Unmasking Sex and Social Class Differences in Childhood Aggression: The Case for Language Maturity

Abstract

One hundred eight 2nd- and 3rd-grade students completed the Nancy-Ernie Aggression Test (NEAT) Apperceptive Aggression Test, to determine aggressive modality, and a portion of the Paradigmatic-Syntagmatic Language List, to assess language maturity. The results indicated that children who selected the physical modal choice on an apperceptive test of aggressive behavior did so regardless of sex or social class, refuting a large amount of research on aggressive behavior. The best predictor for physical aggresssive behavior when sex, social class, and language were considered appeared to be language immaturity. Additionally, the results indicated that verbal aggression may be the result of language maturity, although its predictability was not as strong as that of physical aggression. In the case of verbal aggressive expression, sex was the single best predictor.