OBSERVATIONS OF AGGRESSIVE AND NONAGGRESSIVE CHILDREN ON THE SCHOOL PLAYGROUND

Naturalistic observations were made of 17 aggressive and 22 nonaggress ive children in Grades 1 to 6, filmed with video cameras and remote mi crophones on school playgrounds. Observers coded interactive behaviors , affective valence, and play states. Aggressive children displayed mo re verbal and physical aggression, more prosocial behaviors, and highe r rates of interaction than did nonaggressive children. The two groups spent similar time in solitary and group activities. Sequential analy ses indicated that peers made similar initiations to aggressive and no naggressive children, but aggressive children were more likely to resp ond antisocially. Aggressive children initiated more mixed behaviors ( prosocial and antisocial) than did nonaggressive children. Implication s of these observations for understanding peer interactions of aggress ive children are discussed.