Ann H. Farrell

Relations Between Adolescent Ratings of Rothbart's Temperament Questionnaire and the HEXACO Personality Inventory

Conventionally, individual differences have been assessed using temperament measures for infants and children, and personality measures for adults. We chose to explore both temperament and personality to see whether a convergence exists specifically during adolescence. A sample of 225 adolescents completed Rothbarts Early Adolescent Temperament Questionnaire–Revised (EATQ–R), a 4-factor temperament scale, and the HEXACO Personality Inventory–Revised (HEXACO PI–R), a 6-factor personality scale. As hypothesized, we found significant relations between the 2 measures. However, there were some important differences between the 2 measures regarding Honesty–Humility, Openness, and Frustration that highlight the unique contributions of both instruments to understanding and measuring adolescent individual differences. As there is a relatively scant history of measuring temperament or personality in adolescence, it is sometimes difficult for researchers to decide which instrument is most appropriate. The results reported here suggest that either the EATQ–R or the HEXACO PI–R could be appropriate, depending on the specific research questions being asked.

Social Competition and Bullying: An Adaptive Socioecological Perspective

Bullying directly and negatively impacts millions of people across the globe each year. Bullying has traditionally been studied from perspectives other than social psychology, even though bullying is an inherently social behavior. We therefore suggest studying bullying using an adaptive ecological framework that highlights how individual and social factors interact to promote or influence bullying, particularly under conditions of high competition. Drawing inspiration from Bronfenbrenner’s (The ecology of human development: experiments by nature and design, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, 2009) socioecological theory, we examine individual facts as well as an expanding ring of social factors from the immediate environment, to the neighborhood, to the broader culture, to determine how and when bullying is influenced by various social factors, and how individuals respond adaptively to these social factors. We include data on animal bullying and social factors, as well as final conclusions and recommendations for future research.

Adolescent Bullying in Schools: An Evolutionary Perspective

Bullying is a common behavior that negatively impacts the lives of up to hundreds of millions of adolescents each year. Schools are a major venue for bullying behaviors that tend to peak during adolescence. To better understand bullying amongst adolescents in school settings we adopt an evolutionary viewpoint that highlights the forms and functions of bullying. We begin by defining bullying and from there review the evidence that shows these behaviors are adaptive in some contexts. We then explore how parents, teachers, peers, and schools influence the expression and potential costs and benefits of bullying. Particular attention is paid to the potential mismatch of the modern interactions between adolescents and these four social factors and ancestral versions of those interactions. Where possible, we make comments and recommendations regarding interventions in light of these interactions and the potentially adaptive nature of bullying.

Temperamental Differences and Classroom Incivility Exploring the Role of Individual Differences

Incivility involves rude, discourteous, and disrespectful attitudes and behaviours. The present study examined how various temperament traits were related to beliefs of classroom incivility among adolescents. The sample comprised of 222 adolescents (120 boys) between the ages of 12 and 17 (Mage = 14.07, SD = 1.54) who were recruited from various extracurricular clubs and sports teams in Southern Ontario. Both intentional and unintentional incivility were examined through separate hierarchical multiple regressions. Lower Effortful Control and lower Frustration significantly predicted unintentional incivility. In addition, lower Affiliation and lower Effortful Control significantly predicted intentional incivility. The results are discussed highlighting practical implications in educational settings, as well as suggestions for future research on incivility, given its potential associations with more negative antisocial behaviours. The results suggest that although there may be shared temperament traits of adolescents who take part in classroom incivility, a disposition for specific subtypes may differ based on the specific temperament characteristics of adolescents.

Measuring Adolescent Attitudes Toward Classroom Incivility Exploring Differences Between Intentional and Unintentional Incivility

The purpose of this study was to develop a scale that measures adolescents’ attitudes toward classroom incivility and determine whether items would reveal subscales. A sample of 549 adolescents between ages 11 and 18 (53.1% boys; Mage = 13.90, SD = 1.41) completed items written to measure attitudes toward classroom incivility. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used on one half of the randomly split sample and a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on the remainder. Results from both analyses suggested that two factors representing unintentional and intentional incivility might be the best factor solution. In addition, evidence for concurrent validity was found in correlations with four additional scales. Results suggest that attitudes toward classroom incivility are heterogeneous and that adolescence may be an important developmental period to address this construct. Future studies should continue psychometrically developing this scale and exploring this measure with additional antisocial beliefs and behaviors.