cognition, and peer status were obtained from multiple methods (questionnaires, interviews) and sources (student, peer, parent, teacher), and were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Findings suggested that the organization and differentiation of externalizing behaviors change over childhood. Impulsivity and aggression could not be differentiated in second-grade boys. By fifth grade, the boundaries between these traits were more delineated and were differentially associated with peer relationships.

The association between aggression and peer relationship could be accounted for largely by impulsivity, suggesting that impulsivity may have a greater influence on peer relationships than aggression and supporting the importance of impulsivity as a potential organizing factor in understanding externalizing behaviors. Findings also suggested that social problem-solving ability had little impact on the relationship between impulsivity and peer status. Although social cognitive ability mediated the relationship between aggression and peer status, it did so only when impulsivity was not included in the model, suggesting that the mechanisms leading to problematic peer relationships may be different for impulsivity and aggression. (Contains 14 references.) (KB

• Creator/s: ERIC
• Date: 4/17/1999
• Year: 1999
• Book Topics/Themes: ERIC Archive, Age Differences, Aggression, Behavior Problems, Children, Males, Peer Relationship, Predictor Variables, Social Cognition, Structural Equation Models, Hays, Cynthia E., Lovejoy, M. Christine

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