Development and validation of a Q-sort procedure to assess temperament and behavior in preschool-age children.
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.
Buckley
Maureen E
ME
State University of New York at Stony Brook, Psychology Department, Stony Brook, NY 11794-2500, USA. mbuckley@ic.sunysb.edu
Klein
Daniel N
DN
Durbin
C Emily
CE
Hayden
Elizabeth P
EP
Moerk
Kirstin C
KC
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*