Comparisons of second-generation holocaust survivors, immigrants, and nonimmigrants on measures of mental health.

Investigated whether a "children-of-Holocaust-survivors syndrome" could more parsimoniously be explained as an "immigration effect," in a comparative study on 25 children of Holocaust survivors, 25 children of immigrants, and 25 children of American-born parents (mean age of all Ss 26.96 yrs). Ss were matched on age and educational level and were assessed with 4 measures of mental health: an alienation scale, an anomie scale, a hostility-guilt inventory, and a brief mental health index. Data indicate no significant differences between children of holocaust survivors and the children of other immigrants. These data suggest an immigration effect that is common to the children of immigrants and not limited to the children of Holocaust survivors, rather than a survivors syndrome. The children of American-born parents showed greater alienation, less religiosity, and a tendency toward feelings of less guilt than the other 2 groups. Results underscore the need to control immigrant status in multiple samples and studies before definitive conclusions can be drawn in this area. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Methodological issues in the study of transgenerational effects of the holocaust: Comment on Nadler, Kav-Venaki, and Gleitman.

Nadler, Kav-Venaki, and Gleitman (1985) recently concluded in a study of descendants of holocaust survivors that these children were more likely to internalize aggression than a control sample. The study's methodology and interpretation of results are critiqued and alternatives are proposed. It is also noted that researchers studying the massive trauma of the holocaust must do so within a historical and sociological context. (6 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Validity of transgenerational effects of the holocaust: Reply to Silverman.

The general and specific issues raised in Silverman's (1987) critique of Nadler, Kav-Venaki, and Gleitman's (1985) study of descendents of holocaust survivors are discussed. In addition, the present article addresses the alternative interpretation offered by Silverman and concludes with a discussion of issues of general concern in this research context. (9 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Aggression in childhood: Developmental perspectives.

Studied 102 preschool children and 1st and 2nd graders, using a combination of time and event sampling procedures to observe aggressive events. Results indicate the older Ss were less aggressive per unit time than the younger, with older Black Ss significantly more aggressive than older Whites. Results suggest that the developmental course of human aggression may be best understood by a differential functional analysis, and that the distinction between instrumental and hostile aggression is heuristically valuable for studying aggression in early childhood. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Aggression, emotional maladjustment, and empathy in the abused child.

19 abused children between 5 and 10 yrs old were compared with 19 nonabused children on measures of aggression, emotional maladjustment, and empathy. The 2 groups were matched for age, sex, socioeconomic status, developmental age, IQ, language, and race. The abused Ss were found to be significantly lower than the controls on the measure of empathy and higher on measures of emotional maladjustment. They did not differ on the aggression measures. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Paternal stimulation during infancy: Effects upon aggression and open-field performance of mice.

Studied aggression in random-bred albino Tuck TT strain male mice from 1st matings, reared by both parents (n = 13) and from 2nd matings, reared only by the mother (n = 15). Prolonged isolation from weaning induced more aggression in Ss from 1st matings than in Ss from a 2nd mating. In a 2nd experiment, fathers of 40 Ss were removed (a) shortly after mating, (b) at the litters' birth, or (c) at weaning. In offspring isolated from weaning, Ss in condition c were significantly more aggressive than those in a, while those in b showed an intermediate response. These differences did not occur when the period of isolation was broken by 50 days of communal housing before aggression testing, although Ss in c defecated more in the open field. It is suggested that young mice "imprint" toward the same odors of adult males which in later life elicit intermale aggression. (24 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Intervening variables in the TV violence–aggression relation: Evidence from two countries.

758 children in the US and 220 children in Finland were interviewed and tested in each of 3 yrs in an overlapping longitudinal design covering Grades 1–5. Parents of 591 US Ss and 193 Finnish Ss were also interviewed. For girls in the US and boys in both countries, TV violence viewing was significantly related to concurrent aggression and significantly predicted future changes in aggression. The strength of the relation depended as much on the frequency with which violence was viewed as on the extent of the violence. For boys, the effect was exacerbated by the degree to which the boy identified with TV characters. Path analyses suggested a bidirectional causal effect in which violence viewing engendered aggression, and aggression engendered violence viewing. No evidence was found that those Ss predisposed to aggression or those with aggressive parents were affected more by TV violence. However, a number of other variables (e.g., strong identification with aggressive characters) were correlates of aggression and violence viewing. A multiprocess model in which violence viewing and aggression affect each other and, in turn, are stimulated by related variables is used to explain the findings. (74 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Influence of conflict between adults on the emotions and aggression of young children.

