Abstract
In general, aggression is believed to destabilize social integration. The question of who plays a central role in stabilizing and facilitating social integration is important in studies of conflict management and resolution. We investigated that question by applying social network analysis to behavioral data of preschool children (3- and 4-year-olds) in four classes. We identified two kinds of social network structures in each class: 'affiliative network structure' (ANS) consisting of socially positive behavior (affiliation and prosocial behavior) and 'disruptive network structure' (DNS) consisting of socially negative behavior (aggressive or disruptive behavior). Next, we tested how the exclusion of each child, having different degrees of centrality within the ANS or DNS, influenced the 'density', or cohesiveness, of the DNS or ANS among the same children. We found that excluding the children with higher centrality in the ANS did not affect the density of the DNS. In contrast, excluding the children with higher centrality in the DNS reduced the density of the ANS to a greater extent. This suggests that aggressive children play not only a dispersive role but also a cohesive role in their networks. This counterintuitive result highlights the adaptive and dual roles of aggressive children in their social groups.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1577-1600 |
| Number of pages | 24 |
| Journal | Behaviour |
| Volume | 145 |
| Issue number | 11 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2008 Nov 1 |
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Keywords
- Aggression
- Conflict management
- Network
- Preschool children
- Social network analysis
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Animal Science and Zoology
- Behavioral Neuroscience
Cite this
The stabilizing role of aggressive children in affiliative social networks among preschoolers. / Fujisawa, Keiko; Kutsukake, Nobuyuki; Hasegawa, Toshikazu.
In: Behaviour, Vol. 145, No. 11, 01.11.2008, p. 1577-1600.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - The stabilizing role of aggressive children in affiliative social networks among preschoolers
AU - Fujisawa, Keiko
AU - Kutsukake, Nobuyuki
AU - Hasegawa, Toshikazu
PY - 2008/11/1
Y1 - 2008/11/1
N2 - In general, aggression is believed to destabilize social integration. The question of who plays a central role in stabilizing and facilitating social integration is important in studies of conflict management and resolution. We investigated that question by applying social network analysis to behavioral data of preschool children (3- and 4-year-olds) in four classes. We identified two kinds of social network structures in each class: 'affiliative network structure' (ANS) consisting of socially positive behavior (affiliation and prosocial behavior) and 'disruptive network structure' (DNS) consisting of socially negative behavior (aggressive or disruptive behavior). Next, we tested how the exclusion of each child, having different degrees of centrality within the ANS or DNS, influenced the 'density', or cohesiveness, of the DNS or ANS among the same children. We found that excluding the children with higher centrality in the ANS did not affect the density of the DNS. In contrast, excluding the children with higher centrality in the DNS reduced the density of the ANS to a greater extent. This suggests that aggressive children play not only a dispersive role but also a cohesive role in their networks. This counterintuitive result highlights the adaptive and dual roles of aggressive children in their social groups.
AB - In general, aggression is believed to destabilize social integration. The question of who plays a central role in stabilizing and facilitating social integration is important in studies of conflict management and resolution. We investigated that question by applying social network analysis to behavioral data of preschool children (3- and 4-year-olds) in four classes. We identified two kinds of social network structures in each class: 'affiliative network structure' (ANS) consisting of socially positive behavior (affiliation and prosocial behavior) and 'disruptive network structure' (DNS) consisting of socially negative behavior (aggressive or disruptive behavior). Next, we tested how the exclusion of each child, having different degrees of centrality within the ANS or DNS, influenced the 'density', or cohesiveness, of the DNS or ANS among the same children. We found that excluding the children with higher centrality in the ANS did not affect the density of the DNS. In contrast, excluding the children with higher centrality in the DNS reduced the density of the ANS to a greater extent. This suggests that aggressive children play not only a dispersive role but also a cohesive role in their networks. This counterintuitive result highlights the adaptive and dual roles of aggressive children in their social groups.
KW - Aggression
KW - Conflict management
KW - Network
KW - Preschool children
KW - Social network analysis
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=67449168373&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=67449168373&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1163/156853908786131289
DO - 10.1163/156853908786131289
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:67449168373
VL - 145
SP - 1577
EP - 1600
JO - Behaviour
JF - Behaviour
SN - 0005-7959
IS - 11
ER -