The emergence of gender differences in physical aggression in the context of conflict between young peers

Abstract

It is well known that a gender difference in physical aggression emerges by the preschool years. We tested the hypothesis that the gender difference is partly due to changing tactics in peer interaction. Observations of girls' and boys' social initiatives and reactions to opportunities for conflict were made, using the Peer Interaction Coding System (PICS) in four independent samples of children between 9 and 36 months of age, which were aggregated to form a summary data set (N= 323), divided into two age bands (below or above 24 months of age). Linear mixed-model analyses revealed significant age by gender interactions in the use of bodily force in response to peers' initiatives and in the tendency to use bodily force at later stages of conflicts with peers. The gender difference in use of force was not explained by differences in the use of verbal tactics. These cross-sectional findings suggest that girls are initially more likely than boys to use reactive aggression, but then desist, whereas boys increase their use of force to defend their territory and possessions. The difference between older and younger girls likely reflects girls' abilities to regulate their behaviour in response to social challenges and the fact that girls are explicitly socialized to yield to peers' demands.

Postpartum Depressive Symptoms of Mothers with Reciprocal Social Behavior Problems Linked to Increased Aggression in Infants: Hamamatsu Birth Cohort for Mothers and Children (HBC Study)

“…These findings are consistent with infantile aggression assessments using parental reports (Alink et al, 2006;Hay et al, 2014;Tremblay et al, 2004) and a direct observation of peer interactions (Hay, Nash et al, 2011). Aggression between approximately six months and three years after birth can be characterized by the use of physical force and expressions of anger directed at family members and peers .…”

Maternal Mind-Mindedness and Children’s Behavioral Difficulties: Mitigating the Impact of Low Socioeconomic Status

“…It would also be interesting to investigate how early mind-mindedness relates to problem behaviors that are evident in the first year of life, such as prolonged crying or sleeping or eating difficulties, given that these early regulatory problems have been found to predict behavioral difficulties in later childhood (Hemmi, Wolke, & Schneider, 2011). Moreover, a larger sample would allow an exploration into any moderating effect of gender on mind-mindedness, since girls tend to show a reduction in aggression in toddlerhood that might be related to their learning to use pro-social ways of dealing with peer conflict (Hay, Nash, Caplan, Ishikawa, & Vespo, 2011). This research could help shed light on the developmental pathways via which maternal mind-mindedness in the first year of life relates to behavioral difficulties in early childhood.…”

Gender Differences in Physical Aggression and Associated Developmental Correlates in a Sample of Canadian Preschoolers

“…It first appeared to researchers that gender differences increased during the preschool years because, typically, girls more rapidly desisted from PA to resolve peer and other conflicts based on their more advanced self‐regulatory skills at the same age (Hay, Nash, et al, ; Keenan & Shaw, ). Others have suggested that rather aggressive styles were subject to developmental change over the life course with the acquisition of verbal and social skills and social intelligence, which may have become alternative means of aggressive responses to physical aggression for females who are physically weaker than males (Bjorkqvist, ).…”