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  • Essay / Toddler play behavior and subsequent physical aggression: a correlative study

    “Gender-specific preschool play behavior at age 3.5 predicts physical aggression at age 13 ” is a 10-year longitudinal study by researchers Karson TF Kung, Gu Li, Jean Golding and Melissa Hines. The study examined the correlational relationship between play behavior in young toddlers and physical aggression that becomes apparent later in their lives. The results of this study are consistent with the textbook's assertions: “Aggressive tendencies at age three predict aggressive behavior later in life” (Bartol & Bartol, 2017). This article will analyze the study presented by Kung and colleagues by summarizing the article, articulating how the information in the article is consistent with the material presented in class, critically identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the article, and finally, discussing how this research article could be expanded in the future. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get an original essay In this study, using a 10-year longitudinal approach, there was an analysis of a representative sample that was “male ( 64 boys, 60 girls) and females (80 boys, 66 girls),” as well as “randomly selected child controls (55 boys, 67 girls)” (Kung, Li, Golding, & Hines, 2017). Additionally, Kung and colleagues' study followed an ALSPAC study that previously analyzed more than "14,000 mothers and their children starting in the prenatal period"; To assess gender-specific play behaviors at age 3.5, researchers used the Preschool Activities Inventory, which is a “psychometrically constructed parental report questionnaire” (Kung, Li, Golding, & Hines, 2017). . To assess physical aggression at age 13, the Crown-Crisp Experiential Index, which is "an inventory assessing anxiety, depression, and somatic symptoms, with higher scores indicating higher levels of psychopathology” (Kung, Li, Golding, & Hines, 2017). Kung and his colleagues aimed to compare their results with those of ALSPAC. Ultimately, the researchers found that the results of their study were consistent with those of the ALSPAC study, with implications of childhood gender-specific play behavior predicting future physical aggression. What was particularly unique about their study was that instead of analyzing the representative sample strictly by gender, the researchers also analyzed whether the child exhibited feminine or masculine characteristics. This is appropriate for current developments in society and the increasing number of children who are able to feel comfortable in their own identity from a young age. As a result, the researchers also found that male children, whether male or female, demonstrated significantly more physical aggression than the control group or female children. These results are telling because most studies persist in analyzing the representative sample solely based on gender, which generally implies that men are the ones who display aggressive behavior in most situations, and these studies then undermine men who are sensitive and not in contact. with their aggressive side, as well as vicious females. To further highlight this, researchers found that "the association between sexist play behavior at age 3.5 and physical aggression at age 13 did not differ between boys and girls" (Kung, Li, Golding, and Hines, 2017). Therefore, the main strengths..