Naturalistic observations of girls' and boys' playground aggression

The purpose of the present study was to explore relations among the forms and social dynamics of girls' playground aggression in comparison to boys' playground aggression. Physical, verbal, and social forms of aggression were assessed, as well as the extent to which the focal child was in a position of social power relative to peers, and the extent to which peers aligned with the focal child during the aggressive episode. Also, peer ratings of popularity and aggression were examined. The observational and survey data were drawn from a large, longitudinal study of bullying and victimisation among elementary school students (grades 1 through 6) attending two schools in metropolitan Toronto, Canada. The subsample of 39 girls and 39 boys were observed engaging in aggressive behaviour during episodes in which they were focal children (i.e., children who were the focus of the observations). The focal children were 5 to 12 years of age (M = 8.77, SD = 1.76). Naturalistic observations of playground interactions revealed that a larger proportion of girls than boys used indirect forms of aggression (i.e., social aggression), whereas a smaller proportion of girls than boys used direct forms of aggression (i.e., physical and verbal aggression). In addition, abstinence from physical aggression and reliance on social aggression was associated with higher levels of social power among girls in comparison to boys. Theoretical implications and implications for research methodology, risk identification, and intervention are discussed.