Psychomotor reactions of aggressive and non-aggressive extrovert children

Abstract.— The subjects comprised two, matched, extremely aggressive (experimental ExG and control) groups of twelve 8–year-old boys, and one criterion group of extrovert, well-controlled boys. The ExG was submitted to a treatment of eight lesson? with the aim of making an individual realize non-aggressive, constructive ways of coping with situations. Video-tape recording was used. The results showed that (1) aggressively extrovert children were more impulsive and utilized more space than the constructively extrovert, (2) psychomotor characteristics were more stable over situations than aggressive and constructive coping strategies, and (3) no changes in the psychomotor characteristics of the ExG, attributable to the experimentally induced increase of constructive behaviour and decrease of aggression, could be found. The results were more in favour of the disposition interpretation of expressive movements than of the communication theory of psychomotor expression.