Social Information Processing, Emotions, and Aggression: Conceptual and Methodological Contributions of the Special Section Articles

• Published in: Journal of abnormal child psychology Vol. 38; no. 5; pp. 627 - 632
• Main Author: Arsenio, William F.
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Boston Springer US 01.07.2010; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescent Behavior - psychology; Adolescent Development; Adolescents; Aggression; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Child and School Psychology; Child Behavior - psychology; Child Development; Cognitive processes; Cues; Emotional Response; Emotions; Evaluation; Eye Movements; Eye Movements - physiology; Feedback (Response); Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Goals; Humans; Induction; Information Processing; Models, Psychological; Moral Development; Neurosciences; Preschool Children; Psychological Patterns; Psychology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Public Health; Researchers; Social attribution, perception and cognition; Social Cognition; Social information processing; Social Perception; Social psychology; Aggression; Emotions; Social information processing; Human; Preschool age; Affect affectivity; Methodology; Emotion emotionality; Review; Recommendation; Social cognition; School age; Adolescent; Information processing; Conceptualization; Critical study; Child
• ISSN: 0091-0627; 2730-7166; 1573-2835; 2730-7174
• DOI: 10.1007/s10802-010-9408-z

This discussion summarizes some of the key conceptual and methodological contributions of the four articles in this special section on social information processing (SIP) and aggression. One major contribution involves the new methodological tools these studies provide for future researchers. Eye-tracking and mood induction techniques will make it possible for SIP researchers to study attentional and emotion-related processes across the six SIP steps. In addition, the STEP-P instrument will open up the study of emotionally-charged aspects of preschoolers’ early SIP. A second contribution is how these articles emphasize the dynamic interplay of emotional and cognitive processes in the emergence of children’s and adolescents’ aggressive tendencies. Finally, implicit developmental themes are raised by several of these studies. Discussion concludes with suggestions for future research, including a focus on the positive (i.e., non-disruptive) role of emotions, and on the connections between moral development and aggression.