Introduction to the Peer-Nomination of Aggression Scale (PNAS)
The Peer-Nomination of Aggression Scale (PNAS) is a critical instrument in developmental psychology, designed to measure various facets of social behavior, with a primary focus on aggression, among children. Unlike many psychological tools that rely solely on self-reporting or teacher observations, the PNAS utilizes a peer nomination methodology. This approach is instrumental in capturing behaviors that might be concealed from adults, such as relational aggression or subtle forms of bullying, thereby providing a highly ecologically valid measure of a child's social reputation and behavioral frequency within their natural environment.
Developed through extensive longitudinal research, particularly by L. Rowell Huesmann and Leonard D. Eron, the PNAS has proven to be an invaluable tool in identifying children at risk for aggressive and antisocial behavior. Its utility extends across various settings, including schools, clinical assessments, and large-scale research projects, helping professionals assess behavioral intensity and frequency across several domains, including physical, verbal, and relational aggression. The scale is typically administered to children in grades 1 through 6.
The Purpose and Constructs Measured
The fundamental purpose of the PNAS is to quantify a child's social standing and behavioral profile across six distinct, yet interrelated, domains. The scale moves beyond a simple measure of aggression to provide a holistic view of the child's functioning within the peer group. The administration involves presenting students with a list of classmates and asking them to nominate peers corresponding to specific behavioral descriptions.
The scale taps into six core domains of social interaction and behavior:
- Aggression: This primary subscale measures overt and covert antisocial behaviors, including physical acts (pushing, fighting), verbal hostility (saying mean things), and relational aggression (lying to get others in trouble).
- Prosocial Behavior: This positive domain assesses constructive social interactions, such as sharing, helping others, and getting along well with peers.
- Popularity and Rejection: These scales capture the degree of social acceptance, identifying children whom peers actively seek out for friendships (Popularity) versus those who are actively disliked or excluded (Rejection).
- Victimization: This construct quantifies the extent to which a child is targeted, picked on, hit, or pushed by other children, providing insight into the child's role as a recipient of aggressive acts.
- Hyperactivity: This final domain measures behaviors indicative of restlessness or inattentiveness, such as wiggling in seats or frequently getting out of one's seat.
Administration and Scoring Methodology
The complete PNAS instrument consists of 24 descriptive items, which are typically read aloud to the participating children. For each item, students privately mark the names of classmates who fit the description. This method contrasts with standard self-report measures by gathering data on the child’s reputation and observed behavior from the perspective of their peers. Acceptable responses include nominating specific children, or marking "No Boy" or "No Girl."
The scoring is based on the proportion of nominations received for behaviors within each subscale. Specifically, the final score for any given subscale is calculated by summing the number of nominations a child receives for that domain and dividing by the total number of children who provided nominations. This results in a standardized score that ranges from 0 to 1. A score approaching 1.0 signifies that the child has been nominated on that behavioral domain by nearly every nominator, indicating an extremely high level of that behavior or reputation within the class.
For example, the Aggression scale score utilizes 10 specific items (e.g., "Who starts a fight over nothing?" or "Who says mean things?"). The Prosocial scale is calculated similarly, using 4 prosocial items (e.g., "Who likes to share with others?"). This proportional scoring method ensures comparability across different classroom sizes and provides a powerful, objective measure of social functioning.
Reliability and Established Validity
The PNAS is highly regarded in research for its robust psychometric properties. The scale’s methodology, relying on the consensus among peers, provides significant ecological validity, ensuring the measure accurately reflects real-world social functioning and observable behavior patterns in children.
Studies have consistently affirmed the construct validity of the PNAS by demonstrating theoretically expected correlations between high aggression scores and external measures of antisocial behavior, delinquency, and poor long-term outcomes. Furthermore, the instrument exhibits powerful predictive validity, proving capable of distinguishing between high-risk and low-risk individuals and forecasting the stability of aggressive behavior across developmental stages. This capacity to predict future aggressive behavior makes the PNAS a vital tool in preventative psychology and intervention planning.
Permissions and Foundational References
The Peer-Nomination of Aggression Scale is copyrighted material, reflecting its formal development and validation within academic research environments. Researchers and practitioners intending to use the scale must seek formal permission, particularly for large-scale or commercial applications. Permission requests should be directed to the primary contact: L. Rowell Huesmann, Ph.D., at the Research Center for Group Dynamics.
The foundational research supporting the PNAS is documented in several key publications, establishing its theoretical basis in social learning theory and the long-term study of aggression:
- Orpinas, Eron LD, Walder LO, Lefkowitz MM. Learning of aggression in children. Boston, MA: Little, Brown and Co., 1971.
- Huesmann LR, Eron LD, Lefkowitz MM, Walder LO. Stability of aggression over time and generations. Developmental Psychology 1984;20(6): 1120-1134.
- Huesmann LR, Eron LD, Guerra NG. Victimization and aggression. Philadelphia, PA: Society for Life History Research, 1992.
- Huesmann LR, Eron LD, Guerra NG, Crawshaw VB. Measuring children’s aggression with teachers’ predictions of peer-nominations. Psychological Assessment 1994;6(4):329-336.