Friendships and deviancy training in young children
Journal of Aggression, Conflict and Peace Research
ISSN: 1759-6599
Article publication date: 13 April 2015
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to test a new approach to deviancy training, that is, the shaping and reinforcing of disruptive behaviors in social interaction, which considers not only reinforcement, but also the modeling processes involved, as well as children's roles as either providers or receivers of the training.
Design/methodology/approach
Using teacher reports and observations from a semi-naturalistic experimental setting with young children, the authors examined the prevalence of provided and received modeling and positive reinforcement, as well as the concurrent contribution of behavior problems on these processes in friendship dyads using a convenience sample of six-year-old twins (N=783; 386 boys). Frequency analyses and linear and logistic regressions were conducted.
Findings
Results indicated that modeling and positive reinforcement – provided and received – were prevalent in this low-risk sample, that behavior problems were associated mainly with provided dimensions, and that deviancy training processes were also displayed between disruptive and non-disruptive children.
Practical implications
Findings are relevant to peer-oriented programs designed to prevent antisocial behaviors. Prevention should target these mixed friendships where deviant behavior likely begins.
Originality/value
This study provides preliminary support for a new measure of deviancy training, underscores the importance of the roles taken by children, and shows that deviancy training takes place between disruptive and non-disruptive young children.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This research was supported by grants from the Fonds Québécois de la Recherchesur la Société et la Culture, the Fonds de la Recherche en Santé du Québec, the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the National Health Research Development Program, the Canadian Institutes for Health Research, and Ste. Justine Hospital's Research Center. The authors would like to particularly thank the children and parents of the Quebec Newborn Twin Study and the teachers and schools that participated. The authors also thank Hélène Paradis and BeiFeng for their assistance in the data management and statistical analyses, and Jocelyn Malo for the coordination of the data collection.
Citation
Salazar, S., Boivin, M., Vitaro, F., Cantin, S., Forget-Dubois, N., Brendgen, M., Dionne, G. and Tremblay, R. (2015), "Friendships and deviancy training in young children", Journal of Aggression, Conflict and Peace Research, Vol. 7 No. 2, pp. 112-123. https://doi.org/10.1108/JACPR-05-2014-0123
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2015, Emerald Group Publishing Limited