title: Aggressive and nonaggressive boys' physiological and cognitive processes in response to peer provocations.
abstract: This study examined physiological and social-cognitive correlates of aggression in an in vivo laboratory provocation situation. Fifty-one male participants (ages 9 to 13) were selected based on teacher aggression screenings, ranging from normative to high levels. A provocation was induced by the experimenter communicating a threat from an unseen "peer" in the laboratory. Bivariate linear regression analyses showed that aggression significantly predicted heart rate at both pre- and postinduction, and aggression significantly predicted attributions of intent following the provocation. Results indicated that aggression was a significant predictor of changes in hostile attribution and heart rate following the threat induction. A positive correlation also was found between heart rate change and attribution change. The findings suggest that both physiological and social-cognitive processes should be addressed in clinical interventions with aggressive children.
authors.affiliation: Baptist Health, Jacksonville, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Susan Craven
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: John E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Lochman
authors.forename: Nancy C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Phillips
authors.forename: Tammy D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Barry
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000374:Aggression; D002648:Child; D003071:Cognition; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D010379:Peer Group; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012919:Social Behavior; D013334:Students