ERIC Number: EJ953325
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011
Pages: 7
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1537-4416
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
An Experimental Investigation of Peer Influences on Adolescent Hostile Attributions
Freeman, Kim; Hadwin, Julie A.; Halligan, Sarah L.
Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, v40 n6 p897-903 2011
Aggression in young people has been associated with a bias toward attributing hostile intent to others. However, little is known about the origin of biased social information processing. The current study explored the potential role of peer contagion in the emergence of hostile attribution in adolescents. One hundred thirty-four adolescents (M age = 13.8 years) were assigned to one of two manipulated "chat-room" conditions, where they believed they were communicating with online peers (e-confederates) who endorsed either hostile or benign intent attributions. Adolescents showed increased hostile attributions following exposure to hostile e-confederates and reduced hostility in the benign condition. Further analyses demonstrated that social anxiety was associated with a reduced tendency to take on hostile peer attitudes. Neither gender nor levels of aggression influenced individual susceptibility to peer influence, but aggressive adolescents reported greater affinity with hostile e-confederates. (Contains 1 table and 1 figure.)
Descriptors: Aggression, Adolescents, Peer Influence, Information Processing, Anxiety, Psychology, Bias, Experiments, Investigations, Foreign Countries, Statistical Analysis, Questionnaires, Internet, Computer Uses in Education, Gender Differences
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom
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Author Affiliations: N/A