INTERACTIVE LINKS BETWEEN RELATIONAL AGGRESSION,THEORY OF MIND,AND MORAL DISENGAGEMENT AMONG EARLY ADOLESCENTS

The aim of this study was to investigate possible interactive links between theory of mind (ToM), moral disengagement and relational aggression, using a moderated mediation analysis, with gender as a moderator, in a sample of 120 Greek preadolescents. Results indicated that relational aggression was significantly positively associated with moral disengagement and negatively with ToM. Moderated mediation analyses indicated that boys with deficient ToM were more likely to morally disengage from their actions which in turn resulted in relational aggression, while poor ToM was directly linked to relational aggression only for preadolescent girls. Moral disengagement had a direct effect on relational aggression only for boys, while ToM was found to partially mediate the relationship between moral disengagement and relational aggression only for girls. The results emphasize that the co‐morbid effects of socio‐cognitive factors should be taken into consideration when relational aggression is explored.     

A longitudinal study of relations between outer-directedness and IQ changes in preschoolers.

The study was designed to determine whether outer-directedness, measured by glances at E during object assembly tasks administered according to the Turnure and Zigler (1964) procedure, predicts changes in preschoolers' Binet IQs over 6 months. With MA as a covariate to control for the small but significant relationship betweeen glances and developmental level, an ANOCOVA showed a significant interaction resulting from increases in the IQs of non-outer-directed Ss and declines in the IQs of outer-directed Ss. Glances at E's puzzle while S assembled his own were unrelated to glances at E or to IQ changes, but, unlike glances at E, were significantly related to improvements in performance from puzzle 1 to puzzle 2.