The development of forms and functions of aggression during early childhood

儿童的攻击性行为可能是有害的和破坏性的，经常表明有心理障碍的风险。 侵略的促成因素和后果取决于侵略的形式（即，物理相对于关系）和功能（即，引发与反应）。 这个项目是第一个研究学龄前儿童这些不同类型的攻击的早期行为前兆的项目之一。这项研究的独特贡献是随着时间的推移跟踪儿童的发展，以捕捉不同的途径如何导致不同类型的攻击。 使用心理生理学和行为观察措施的多方法研究将确定生理和早期人格特征，并预测不同类型的攻击。230名学龄前儿童将在15个月的时间内分三个时间点接受评估。第一个目标是测试不同的纵向路径的形式和功能的攻击，包括：1）发展途径导致的情绪失调;和2）发展途径导致的气质无畏。第二个目标是模拟每个人格特征导致攻击亚型的中介过程。奥斯特罗夫的种族和种族多样化的研究生和本科生研究助理谁将在心理和发展科学的宝贵的研究技能培训。这些形成性的经历有可能塑造下一代科学家。此外，拟议的项目有可能影响整个社会中的相当一部分儿童、家庭和学校。

Aggressive behaviors in children can be harmful and disruptive and frequently indicate risk for psychological disorders. The contributors to and consequences of aggression depend on both the form (i.e., physical versus relational) and function (i.e., initiating versus reacting) of such conduct. This project is among the first to examine early behavioral precursors to these different types of aggression among preschoolers. This study's unique contribution is to follow children's development over time to capture how different pathways lead to different types of aggression. A multi-method study using psychophysiological and behavioral observation measures will identify the physiological and early personality features that precede and predict different types of aggression. 230 preschoolers will be assessed at three time points over a 15 month time period. The first objective is to test distinct longitudinal pathways to forms and functions of aggression, including: 1) a developmental pathway resulting from emotion dysregulation; and 2) a developmental pathway resulting from temperamental fearlessness. The second objective is to model the mediating processes through which each personality profile leads to subtypes of aggression. This project will benefit Dr. Ostrov's ethnically and racially diverse graduate and undergraduate research assistants who will be trained on valuable research skills in the psychological and developmental sciences. These formative experiences have the potential to shape the next generation of scientists. Moreover, the proposed project has the potential to impact a significant portion of children, families, and schools within society at large.