Situational Effects on Retaliatory Aggression at Three Age Levels

SHANTZ, DAVID W., and VOYDANOFF, DOUGLAS A. Situational Effects on Retaliatory Aggression at Three Age Levels. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1973, 44, 149-153. 28 7-, 9-, and 12-year-old boys indicated how aggressively they would respond to hypothetical aggressive provocations. Stories were counterbalanced as to intentionality of provocation (accidental versus intentional) and mode of provocation (verbal versus physical). Half the Ss at each age level were required to recall all story elements prior to responding and half were not. 9and 12-year-olds responded less aggressively following accidental than following intentional provocation, while 7-year-olds failed to differentiate between these conditions. 12-year-olds responded less aggressively to intentional verbal than to intentional physical provocations, while 9and 7-year-olds made no such differentiation. Recall Ss differentiated more between intentional and accidental provocation, but responded no differently to verbal and physical provocation.