Social problem solving and strategy use in young children.
In the present study, the authors investigated what prosocial-assertive, passive, and coercive strategies 6-year-olds (N=257) would propose in response to stories about 2 socially challenging situations: displacing another child in a game and obtaining a toy from another child. The scenarios also varied the gender composition of the characters. Participants' verbalizations while acting out their responses using toy props fell into 13 categories of strategies. Teachers reported antisocial behavior and social competence of the participants. Girls and boys responded similarly in their general suggestions of prosocial or assertive strategies, but girls were more likely to offer prosocial strategies with other girls than with boys. Teacher-rated competence and antisocial behavior interacted in predicting coercive responses by girls but not by boys. The results demonstrate that prosocial and antisocial behaviors need to be considered in interaction to fully understand the nature of social competence.
Green
Vanessa A
VA
Jessie Hetherington Centre for Educational Research, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. vanessa.green@vuw.ac.nz
Cillessen
Antonius H N
AH
Rechis
Ruth
R
Patterson
Meagan M
MM
Hughes
Julie Milligan
JM
D000367:Age Factors; D000987:Antisocial Personality Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D001242:Assertiveness; D001364:Awareness; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D003068:Coercion; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008297:Male; D010379:Peer Group; D011336:Probability; D011340:Problem Solving; D012917:Social Adjustment; D012919:Social Behavior; D012940:Social Problems / Q000523:psychology; D012963:Sociometric Techniques; D013663:Teaching / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014705:Verbal Behavior