ABSTRACT
This chapter describes a large-scale cognitive-ecological intervention program aiming at reducing aggressive behavior among inner-city youth in Chicago. Until recently, few studies of the learning of aggression and violence have included consideration of the multiple contexts in which these behaviors are learned. These contexts include the classroom, school, peer group, family, and community. In working with inner-city children, understanding the community context is of particular relevance, because of the extreme environmental condi tions that often exist there. It is important that intervention programs with inner-city youth take into account the interaction between environmental hazards, such as poverty and exposure to violence, and personal risk factors, such as individual learning histories. Existing research suggests that the developing child leams cognitive scripts and information-processing techniques that are adaptive for the child’s environmental context, and that these, in turn, influence aggressive behavior.
