A Multi-Session Attribution Modification Program for Children with Aggressive Behaviour: Changes in Attributions,...

Area of Science:

• Child Psychology
• Social Cognition
• Intervention Studies

Background:

• Aggressive children often misinterpret peers' intentions as hostile.
• This hostile attribution bias is a key factor in aggressive behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if Cognitive Bias Modification of Interpretations (CBM-I) can alter hostile attributional styles in aggressive children.
• To assess the impact of CBM-I on aggressive behaviors and emotional regulation.

Main Methods:

• A sample of 10-12-year-old aggressive children participated in three CBM-I training sessions.
• Participants were trained to favor benign over hostile interpretations of ambiguous social scenarios.
• A control group received no CBM-I intervention.

Main Results:

• Children trained with CBM-I showed reduced endorsement of hostile attributions and increased benign attributions.
• The CBM-I group exhibited greater reductions in aggressive behavior scores compared to controls.
• Trained children reported decreased anger and a trend towards increased self-control.

Conclusions:

• CBM-I is an effective intervention for modifying hostile attributional biases in aggressive children.
• This cognitive bias modification approach shows promise for reducing aggression and improving emotional regulation.