Positively biased self-perceptions of peer acceptance and subtypes of aggression in children.

There is a growing body of research linking children's positively biased self-perceptions with higher levels of aggression. This study extended this area of research by examining prospective associations of positively biased self-perceptions of peer acceptance with overt and relational aggression. In addition, moderating effects of peer rejection were examined to test the "disputed overestimation hypothesis," which posits that the link between bias and aggression is limited to children who are rejected by their peers.

Positively Biased Self-Perceptions: Who Has Them and What are Their Effects?

This study examined demographic and social competency characteristics of children who hold overly-positive self-perceptions of their social acceptance (positive bias). The effects of holding positive bias on aggressive and depressive symptoms were examined in a sample that excluded children on the extreme negative end of the bias continuum. Measures of peer-rated and self-perceived acceptance were obtained for 366 children in the 3rd through 5th grades.

Self-perceptions and their Prediction of Aggression in Male Juvenile Offenders.

This study evaluated multiple facets of self-perceptions that have been theorized and shown to play a contributory role in the development of aggression for less clinically severe populations in a sample of youths from the juvenile justice system. Independent and unique associations of low self-esteem and inflated self-perceptions with aggression were examined in a sample of male juvenile offenders (N = 119; Mean age = 16.74 years) using a longitudinal study design.

Distinguishing among disruptive behaviors to help predict high school graduation: does gender matter?

This study examined unique predictive associations of aggressive and hyperactive-inattentive behaviors in elementary school with high school graduation. The current study also investigated whether these associations were moderated by gender. At Time 1, 745 children in the 3rd through 5th grades completed peer ratings on their classmates' disruptive behaviors.