AbstractThis study originated in collaboration with Thomas Dishion because of concerns that a group format for aggressive children might dampen the effects of cognitive-behavioral intervention. Three hundred sixty aggressive preadolescent children were screened through teacher and parent ratings. Schools were randomized to receive either an individual or a group format of the child component of the same evidence-based program. The results indicate that there is variability in how group-based cognitive-behavioral intervention can affect aggressive children through a long 4-year follow-up after the end of the intervention. Aggressive children who have higher skin conductance reactivity (potentially an indicator of poorer emotion regulation) and who have a variant of the oxytocin receptor gene that may be associated with being hyperinvolved in social bonding have better outcomes in their teacher-rated externalizing behavior outcomes over time if they were seen individually rather than in groups. Analyses also indicated that higher levels of the group leaders’ clinical skills predicted reduced externalizing behavior problems. Implications for group versus individual format of cognitive-behavioral interventions for aggressive children, and for intensive training for group therapists, informed by these results, are discussed.

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Children judge moral transgressions as more serious and more punish-worthy than conventional transgressions (Slomkowski & Killen, 1992; Smetana, 1981). Children also judge the actions of in-group members more favorably than those of out-group members (Aboud, 2003; Zak & Knack, 2001). The current study asked whether children would judge moral and conventional transgressions committed by an in-group member differently when compared to the same acts committed by an out-group member (i.e., act judgments). Additionally, it asked whether children would judge the transgressors themselves differently based on their group status (i.e., in-group, out-group, neutral, and self). Results show that preschool children reliably judge moral and conventional transgressions differently. Compared to children's judgments of out-group members, their judgments of in-group members were more lenient. Results suggest that group membership does indeed affect how serious or punish-worthy a violation and a violator are judged to be. iii DEDICATION This thesis is dedicated to everyone who encouraged me and guided me through the trials and tribulations of writing this manuscript. In particular, my family, co-workers, and close friends who stood by my side throughout the entire process. iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS df Degrees of freedom: number of values free to vary after certain restrictions have been placed on the data F Fisher's F ratio: A ration of two variances M Mean: the sum of a set of measurements divided by the number of measurements in the set M S Multiple Means p Probability associated with the occurrence under the null hypothesis of a value as extreme as or more extreme than the observed value r Pearson product-moment correlation < Less than = Equal to v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am excited to have this opportunity to thank the family, friends, and faculty members who have helped me with this research project. I would also like to thank all of my committee members, Jason Scofield, Deborah Casper, and Stephen Thoma for their support of this thesis, their input, and their encouragement. Thank you to, Jason Scofield, the chairman of this thesis, for your inspiring words and constant support throughout this entire process. I would like to thank Grace Albright and Sarah Cagle for their assistance in collecting data. A huge thank you to the parents, children, preschools, and teachers who participated in this study. You made this thesis possible, and I am grateful for each of you. This research would not have been possible without the support of my friends and my family who always encouraged me to keep on working. Thank you for supporting me.