Social Information Processing Approach
Project Summary
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Project Title: |
Group Storytelling Intervention Based on Social Information Processing (SIP) Model to Reduce Reactive and Proactive Aggression in Young Schoolchildren |
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Duration: |
2018 - 2020 |
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Target Group: |
high-risk students in 15 primary schools |
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Project Objective: |
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Collaborators: |
Miss May WONG, May-kwan |
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Source of Funding: |
General Research Fund - Hong Kong Dollars 717,360 |
Theoretical Framework
Social Information Processing Based Group Storytelling Intervention
This study is pioneered to reduce reactive and proactive aggression in young children through a storytelling programme based on the Social Information Processing (SIP) model. Two subtypes of aggressive behaviour are found to be developed at a very early stage. Reactive aggression and proactive aggression have been observed in children as young as 4.4 and 6.8, respectively (Dodge, Lochman, Harnish, Bates, & Pettit, 1997), yet these young children have never previously been targeted in studies with a treatment or intervention design. If young aggressors miss the opportunity to receive treatment at an early developmental stage, their reactive and/or proactive aggression may escalate into severe, persistent and violent antisocial behaviour later in life (Dodge et al., 1997). Unlike the PI’s previous projects (e.g. Fung 2012a; Fung, Gerstein, Chan & Hutchison, 2013), which have been conducted with older schoolchildren (Primary (P.) 4 to Form 3), this research study will target children in lower forms in primary schools (P. 1 to P. 4).
It is documented and investigated an early intervention design to combat bullying and delinquency in schools and ultimately to reduce violence and crime in society. According to the SIP model, the encoding and interpretation of social cues (steps 1 and 2 of social information processing) are distorted in reactive aggressors, whereas proactive aggressors experience difficulties in identifying and evaluating responses to social information (steps 3 and 4) (Dodge & Crick, 1990). Reactive aggressors tend to exhibit a hostile attributional bias, anxiety, attention problems, impulsivity, rapid anger arousal and social-skill deficits (Dodge & Coie, 1987; Vitaro, Brendgen, & Tremblay, 2002). Proactive aggressors are characterised by a goal orientation, callous-unemotional traits, narcissism, delinquency, conduct disorder and anti-social personality traits (Dodge & Coie, 1987; Vitaro et al., 2002). By centring on corresponding steps in the SIP model, programme sessions are expected to promote behavioural changes when cognitive distortions are corrected.