Social information processing deficits in clinical groups: Inattentive, hyperactive and aggressive children

Susan Gail Berman, Purdue University

Abstract

Social Information Processing (S-I-P) theory has been used to investigate specific deficits of children with problems of both aggression and peer rejection. However, such "aggressive-rejected" children are highly likely to experience comorbid problems of inattention and/or hyperactivity. The present study investigated this potential confound by assessing S-I-P deficits associated with dimensions of inattention (I), hyperactivity (H) and aggression (A). In addition, the relationship of verbal ability to S-I-P was measured. Subjects were males and females between 7 and 11 years old. Presence or absence of I, H and A were determined by teacher ratings. Children were administered two WISC-R Verbal subtests, followed by with six (audiotaped) hypothetical peer-provocation stories. A series of questions was asked after each story. Within subjects, attention to story details was manipulated by having children recall aloud three of the stories before answering questions about them. Three separate, identical sets of analyses of variance made the following comparisons: (1) inattentive versus non-inattentive; (2) hyperactive versus non-hyperactive; and (3) aggressive versus non-aggressive. Analyses of covariance were also performed, controlling the impact of verbal ability. I and H were found children to recall stories more poorly than their counterparts. A children generated a greater number of hostile responses and chose hostile second responses more often than no-A children. However, these groups did not differ in generation of other types of responses. Many steps that differentiated I and no-I children were non-significant when verbal ability was controlled. Further, children's use of authority-seeking responses decreased in the recall condition. The Encoding, Response Access and Enactment steps of S-I-P theory are supported by these data. However, unlike earlier studies where findings were attributed to aggression issues, these data strongly suggest that hyperactivity may be associated with Encoding deficits, and that inattention may be associated with Encoding and Response Access deficits. Further, a general deficit in verbal ability may account for deficits in inattentive children. It is recommended that researchers carefully consider issues of comorbidity and verbal ability when assessing specific S-I-P deficits of aggressive children.

Degree

Ph.D.

Advisors

Ottinger, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Psychotherapy|Developmental psychology|Social psychology

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