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Biased Self-Perceptions, Peer Rejection, and Aggression in Children

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Abstract

This study examined whether children’s biased self-perceptions of peer acceptance are associated in a linear or curvilinear fashion with aggression, whether associations are moderated by peer rejection status, and whether associations apply uniquely to reactive aggression. Children in the 4th through 7th grades completed a self-report measure on their social functioning (SPPC; Harter 1982), and teachers reported on children’s social functioning and aggression. Self-perceptual bias was operationalized as the standardized residual difference between children’s self-perceptions and their teachers’ perceptions of their peer acceptance. Rejected status moderated associations between biased self-perceptions and reactive aggression. Among non-rejected children, biased perceptions were not significantly associated with reactive aggression. In contrast, among peer-rejected children, reactive aggression was elevated in those who greatly underestimated as well as in those who even modestly overestimated their peer acceptance. This pattern was observed whether or not proactive aggression was statistically controlled. In contrast, biased self-perceptions were not associated with proactive aggression for rejected or nonrejected children. Implications are discussed with regard to future research and potential interventions for aggressive children.

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Notes

  1. We use the terms “perceptual bias” and “biased self-perceptions” to refer to discrepancies between children’s perceptions of their peer acceptance and others’ perceptions of their acceptance (i.e., in the present study teachers’ ratings are used). As with ratings provided by any informant, teachers’ ratings are not perfect indicators of children’s peer acceptance as they are subject to biases and other sources of measurement error. Discrepancies between self- and teacher ratings are considered to be estimates of children’s self-perception bias.

  2. We thank an anonymous reviewer for suggesting consideration of potential cultural factors in interpreting different findings across studies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Virginia Tech, 109 Williams Hall (0436), Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA

    Bradley A. White

  2. Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA

    Janet A. Kistner

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  1. Bradley A. White
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  2. Janet A. Kistner
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Correspondence to Bradley A. White.

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Special thanks are extended to Bethany Bray for statistical consultation; Jen Davis, Jason Gallant, Erica Hess, Michelle Castro, Stephanie Glasney, Kamil Jones, Amanda Ayala, Shavon Jones, Juliet Leon, and Amy Fox for assistance in data collection; and to the children and teachers who participated in the study.

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White, B.A., Kistner, J.A. Biased Self-Perceptions, Peer Rejection, and Aggression in Children. J Abnorm Child Psychol 39, 645–656 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-011-9506-6

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