CHILDRENS EVALUATIONS OF PROVOCATION BETWEEN PEERS

The present study examined children's evaluations of potentially confl ictual situations between peers. Eight-and 11-year-olds evaluated two hypothetical target children in three scenarios which differed as to t he intent of a provocative act (Accidental, Ambiguous, Hostile). In ad dition to grade and sex, relationship between targets was manipulated as a between-subjects variable with targets portrayed as either Best F riends Acquaintances, or Enemies. Children evaluated targets in terms of attributions of intentions, behavior response, affective state of t argets, and mutual liking between targets. Results indicated that aggr essor's intentions and victim's behavior response were evaluated as po sitive for the Accidental scenario and as negative for the Hostile sce nario regardless of target relationship. When aggressor's intentions w ere unclear (e.g., Ambiguous), interactions between Best Friends and i nteractions between Acquaintances were evaluated as positive while int eractions between Enemies were perceived as negative. Further, while a ll children predicted a negative response by the victim during the Hos tile situation, younger children predicted the victim's response would be less negative than did older children. Children reported Best Frie nds and Acquaintances as liking each other more before the provocation situation started than after it occurred while liking between Enemies remained unchanged, thus indicating a belief that provocations may hu rt a positive or neutral relationship. Targets were perceived to be in negative affective states during the Accidental and Ambiguous scenari os and the aggressor was perceived to be in a neutral affective state during the Hostile scenario. Results are discussed in terms of previou s research on response to provocation and implications for research on children's peer conflicts. (C) 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.