According to the social cognitive theory, children go trough a six-step plan when faced with a social situation. After the interaction, the steps taken and the outcome of the social situation are...Show moreAccording to the social cognitive theory, children go trough a six-step plan when faced with a social situation. After the interaction, the steps taken and the outcome of the social situation are evaluated. This evaluation now becomes part of the child’s so called social schemas, which can be used when facing a novel social situation in the future. However, children with externalizing problem behaviour inadequately use this six-step plan, resulting in the use of unfavourable schemas, leading to a wrong reaction in a social situation. For example, they misread the intentions of the other as hostile and react with an aggressive reaction. The aim of this study is to investigate which social cognitive skills children with externalizing behavioural problems use, how age plays a role in this, and whether social cognitive skills are predictive of behavioural problems. In total, 174 children with externalizing behavioural problems were included in this study; 84 children aged 6-10 years and 90 children aged 10-12 years. Results showed that older children have better control of social cognition than younger children (p<.001). Social cognition however, was not a significant predictor for externalizing behaviour problems in either the younger (p = .920) or older children (p = .778). In conclusion, our results were not in line with the social cognitive theory. However, in order to reduce the risks for adverse outcome in children with externalizing problem behaviour, such as the risk of criminal behaviour, it is important to investigate whether young children with externalizing behaviour problems lag behind on children without these problems. In addition, it is important to investigate which mechanisms underlie externalizing problem behaviour in order to optimally adapt early interventions to the needs of children.Show less
