Reciprocal Relations across Time between Basic Values and Value-expressive Behaviors: A Longitudinal Study among Children

The current study examines the reciprocal relations between children's values and value‐expressive behavior over a sixth‐month period. Three hundred and ten sixth‐grade students in Italy completed value and value‐expressive behavior questionnaires three times in three‐month intervals during the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Social development (Oxford, England) England), 2016-08, Vol.25 (3), p.528-547
Main Authors: Vecchione, Michele, Döring, Anna K., Alessandri, Guido, Marsicano, Gilda, Bardi, Anat
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Behavior
behaviour
Behavioural changes
Child development
Child psychology
Children
Expressive behaviour
Longitudinal studies
Openness
Questionnaires
Selfenhancement
Selftranscendence
Transcendence
value-expressive
values
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Summary:The current study examines the reciprocal relations between children's values and value‐expressive behavior over a sixth‐month period. Three hundred and ten sixth‐grade students in Italy completed value and value‐expressive behavior questionnaires three times in three‐month intervals during the scholastic year. We assessed Schwartz's (1992) higher‐order values of conservation, openness to change, self‐enhancement, and self‐transcendence, as well as their respective expressive behaviors. Reciprocal relations over time between values and behaviors were examined using a cross‐lagged longitudinal design. Results showed that values and behaviors had reciprocal longitudinal effects on one another, after the stability of the variables was taken into account (i.e., values predicted change in behaviors, but also behaviors predicted change in values). Our findings also revealed that: (1) values were more stable over time than behaviors and (2) the longitudinal effect of values on behaviors tended to be stronger than the longitudinal effect of behaviors on values. Findings are discussed in light of the recent developmental literature on value change.
ISSN:0961-205X
1467-9507
DOI:10.1111/sode.12152