Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1990, 70, 225-226. O Perceptual and Motor Skills 1990
CONCEPTUAL TEMPO AND RESOLUTION O F SOCIAL CONFLICT BY CHILDREN ' WILLLAM N. BOYER AND DOUGLAS E. STRACHAN
Colorado State UniversiQ Summary.-Of 55 boys between 7 and 12 yr. old, 12 most reflective (on the Impulsivity score or conceptual tempo) chose an assertive alternative on the Social Reasoning Inventory more often than the 14 most impulsive boys. The observation replicates prior work but suggesrs conceptual tempo as a construct has unclear relevance to social reasoning.
Recent investigations (1, 5) have examined the relationship between social reasoning and conceptual tempo or reflection-impulsivity. These studies reported a tendency for reflective children to choose assertive and physically aggressive modes, while impulsive children chose yielding responses and appeals to authority. Such findings support the notion that reflective performance entails a more active problem-solving style, whereas impulsive performance results from a passive exploratory problem-solving strategy (7). The current study further examined the relationship between reflectionimpulsivity and preferred strategies for the resolution of social conflict situations. Fifty-five boys (ages 7 to 12 yr.) from a local parochial school were individually administered the Matching Familiar Figures Test (3), the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (4) and the Social Reasoning Inventory. The Social Reasoning Inventory (1, 2, 5 ) presents six different hypothetical conflict situations, and the subject is instructed to report what he would d o in a particular situation by choosing from six different types of behaviors presented two at a time (physical aggression, verbal aggression, assertiveness, yielding, leaving the field, appealing to authority). Testing was carried out in a single session and lasted approximately 1 hour. To identify conceptual tempo, a continuous univariate index, called an Impulsivity Score (6), was calculated for each child. Using cut-off scores of 5 - 1.0 and I + 1.0 to identify the most reflective (n = 12) and the most impulsive (n = 14) children, our results showed that reflectives (M = 4.49, SD = ,351) were more likely to choose the assertive alternative than impulsive~(M = 4.06, SD = ,672; t z 4 = -2.07, p < .05). No other differences were observed for any of the remaining five conflict resolution strategies ( p s > .05). Also, both age and verbal intelligence were independent of cognitive style and performance on the Social Reasoning Inventory ( p s > .05). 'Request reprints from W. N. Boyer, Deparrment of Psychology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, C O 80523.
226
D. E. STRACHAN & W. N. BOYER
Although the results of our study partially replicate previous findings ( 5 ) , they raise questions, as other published data (2) seem to have, about the over-all relevance of the conceptual tempo construct to the process of social reasoning. REFERENCES 1. BERNFELD, G. A. (1978) Social reasoning in reflective and impulsive children. Unpublished Master's thesis, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. 2. BERNFELD, G. A , , & PETERS,R. DEV. (1986) Social reasonin and social behavior in reflective and impulsive children. Journal of Clinical Child ~ s ~ c f o l o 15, g ~ ,221-226. 3 . CIURNS,E., & CAMMOCK,T. (1978) Development of a more reliable version of the Matching Families Figures Test. Developmental Psychology, 14, 555-560. 4. DUNN,L. M. (1965) The Peabody Picture Vocabulnry Test. Cirde Pines, M N : American Guidance Servlce. 5. PETERS,R. DEV., & BERNFELD, G. A . (1983) Reflection-impulsivity and social reasoning. Developmental Psychology, 19, 78-81. N. ., & WRIGHT, 6. SALKIND, J. C. (1977) The development of reflection-impulsivity and cognitive e ficienq: an integrated model. Human Development, 20, 377-387. 7. WRIGHT, C., & VLIETSTRA, A. G (1977) Reflection-im ulsivity and information processing rom t h e e to nine years of age In M. Fine Intervention with hyperactivity. Springfield, IL: Thomas.
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Accepted February 6, 1990.
(EX),
CONCEPTUAL TEMPO AND RESOLUTION O F SOCIAL CONFLICT BY CHILDREN ' WILLLAM N. BOYER AND DOUGLAS E. STRACHAN
Colorado State UniversiQ Summary.-Of 55 boys between 7 and 12 yr. old, 12 most reflective (on the Impulsivity score or conceptual tempo) chose an assertive alternative on the Social Reasoning Inventory more often than the 14 most impulsive boys. The observation replicates prior work but suggesrs conceptual tempo as a construct has unclear relevance to social reasoning.
Recent investigations (1, 5) have examined the relationship between social reasoning and conceptual tempo or reflection-impulsivity. These studies reported a tendency for reflective children to choose assertive and physically aggressive modes, while impulsive children chose yielding responses and appeals to authority. Such findings support the notion that reflective performance entails a more active problem-solving style, whereas impulsive performance results from a passive exploratory problem-solving strategy (7). The current study further examined the relationship between reflectionimpulsivity and preferred strategies for the resolution of social conflict situations. Fifty-five boys (ages 7 to 12 yr.) from a local parochial school were individually administered the Matching Familiar Figures Test (3), the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (4) and the Social Reasoning Inventory. The Social Reasoning Inventory (1, 2, 5 ) presents six different hypothetical conflict situations, and the subject is instructed to report what he would d o in a particular situation by choosing from six different types of behaviors presented two at a time (physical aggression, verbal aggression, assertiveness, yielding, leaving the field, appealing to authority). Testing was carried out in a single session and lasted approximately 1 hour. To identify conceptual tempo, a continuous univariate index, called an Impulsivity Score (6), was calculated for each child. Using cut-off scores of 5 - 1.0 and I + 1.0 to identify the most reflective (n = 12) and the most impulsive (n = 14) children, our results showed that reflectives (M = 4.49, SD = ,351) were more likely to choose the assertive alternative than impulsive~(M = 4.06, SD = ,672; t z 4 = -2.07, p < .05). No other differences were observed for any of the remaining five conflict resolution strategies ( p s > .05). Also, both age and verbal intelligence were independent of cognitive style and performance on the Social Reasoning Inventory ( p s > .05). 'Request reprints from W. N. Boyer, Deparrment of Psychology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, C O 80523.
226
D. E. STRACHAN & W. N. BOYER
Although the results of our study partially replicate previous findings ( 5 ) , they raise questions, as other published data (2) seem to have, about the over-all relevance of the conceptual tempo construct to the process of social reasoning. REFERENCES 1. BERNFELD, G. A. (1978) Social reasoning in reflective and impulsive children. Unpublished Master's thesis, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. 2. BERNFELD, G. A , , & PETERS,R. DEV. (1986) Social reasonin and social behavior in reflective and impulsive children. Journal of Clinical Child ~ s ~ c f o l o 15, g ~ ,221-226. 3 . CIURNS,E., & CAMMOCK,T. (1978) Development of a more reliable version of the Matching Families Figures Test. Developmental Psychology, 14, 555-560. 4. DUNN,L. M. (1965) The Peabody Picture Vocabulnry Test. Cirde Pines, M N : American Guidance Servlce. 5. PETERS,R. DEV., & BERNFELD, G. A . (1983) Reflection-impulsivity and social reasoning. Developmental Psychology, 19, 78-81. N. ., & WRIGHT, 6. SALKIND, J. C. (1977) The development of reflection-impulsivity and cognitive e ficienq: an integrated model. Human Development, 20, 377-387. 7. WRIGHT, C., & VLIETSTRA, A. G (1977) Reflection-im ulsivity and information processing rom t h e e to nine years of age In M. Fine Intervention with hyperactivity. Springfield, IL: Thomas.
(.
/
Accepted February 6, 1990.
(EX),