Examined the influence of others' emotions on the emotions and aggression of 48 male and 42 female 2-yr-old children by exposing dyads of familiar peers during play to a sequence of experimental manipulations of background emotions of warmth and anger created by 2 actors. An additional 20 Ss who were not exposed to an angry interaction served as controls. Ss readily distinguished between the prosocial and angry interactions of the unfamiliar adults. Typically, they responded to the angry verbal exchange with some form of distress. Exposure to angry adult interactions was associated also with subsequent increases in aggression between peers. A 2nd exposure of 47 of the Ss to the enactment of anger a month later resulted in still higher levels of distress and aggression. Ss' response patterns were suggestive of processes mediated by emotional reactivity rather than a behavioral modeling influence. Boys showed more aggression than girls following the simulation of anger, whereas girls showed more distress than boys during the simulation. There was some evidence for stability and continuity in individual patterns of response. The theoretical and practical implications of such pronounced sensitivity to others' conflicts and interpersonal problems in young children are considered. (36 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Thinking disorders in parents of young psychotic children.

Tested 17 parents of young psychotic children on the Object Sorting Test. 2 control groups were used. The sample differed from the replicated studies in that parents of adult schizophrenics were tested. Since childhood psychosis has substantial differences from adult schizophrenia, it was anticipated that parents of psychotic children would not show the same extent of thought impairment found in parents of adult schizophrenics. The Ss, however, showed more thought impairment than parents of normal children. Mothers showed more impairment than fathers. Findings were interpreted to suggest circumscribed test anxiety in association with a psychotic child rather than representing a formal thought disorder. (20 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Role of affective assessment in modeling aggressive behavior.

Examined the role of affective assessment, a self-generated influence in learning acquisition, in the A. Bandura et al (1963) modeling-of-aggression procedure. 32 1st- and 2nd-grade children rated toys and televised acts of aggression against an inflated doll according to their personal affective preference. A matched control group of 32 children was yoked to the affective preferences of the experimental Ss. Control Ss were not shown the televised aggression. All Ss were then introduced to a free-play situation in which toys and an inflated doll were present. In line with the Bandura et al findings, it was predicted that observational learning would be demonstrated across conditions. However, in line with logical learning theory, it was predicted that Ss would model affectively preferred aggressive acts and toys more readily than affectively dispreferred acts and toys. Boys and girls differed significantly only in their imitation of positively rated aggressive actions, not in their imitation of negatively rated actions. Ramifications for the TV violence/aggression issue are discussed. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An investigation of six- to eleven-year-old children with allergic disorders.

Compared 6-11 yr. old children with and without allergic reactions on their intellectual ability, academic performance, social interaction patterns, medical history, TAT responses, and scores on a number of other psychological tests. Placement in the allergic sample was determined by a medical history provided by the parents of each child. The allergic sample included 199 boys and 172 girls, while the nonallergic sample consisted of 419 boys and 400 girls. Results indicate that Ss who did not exhibit allergic reactions were otherwise healthier and were rated as superior on a number of academic, social, and emotional adjustment dimensions. Results are related to studies of psychosomatic children. (19 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Control of aggression in adult children of survivors of the Nazi persecution.

Tested the findings of previous investigations that children of survivors of the Nazi persecution are either excessively aggressive or excessively inhibited. A questionnaire containing measures of personality and affect, phobias, psychosomatic complaints, death attitudes, and the occurrence of violent deaths within the immediate family was administered to 242 children of such survivors, 76 children of other immigrants to Canada, and 209 children of native-born parents. The index group scored significantly higher than did both control groups on only 1 variable—rigidity—of 1 measure (personality and affect). Findings suggest that exposure to prolonged, severe victimization or to other potential causes of posttraumatic stress disorders does not necessarily result in negative effects on the 2nd generation in the area of the control of aggression, despite its long-term effects on the victims. (53 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ethnic stereotypes: Attitudes or beliefs?

Used a factor-analytic approach to investigate the role of both parents' and childrens' attitudes on children's reactions to French-speaking and English-speaking people. Ss were 111 14-15 yr. old English-speaking students and their parents. Findings support the conclusion that 2 components influence the tendency of children to ascribe traits to ethnic groups: (a) their attitudes toward the group, and (b) the community-wide stereotypes about the group. Other findings indicate that children's general authoritarian attitudes reflect those of their parents, but that their attitudes toward French-speaking people are not highly related to those of their parents. (French summary) (20 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Influence of upright posture on shock-elicited aggression in rats.

Conducted 2 experiments with a total of 140 male and 140 female hooded rats. In Exp. I, frequencies of upright postural responses displayed by Ss when shocked alone were predictive of upright postural response frequencies during shock-elicited aggression. These differences in upright postural frequencies were associated with differences in frequencies of aggression in male Ss only. Exp. II manipulated upright postural responses. Results suggest that the upright behavior of Ss could be controlled in the shock-elicited-aggression paradigm. Only a slight influence on the aggression of female Ss was obtained. Experimental findings suggest that the upright postural behavior is not a major variable in the provocation to attack in the shock-elicited paradigm. (19 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Stressful events and individual beliefs as correlates of economic disadvantage and aggression among urban children.

