WEISS, ROBERT JAY

In the present study, 120 children participated in an experiment
designed to investigate sex differences in the way children perceive the
consequences of aggression. Subjects were given a 48 item questionnaire
designed to measure their expectations about the consequences for
aggressive behavior. Separate questionnaire Items assessed expectations
for five categories of consequences which according to Bandura (1973,
1979) may play a role in maintaining aggressive behavior. These
categories included self-rewards, tangible rewards, victim suffering,
peer approval, and parental approval. Results indicated boys expect
greater self-rewards than girls for aggressive behavior. Sex of the
target of aggression was also found to be an important variable in
determining the perceived consequences of aggressive behavior. Children
anticipated greater self-rewards and greater tangible rewards for
aggressing towards female targets. They also expected greater parental
disapproval and greater victim suffering for female targets.
Implications for social learning theory were discussed.