Child Care and Early Education Research Connections

Skip to main content

Assessment of hostile and benign intent attributions in early childhood: Can we elicit meaningful information?

Description:
Throughout middle childhood and adolescence, hostile intent attributions fairly consistently predict levels of aggression. Across 28 published studies in early childhood, however, researchers have found less consistent relationships. We believe this may be due to a majority of these studies using an inappropriate methodological approach for early childhood, forced-choice questioning. We tested the use of open-ended vs. forced-choice questions about intent in 118 Head Start preschool children. In response to a forced choice question, only about 30% of children attributed intent correctly to a video depicting clearly purposeful behavior. And across 18 video vignettes depicting ambiguous provocation, children's intent attribution scores based on a forced-choice approach demonstrated neither reliability nor validity. Conversely, children's intent attribution scores in response to open-ended questions demonstrated reliability, correspondence with other aspects of social information processing, and predictive validity in the form of relations to teacher reports of social competence and aggression. Researchers should refrain from utilizing forced-choice approaches to intent attributions in early childhood unless also conducting intent understanding checks. (author abstract)
Resource Type:
Reports & Papers
Country:
United States
State(s)/Territories/Tribal Nation(s):
Maryland

Related resources include summaries, versions, measures (instruments), or other resources in which the current document plays a part. Research products funded by the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation are related to their project records.

- You May Also Like

These resources share similarities with the current selection.

Integrating writing into the early childhood curriculum: A frame for intentional and meaningful writing experiences

Other

Kentucky Early Childhood Needs Assessment: August 2019

Reports & Papers

Annotated resources on early childhood assessment systems

Bibliographies
Release: 'v1.57.0' | Built: 2024-03-14 09:29:08 EDT