Maite Garaigordobil

Effects of a Cooperative Game Program on Socio-affective Relations and Group Cooperation Capacity

This research studies the effects of a friendly and cooperative game-program on child socio-affective relations and group cooperation capacity, between ages 6 and 7. For this purpose 125 experimental subjects were compared with 53 control subjects, using a pretest-intervention-posttest design. The intervention consisted of 22 play sessions carried out during one academic year. Each session lasted between 60 and 90 minutes, in which 4 or 5 game activities took place. The 54 games in the program encouraged the children to take part, accept others, co-operate, and share as well as to develop their symbolic play and to enjoy themselves. Results show that the program induced the experimental subjects toward positive changes in the socio-affective relations within the groups, as well as group cooperation capacity.

Análisis correlacional y predictivo del autoconcepto con otros factores conductuales, cognitivos y emocionales de la personalidad durante la adolescencia

Resumen Este estudio analiza las relaciones del autoconcepto con una serie de factores de la personalidad. La muestra está constituidapor 174 sujetos adolescentes de 12 a 14 años. Para medir las variables (conductas sociales, problemas de conducta, empatía, relaciones intragrupo, creencias irracionales, ansiedad, impulsividad) se utilizan 12 instrumentos de evaluación. Los análisis correlacionales (Pearson) evidencian que los adolescentes con alto autoconcepto global, muestran muchas conductas de autocontrol, de liderazgo, prosociales, asertivas, autoasertividad, pocas conductas sociales de ansiedad-timidez, de retraimiento, buen nivel de adaptación social, pocos problemas (escolares, de retraimiento, psicopatológicos, psicosomáticos, de ansiedad), pocas creencias irracionales, bajo nivel de ansiedad estado-rasgo y de impulsividad, alta elección y poco rechazo como amigos y compañeros prosociales. El análisis de regresión múltiple permite identificar como variables predictoras de autoconcepto global muchas conductas sociales de autocontrol y prosociales, alto nivel de elección como amigo, buena adaptación social, pocas conductas sociales de ansiedad-timidez, baja ansiedadrasgo y pocos problemas de ansiedad y de retraimiento.

Intervention in Creativity With Children Aged 10 and 11 Years: Impact of a Play Program on Verbal and Graphic–Figural Creativity

ABSTRACT: This work presents the assessment results of a play program designed for stimulating creativity in children. The design used was quasiexperimental pretest intervention-posttest with control group. The sample used included 86 children aged 10 and 11 years, 54 experimental and 32 control, distributed in 4 groups. Before and after the program, 2 assessment methods were administered: 7 verbal and figural tasks from Torrances Tests of Creative Thinking and direct judgment by experts who assessed a creative product. The program consisted of a weekly 2-hr intervention session throughout the school year. The programs activities were intended to stimulate verbal, graphic–figural, constructive, and dramatic creativity. Results of the analyses of variance suggest a positive effect of the intervention, as the experimental participants significantly increased their verbal creativity (originality) and graphic–figural creativity (resistance to premature closure, originality, elaboration, creative performance). The program produced a significantly greater change in the experimental participants who showed a low level of creativity before the intervention. The effects of the program were similar in boys and girls.

Assessment of a Peer-Helping Game Program on Children's Development

Abstract This study examined the effects of a friendly and cooperative game program on child development in children ages 6 and 7. A pretest/intervention/posttest design was used with a sample of 125 experimental and 53 control subjects. Social behavior in the classroom, self-concept, and academic learning maturity were measured. Treatment consisted of 22 play sessions carried out over one academic year. The programs games encourage children to cooperate and share, as well as to develop symbolic play. Results of variance analyses suggest that the intervention stimulated significant improvement in social behavior in the classroom (increasing behaviors of leadership, cheerfulness, sensitivity, and respect, and decreasing aggressiveness, apathy and anxiety), and in some aptitudes for academic learning (verbal and numerical skills). Although self-concept scores also increased, this change was not significant.

Effects of a Psychological Intervention on Factors of Emotional Development During Adolescence1

Abstract: The aim of this research was to design a program of psychological intervention for adolescents and to assess its effects on factors of emotional development. The study used a pretest-intervention-posttest design with control groups and a sample of 174 subjects aged 12 to 14. There were 125 experimental subjects and 49 control subjects. Before and after the program, six instruments were administered to measure: empathy, anxiety, self-concept, image of classmates, and ability to analyze feelings. The intervention program applied to the experimental subjects consisted of one 2-h intervention session per week throughout an academic year. Two activities and their corresponding debates generally took place in each session. Each one of the 60 activities stimulates communication and friendly and cooperative interactions, and their objectives are to improve self-concept, promote identification, understanding and expression of emotions, and develop empathic feelings. Results suggest that the program had a...

Self-concept, Self-esteem, Personality Traits and Psychopathological Symptoms in Adolescents with and without Visual Impairment

The purpose of this study was to analyze self-concept, self-esteem, and other personality traits and psychopathological symptoms in subjects with and without visual impairment. The sample was made up of 90 participants aged 12 to 17: 61 with no impairment and 29 with visual impairment. The ANOVA showed that there were no significant differences in self-concept and self-esteem in the samples, but the visually impaired adolescents scored significantly higher in various psychopathological symptoms as well as in their capacity for kind behavior. The ANOVA revealed no gender differences in any variables in adolescents without visual impairment. However, women with visual impairment scored lower in self-esteem and higher in various psychopathological symptoms. Pearson coefficients revealed negative relations between self-concept/self-esteem and all the psychopathological symptoms, and neuroticism, as well as a positive relation with extraversion. Low psychoticism, high extraversion, and low hostility were identified as predictors of high self-concept.

