Developmental changes in the response types versus aggression categories on the Rosenzweig Picture-Frustration Study, Children's Form

To examine the developmental changes on the Children's Form of the Picture-Frustration (P-F) Study, the instrument was administered to 291 children between the ages of 6 and 13, from two schools. Developmental changes in the 11 response types were compared with changes in the six aggression category scores, which were combinations of the 11 response types. In contrast to the findings for the aggression categories, changes in the response types were consistent with developmental research on children's aggression. The findings supported the validity of the P-F Study as a measure of children's thought content in response to frustration and supported previous research indicating that the response types may be more meaningful data from the instrument than from the aggression category scores.     

An investigation of the reliability of the Rosenzweig Picture-Frustration (P-F) Study, Children's Form

Presents data on the retest and split-half reliability of the Rosenzweig Picture-Frustration (P-F) Study, Children's Form, for two groups of subjects (aged 10-11 and 12-13 years, respectively), each group tested twice at an interval of three months. It was found that the retest reliability for all scoring categories (except O-D) were statistically significant (.01 or .05 level). GCR proved stable for the younger group (r = .53) but not for the older group. The difference here may be due to the less comfortable retest conditions prevailing for the older subjects. Reliability by retest was consistently higher than by the less appropriate split-half method, but the latter proved, nevertheless, to be in the main favorable.     

Developmental Changes in the Response Types Versus Aggression Categories on the Rosenzweig Picture-Frustration Study,Children's Form

To examine the developmental changes on the Children's Form of the Picture-Frustration (P-F) Study, the instrument was administered to 291 children between the ages of 6 and 13, from two schools. Developmental changes in the 11 response types were compared with changes in the six aggression category scores, which were combinations of the 11 response types. In contrast to the findings for the aggression categories, changes in the response types were consistent with developmental research on children's aggression. The findings supported the validity of the P-F Study as a measure of children's thought content in response to frustration and supported previous research indicating that the response types may be more meaningful data from the instrument than from the aggression category scores.     

Construct validity of the Rosenzweig Picture-Frustration Study

Projective and semiprojective techniques are both tools and tests. A schema for assessing the validity of projective devices is proposed: (1) Primary, consisting of (a) construct validity i.e., the soundness of the techniques vis-a-vis its underlying concepts; and (b) criterion-related validity, i.e., the concordance between tool results and specified external criteria. (2) Secondary, viz., pragmatic validity, i.e., the usefulness of the instrument in applied fields. Discussion then focuses on the construct validity of the conceptually-based, semiprojective Rosenzweig P-F Study. specifically the evidence on (a) the self-consistency of its conceptual dimensions; (b) the sequential. social development of the Types and Directions of Aggression; (c) levels of behavior elicited; (d) sensitivity to scorable changes after induced frustration: and (e) physiological correlates oft he aggression categories. In each of these areas evidence exists in support of the validity of the P-F Study.     

Revised Criteria for the Group Conformity Rating of the Rosenzweig Picture-Frustration Study,Adult Form

Summary

Revised criteria for the Group Conformity Rating (GCR) of the Rosenzweig Picture-Frustration Study, Adult Form, are presented on the basis of findings from a population of 460 subjects. These criteria supersede the earlier ones based on a minimal sample of 100 subjects. The method of establishing the GCR criteria is described in detail. A comparison of GCR scores yielded by the original and the revised criteria for two samples of subjects indicates that, though the revised criteria are more complete and more stable and should supersede the earlier ones, results previously obtained with the original criteria are not invalid.     

Retest reliability of the Rosenzweig Picture-Frustration Study and similar semiprojective techniques

Surveys the evidence for the reliability of the Adult, Adolescent and Children's Forms of the Rosenzweig Picture-Frustration (P-F) Study. Analysis of variance and split-half methods, which assume item homogeneity and internal consistency, may be appropriate to psychometric tests, but they are not apposite to projective and semi-projective techniques. The implications of applying such criteria are critically examined, with the P-F Study as an example to demonstrate their nonapplicability. Investigations on retest (total test) reliability from the laboratory of the senior author and from those of other investigators demonstrate statistically significant consistency for the main scoring categories of the P-F, especially those relating to directions of aggression. Implications for other semiprojective techniques are expounded.     

Validity of the Children's Picture-Frustration Study: A Social-Cognitive Perspective

We used three studies to examine the validity of hostility scores from the Children's Form of the Picture-Frustration (P-F) Study in the context of Dodge's (1986) social information-processing model of aggression. Dodge's theory states that frustration results in retaliatory aggression only if the frustrated individual attributes hostile intent to the frustrator. Further, differences between aggressive and nonaggressive children in retaliatory aggression are more likely when the frustrator's intent is ambiguous than when the frustrator's intent is dear. In Study 1, items on the Children's P-F Study were rated by 237 children according to how mean they believed the frustrator in each item was. Results showed that items varied significantly in the amount of hostility portrayed. On the basis of these ratings, items were divided into those in which the intent was hostile, nonhostile, or ambiguous. In Studies 2 and 3, we tested Dodge's theory that differences between aggressive and nonaggressive children would be revealed on those items in which the frustrator's intention is ambiguous. In both studies, teachers' ratings of children's retaliatory aggression correlated significantly with the scale comprised of the ambiguous items but not with the scales comprised of the hostile or nonhostile items. The results provide further support to Dodge's theory of aggression and to the use of the Children's P-F Study within a social-cognitive perspective.     

Children's beliefs about the continuity of aggression

Elementary school students (N = 139) read vignettes describing aggressive peers and rated the extent to which they believed the peers' aggression would continue over time and in different contexts. Children also rated their social and moral acceptance of aggression, and how difficult it would be to help the vignette characters desist from aggression. Teachers rated participants' aggressive and prosocial behaviors. Results indicated that aggression is generally viewed as continuous across time and context, and likely to produce little acceptance. Beliefs about continuity were positively associated with perceived difficulty of changing aggression and negatively associated with social acceptance. Gender moderated the association between continuity beliefs and moral acceptance. Teacher‐rated behavior was associated with social perceptions. Findings are discussed with regard to their implications for future research as well as their potential application to the design of interventions for youth aggression. Aggress. Behav. 00:00–00, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Children's verbalizations and cheating behavior during game playing: the role of sociometric status,aggression, and gender

The first goal of this study was to investigate sociometric status, aggression, and gender differences in children's verbalizations and cheating behavior during game playing using a fine-grained observational coding system. The second goal was to control for the effects of differential peer treatment and bias on children's behavior by observing children in a standardized procedure with unfamiliar peer confederates. Participants were 111 second-grade African American children, half average and half rejected sociometric status, half aggressive and half nonaggressive based on peer nominations, and half boys and half girls. Rejected children engaged in more cheating behavior and made more negative and argumentative verbalizations than average status children. Boys made more negative and argumentative verbalizations than girls. Aggressive children did not differ from nonaggressive children, in terms of either verbalizations or cheating behavior.     

Study on the relations between temperament,aggression, and anger in children

The present work analyzes the relationships between the dimensions of temperament and the exteriorized emotions of aggression and anger. Temperament was assessed by mothers using the Dimensions of Temperament Survey‐Revised, while aggression and anger were self‐reported by the children using the Scale of physical and Verbal Aggression and the State–Trait Anger Expression Inventory for Children. The sample studied was made up of 293 children (49.83% boys; 50.17% girls) with a mean age of 11.13 years. The results showed that temperamental difficulties give rise to exteriorized emotions, especially anger. Predictive values of temperament on aggression and anger ranged from 1% to 7% of explained variance. Aggr. Behav. 32:207–215, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.