title: Higher and Lower Order Factor Analyses of the Temperament in Middle Childhood Questionnaire.
abstract: The Temperament in Middle Childhood Questionnaire (TMCQ) is a widely used parent-report measure of temperament. However, neither its lower nor higher order structures has been tested via a bottom-up, empirically based approach. We conducted higher and lower order exploratory factor analyses (EFAs) of the TMCQ in a large ( N = 654) sample of 9-year-olds. Item-level EFAs identified 92 items as suitable (i.e., with loadings ≥.40) for constructing lower order factors, only half of which resembled a TMCQ scale posited by the measure's authors. Higher order EFAs of the lower order factors showed that a three-factor structure (Impulsivity/Negative Affectivity, Negative Affectivity, and Openness/Assertiveness) was the only admissible solution. Overall, many TMCQ items did not load well onto a lower order factor. In addition, only three factors, which did not show a clear resemblance to Rothbart's four-factor model of temperament in middle childhood, were needed to account for the higher order structure of the TMCQ.
authors.affiliation: 1 Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Yuliya
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kotelnikova
authors.affiliation: 2 Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Thomas M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Olino
authors.affiliation: 3 Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.affiliation: 1 Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Sarah V M
authors.initials: SVM
authors.lastname: Mackrell
authors.affiliation: 1 Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Elizabeth P
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Hayden
mesh_terms: D000067290:Behavior Rating Scale; D017028:Caregivers; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D003071:Cognition; D016208:Databases, Factual; D004644:Emotions; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009518:New York; D009864:Ontario; D011594:Psychometrics; D013694:Temperament
keywords: exploratory factor analysis; measurement invariance; middle childhood; temperament