The Attitudes Toward Aggression Exhibited by Children of Different Sexes: A pilot testing of the method

Abstract

This article presents the results of pilot testing of the ’ projective method the Attitudes Toward Aggression Exhibited by Children of Different Sexes. The theoretical and methodological framework for the method draws on the works of A. Bandura, R. May, E. E. Maccoby, C. N. Jacklin, I A. Furmanov, C. P. Cross, and Y. Wang. The stimulus material comprises 20 cards illustrating situations of aggression manifestation by children of different sexes (verbal aggression, physical aggression, etc.). A coding key is proposed for data processing, assessing participants’ responses along two scales: the type of reaction (cooperation, confrontation, avoidance) and the evaluation of the situation (neutral, negative, positive). The method is projective, which minimizes the effect of social desirability. At this stage, the main objective is to carry out procedures of validation and standardization. The article presents the results of analyzing the responses of 246 participants. Statistical analysis was conducted using Fisher’s angular transformation (φ*). The findings confirm stable and significant differences in attitudes towards similar forms of behavior in male and female children and indicate the influence of gender stereotypes on adults’ educational practices. Significant differences were observed in adults’ reactions to aggression in children of different sexes: strategies of cooperation were significantly more often used toward female children (φ*=5.635), whereas confrontation predominated in response to male children’s aggression (φ*=5.976). No gender differences were found in avoidance strategies (φ*=0.079). The results demonstrate that adults’ attitudes toward children are shaped by gender stereotypes, forming the basis for certain patterns of children’s behavior. The findings may be used in developing programs for the prevention of destructive forms of aggression in children.