title: Development and validation of a Q-sort procedure to assess temperament and behavior in preschool-age children.
abstract: Few broad observational measures of preschool-age children's temperament and behavior currently exist. Studied the Child Temperament and Behavior Q-Set (CTBQ-Set) as a naturalistic observation measure to tap the major domains of temperament and behavior in preschoolers. Pairs of observers rated the behavior of a community sample of preschoolers during 2 independent home visits using q-sort methodology. The CTBQ-Set scales displayed good levels of internal consistency and convergent and discriminant content saturation. The scales displayed good interrater reliability at each observation and moderate test-retest stability between observations. The construct validity of the CTBQ-Set scales was supported by correlations with mothers' ratings of their children's behavior using the Child Behavior Checklist for 2- and 3-year-olds (CBCL/2-3) and the Children's Behavior Questionnaire. The CTBQ-Set shows promise as an observer-reated measure of preschoolers' behavior and temperament in their natural home environment.
authors.affiliation: State University of New York at Stony Brook, Psychology Department, Stony Brook, NY 11794-2500, USA. mbuckley@ic.sunysb.edu
authors.forename: Maureen E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Buckley
authors.forename: Daniel N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.forename: C Emily
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Durbin
authors.forename: Elizabeth P
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Hayden
authors.forename: Kirstin C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Moerk
mesh_terms: D002652:Child Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology; D011779:Q-Sort / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013694:Temperament / Q000502:physiology*