When and How to Hit? Learning to Be Discerning about Force in Preschool

• In Event: The Developmental Intertwining of Aggression and Morality: Actions, Judgments, and Responses

Abstract

Most preschoolers judge that harming others is generally wrong, yet they continue to hit and kick peers at higher rates than older children (Dahl & Freda, 2017; Hay, 2005). One possible explanation is that preschoolers are still learning when and how to use force appropriately. After all, even adults judge certain acts of force to be okay, for instance in self-defense or contact sports (Fiske & Rai, 2014). Two studies investigated how preschoolers learn when and how to use force against others. Study 1 used structured interviews to test the hypothesis that preschoolers would distinguish permissible force (e.g., during play fighting or self-defense) from impermissible force, though less sharply than adults. Study 2 used naturalistic recordings to examine whether preschoolers use less severe force with age, as they learn how their actions affect others.

In Study 1, 47 preschoolers (M=4.5 years) and 40 adults evaluated vignettes depicting preschoolers using force across four contexts (game, self-defense, property defense, and unprovoked). Preschoolers' permissibility judgments varied significantly by context, D(3) = 9.79, p = .020. Preschoolers were more likely to say that the act was okay in the property (16%) and play (16%) contexts than in the unprovoked (8%) and self-defense (5%) contexts. Younger children were more likely than older children to provide positive evaluations, D(1) = 4.51, p = .034. Preschoolers were less likely to judge acts of force as okay when they attributed negative emotions to the victim (27% okay, vs. 56%), D(1) = 7.46, p = .006. Most preschoolers justified their negative judgments by statements about victims' welfare (71%). Adults’ judgments depended even more heavily on context, D(3) = 234.73, p < .001. Adults were far more likely to say that the act of force was okay in the game (60% okay) and self-defense (51% okay) contexts than in the property (12%) and unprovoked (4%) contexts.

In the Study 2, we coded naturalistic video recordings from 85 1.5-2 hour visits to preschools. We coded and analyzed both the context of preschoolers’ acts of force (provoked, unprovoked, accidental) and the nature of the force (point of contact, intensity). Most acts were either provoked (51%) and unprovoked (42%) acts of force. We created a composite variable indicating severe force, defined as continuous or high-intensity contact with the victim’s sensitive area (e.g., face, neck). Although the overall frequency of force acts did not decrease significantly with age, the probability of using severe force did decrease, D(1) = 8.52, p = .004. Severe force was also more common during unprovoked contexts (20.4%), than provoked (13.4%) and accidental (13.1%) situations, D(2) = 8.93, p = .011. Analyses of additional features of situations (e.g., victim reactions) will also be presented.

These two studies shed new light on the development of young children’s increasingly nuanced orientations toward force. The ability to know when and how to use force is integral to adaptive social development (Hawley, 2003) and children likely learn such discernment through everyday peer interactions.

Authors

• Charles Baxley, University of California - Santa Cruz
  Presenting Author

• Anna Yao, University of California, Santa Cruz

• Paolina Hantke, University of California, Santa Cruz

• Audun Dahl, University of California - Santa Cruz