Toddlers' use of force against familiar peers: A precursor of serious aggression?

Possible precursors of serious aggression were identified in toddlers' use of force against peers. instances of grabbing objects and hitting peers wer e recorded in a sample of 66 British 18- to 30-month-olds, observed at home with familiar peers and seen again 6 months later. Mothers rated aggressiv eness in the context of other personality traits. Girls and boys did not di ffer in average levels of aggression, nor were they rated differently by th e mothers. However, the observed rate of hitting peers and mothers' ratings of aggressiveness were stable over 6 months for girls, but not for boys; T oddlers who were especially sensitive to peers' possible intentions hit the ir peers more often. They were also more likely to use force proactively, 6 months later.