1-152 - Executive Functioning and Relational Aggression/Victimization: Longitudinal Findings from Childhood to Adolescence

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

This symposium focuses on the role of executive functioning (EF) on relational aggression/victimization from early childhood to adolescence. The papers from four laboratories advance our understanding of these developmental links.

The first study reconciles the literature on how EF is prospectively related to relational and physical aggression. Using observations of aggression and teacher reports of EF, path models revealed that overall EF deficits were related to increased general aggression, but specific facets of EF were associated with a young child’s propensity to engage in relational relative to physical aggression.

The second paper extends these findings by examining the prospective associations between teacher-reported hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms and forms of aggression from kindergarten through fourth grade. Multilevel cross-lagged models indicated that hyperactivity-impulsivity predicted residualized increases in relational and physical aggression.

The third longitudinal study from early childhood to early adolescence was conducted with a primarily African American (71.8%) low SES sample. Key findings indicated the importance of effortful control and hyperactivity early in development in the prediction of relational and physical aggression in adolescence, which extends studies 1 and 2 to show the cascading influences of EF on later development.

The fourth paper builds on this work and highlights the impact on victimization experiences. This study was conducted with a large community sample of adolescents and examined the moderating role of parental monitoring when testing longitudinal associations between self-regulation and relational and physical victimization. Evidence suggested that adolescents with low parental monitoring and higher self-regulation skills had reductions in relational victimization.

Sub Unit

• Developmental Psychopathology

Chairs

• Jamie Ostrov, University of Buffalo

• Kristin Perry, University at Buffalo, SUNY

Individual Presentations

• Executive Functioning and Aggression in Early Childhood: Using Directionality and Severity Techniques to Disentangle Effects - Presenting Author: Kristin Perry, University at Buffalo, SUNY; Non-Presenting Author: Jamie Ostrov, University of Buffalo

• Prospective Associations Between ADHD Symptom Dimensions and Forms of Aggression During Elementary School - Presenting Author: John L. Cooley, University of Colorado Denver; Non-Presenting Author: Spencer C. Evans, Harvard University; Non-Presenting Author: Paula Fite, University of Kansas

• Self-Regulation Pathways to Forms and Functions of Aggression - Presenting Author: Stephanie Godleski, Rochester Institute of Technology; Non-Presenting Author: Rina Das Eiden, University at Buffalo, State University of New York; Non-Presenting Author: Pamela Schuetze, SUNY Buffalo State; Non-Presenting Author: Shannon Shisler, University at Buffalo, State University of New York; Non-Presenting Author: Junru Zhao, University at Buffalo, State University of New York; Non-Presenting Author: Jamie Ostrov, University of Buffalo

• Self-Regulation and Relational and Physical Victimization: The Moderating Role of Parental Monitoring - Presenting Author: Kimberly E. Kamper-DeMarco, Buffalo State College; Non-Presenting Author: Jennifer Livingston, University at Buffalo