Gender Differences in Socioemotional Factors During Adolescence and Effects of a Violence Prevention Program

PURPOSE The study had two aims: 1) to analyze the existence of gender differences in socioemotional developmental factors, and 2) to apply a program of education for peace and prevention of violence to determine whether the pretest-posttest change in socioemotional developmental factors differs as a function of gender. METHODS The sample comprised 285 adolescents, aged 15-16 years, including 162 experimental subjects and 123 control subjects. An experimental design of repeated pre-posttest measures with a control group was used, and four assessment instruments were administered. RESULTS Analyses of variance confirmed significantly higher scores in the female adolescents in cognitions of rejection of violence, prosocial cognitions, cooperative conflict solving, positive strategies for coping with violence, and positive social behaviors. Male adolescents obtained significantly higher scores in cognitions of acceptance of violence, aggressive conflict solving, aggressive strategies for coping with violence, and negative social behaviors. The pre-post change in most of the factors of socioemotional development assessed was similar in both sexes. CONCLUSIONS Results suggest the need to reflect on and modify the type of childrearing and socialization patterns that are promoted in males so that they will favor the development of skills oriented toward warm interpersonal relations, nonaggressive communication, positive social behaviors, internal control of anger, empathy, etc. Results also suggest including supplementary modules for males when designing interventions to prevent violence.

Cyberbullying in adolescents and youth in the Basque Country: prevalence of cybervictims, cyberaggressors, and cyberobservers

This study is based on current concern about peer violence. The main goal of the study was to identify the prevalence of cyberbullying in the Basque Country (northern Spain). The sample comprised 3026 participants aged between 12 and 18 years. The Cyberbullying Test was administered, using a descriptive and correlational design. The results show that 69.8% of the sample was involved in cyberbullying (suffered, seen, and/or performed it one or more times in the past year), 30.2% were cybervictims, 15.5% were cyberaggressors, and 65.1% were cyberobservers. The most prevalent behaviors were stealing someone’s password, anonymous frightening phone calls, sending offensive/insulting messages, and slandering by lying about someone in order to discredit. Positive correlations were found between cybervictimization, cyberaggression, and cyberobservation, and contingency analysis showed that only one-third of the cybervictims were cyberaggressors. The study provides precise information about the prevalence of cyberbullying in the Basque Country, and allows comparison of the information provided by all the roles involved (cybervictims, cyberaggressors, and cyberobservers). The study confirms the noteworthy prevalence of cyberbullying in the Basque Country, which is convergent with that found in other countries. The empirical evidence suggests the need for active prevention and intervention strategies from educational, family, community, and clinical-therapeutic settings.

The Effectiveness of Cyberprogram 2.0 on Conflict Resolution Strategies and Self-Esteem

PURPOSE In recent years, the problem of youth violence has been a cause of increasing concern for educational and mental health professionals worldwide. The main objective of the study was to evaluate experimentally the effects of an anti-bullying/cyberbullying program (Cyberprogram 2.0; Pirámide Publishing, Madrid, Spain) on conflict resolution strategies and self-esteem. METHODS A randomly selected sample of 176 Spanish adolescents aged 13-15 years (93 experimental, 83 control) was employed. The study used a repeated measures pretest-posttest design with a control group. Before and after the program (19 one-hour sessions), two assessment instruments were administered: the questionnaire for measuring conflict management message styles and the Rosenberg self-esteem scale. RESULTS The analyses of covariance of the posttest scores confirmed that the program stimulated an increase of cooperative conflict resolution strategies, a decrease in aggressive and avoidant strategies, and an increase of self-esteem. The change was similar in both sexes. CONCLUSIONS The study provides evidence of the effectiveness of Cyberprogram 2.0 to improve the capacity for conflict resolution and self-esteem. The discussion focuses on the importance of implementing programs to promote socioemotional development and to prevent violence.

Relaciones del sexismo con justificación de la violencia, y con otras formas de prejuicio como la dominancia social y el autoritarismo

Resumen El sexismo y la violencia son problemas graves en la sociedad actual. Por esta razón, el estudio analiza las relaciones entre sexismo y justificación de la violencia, autoritarismo de derechas y orientación a la dominancia social, identificando variables predictoras del sexismo y de la justificación de la violencia. La muestra incluye 2.867 participantes, 1.455 adolescentes de 11 a 17 años y sus progenitores (764 madres, 648 padres). Los análisis realizados confirmaron los siguientes resultados: 1) correlaciones positivas entre sexismo (hostil, benevolente, ambivalente, neosexismo) y justificación de la violencia (entre iguales, doméstica, contra minorías); 2) correlaciones negativas entre sexismo (hostil, neosexismo) y rechazo de la violencia; 3) correlaciones positivas del sexismo (hostil, benevolente, ambivalente), con autoritarismo y dominancia social; 4) Alto nivel de justificación de la violencia (doméstica, contra minorías, entre iguales) y ser chico fueron predictores de sexismo hostil; y alto nivel de justificación de la violencia (contra minorías, doméstica), y autoritarismo en la madre, de sexismo benevolente en los adolescentes; y 5) El sexismo de los adolescentes fue la variable predictora explicativa más relevante en la justificación de la violencia. La discusión se centra en la necesidad de implementar programas para fomentar la igualdad y prevenir la violencia.