Examined 3 factors that were hypothesized to increase risk for aggression among urban children: economic disadvantage, stressful events, and individual beliefs. Ss were 1,935 African American, Hispanic, and White elementary-school boys and girls assessed over a 2-yr period. Individual poverty (INP) and aggression were only significant for the White Ss, with significant interactions between individual and community poverty for the other 2 ethnic groups. A linear structural model to predict aggression from the stress and beliefs variables, INP predicted stress for African American Ss and predicted beliefs supporting aggression for Hispanic Ss. For all ethnic groups, both stress and beliefs contributed significantly to the synchronous prediction of aggression, and for the Hispanic children, the longitudinal predictions were also significant. Findings are discussed in terms of their implications for preventive interventions in multiethnic, inner-city communities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sex differences in the consequences that children anticipate for aggression.

Hypothesized that the outcomes that children expect for aggression vary with child sex, degree of provocation, and target sex. Ss (M age?=?10.6 years) rated their confidence that specified outcomes would ensure for performing acts of provoked and unprovoked aggression toward male and female peers. Boys expected less guilt and less parental disapproval for aggression (especially for provoked aggression toward a boy) than girls. When provoked, children expected more tangible rewards, less guilt, and less parental disapproval than when not provoked. When aggressing toward boys, children expected less tangible rewards, more guilt, less suffering by the target, less parental disapproval, more disapproval from male peers, and less disapproval from female peers than when aggressing toward girls. Implications for a cognitive social learning perspective on sex differences in aggression were discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological evaluation of clinical disturbance in children at risk for psychopathology.

Evaluated children of 1 schizophrenic or 1 manic-depressive parent for clinical disturbance in the St. Louis risk research project between 1967 and 1971. The investigation employed a psychological battery using the WISC or WAIS, figure drawings, the TAT, the Rorschach, and the Beery-Buktenica Developmental Form Sequence, plus blind clinical disturbance ratings from the test batteries. Tests were administered individually to 339 6–20 yr old children from intact families with 1 schizophrenic, manic-depressive, or physically ill parent, or 2 normal parents. Children of psychiatrically ill parents were found to be more disturbed than children of nonpsychotic parents. Children with a schizophrenic parent demonstrated peformance on psychometric evaluation that was in some ways continuous with that of adult schizophrenics. Children of schizophrenic and manic-depressive parents differed from one another and from controls on 2 measures. In the aggressive content of their TAT stories, children with a schizophrenic parent showed less aggression than normals, and children with a manic-depressive parent showed more aggression than normals. On the Rorschach, children of schizophrenics gave more primitive responses than children of manic-depressives, and the children of normal parents gave an intermediate number of such responses. (2 p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Does media violence increase children's toleration of real-life aggression?

Randomly divided 22 male and 22 female 3rd and 4th graders into groups for a 2 * 2 (Sex * Film/No Film) factorial design. Ss in the aggressive film group saw a cowboy film that depicted many violent events. All Ss were led to believe that they were responsible for watching the behavior of 2 younger children whom they could see on a videotape monitor. The younger children at first played quietly, then became progressively destructive. Their altercation culminated in a physical fight ending with the apparent destruction of the television camera. The dependent measures were (a) the time it took an S to seek adult help after the younger children began to be disruptive and (b) whether or not the S waited until the younger children had begun to abuse one another physically before seeking adult help. Results show that (a) Ss who saw an aggressive film took longer to seek adult help than Ss who did not see the film and (b) Ss in the film group were much more likely to tolerate all but violent physical aggression and destruction before seeking help. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

English as the second language of deaf children.

Administered the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) to 13 deaf adolescents with deaf parents and to 13 deaf adolescents with hearing parents. Scores achieved by all Ss on the Paragraph Meaning and Language subtests of the Stanford Achievement Test were also available. Ss with deaf parents scored significantly higher than Ss with hearing parents on all but 1 measure. Performance by hearing, foreign students on the TOEFL was more highly correlated with the performance by Ss with deaf parents than with the performance by Ss with hearing parents. Results indicate that English may be a 2nd language for deaf children and that early experience with sign language may facilitate later learning of English. (27 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Retrospective reports on the causes of decisions.

Two experiments examined a person's ability to retrieve valid memories of the causes of prior judgments of preference. In Exp I, 140 high school students and their parents judged profiled colleges in a within-S design, reported his or her reactions to the colleges' features, and guessed the reactions of the other family members. The self-reports were more accurate than the guesses by the observers, implying that the self-reports did not stem from a public theory of the actor. In Exp II, 48 high school sophomores either judged colleges after exposure to information that influenced which features drew strong reactions or received no information. Ss then received either instructions motivating careful retrieval and candid reporting of memories or ones motivating the reporting of certain reactions to impress others. The Ss motivated to try retrieval achieved higher accuracy than 24 graduate student observers who tried to infer the S's reactions from knowledge of the overt judgments. Results suggest that accurate retrieval-based reporting of earlier midjudgment reactions to attributes of a stimulus may be possible. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)