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Precursors to aggression are evident by 6 months of age.

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posted on 2016-10-31, 11:41 authored by D. F. Hay, C. S. Waters, O. Perra, N. Swift, V. Kairis, R. Phillips, R. Jones, I. Goodyer, Gordon Harold, A. Thapar, S. van Goozen
We tested the hypothesis that developmental precursors to aggression are apparent in infancy. Up to three informants rated 301 firstborn infants for early signs of anger, hitting and biting; 279 (93%) were assessed again as toddlers. Informants' ratings were validated by direct observation at both ages. The precursor behaviours were significantly associated with known risk factors for high levels of aggressiveness. Individual differences were stable from early infancy to the third year and predicted broader conduct problems. These findings suggest that some individuals set forth on the trajectory to high levels of aggression by 6 months of age. The findings have implications for developmental studies of aggression, clinical prevention and intervention strategies, and theoretical considerations regarding the detection of precursors in different domains of development.

History

Citation

Developmental Science, 2014, 17 (3), pp. 471-480

Author affiliation

/Organisation/COLLEGE OF MEDICINE, BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES AND PSYCHOLOGY/School of Psychology (Pre 01 August 2015)

Version

  • VoR (Version of Record)

Published in

Developmental Science

Publisher

Wiley for International Association of Bioethics

issn

1363-755X

eissn

1467-7687

Copyright date

2014

Available date

2016-10-31

Publisher version

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/desc.12133/abstract

Language

en

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