Citation

Dirks MA, Treat TA, Weersing VR. Soc. Dev. 2010; 19(4): 736-757.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1467-9507.2009.00559.x

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Increasingly, theorists have suggested that social competence is an evaluative construct that will vary as a function of who is judging behavior. This study examined how two key groups in children's social environments—peers (N = 663, age range = 10.83–15.25 years) and teachers (N = 49)—rated the effectiveness of different behaviors generated by youth in response to physical, verbal, and relational provocation by peers. Results indicated that youth evaluated aggressive responses as more effective than teachers whereas teachers evaluated seeking an explanation as more effective than youth. Both groups judged responses combining assertive and aggressive elements to be more effective than ‘pure’ aggression. Implications for measurement and intervention models of social competence are discussed.