Two statistical characteristics of the Matching Familiar Figures test which produce methodological problems in reflection-impulsivity research are discussed. (BRT)

Reviews 26 instruments developed to assess temperament at the infant, preschool, and school-age levels, giving particular attention to instrument content, standardization samples, reliability, and validity. It is concluded that, at present, no single psychometrically adequate instrument is available. Suggestions are made for future approaches to…

A laboratory analogue of naturalistic observation was used to examine the relationship of observer drift to instructional set and experimenter status. Results indicated a highly significant decrease in observer reliability coinciding with the shift from training to data collection. (ST)

Used computer simulations to examine effectiveness of different criteria for measuring infant visual habituation. Found that a criterion based on fitting a second-order polynomial regression function to looking-time data produced more accurate estimation of looking times and higher power for detecting novelty effects than did the traditional…

Findings suggested a reliability problem and raised a question of validity with the use of total response frequencies based on relatively unlimited free responses to the SCST-Form A. (Author)

In an attempt to evaluate the psychometric credibility of the Matching Familiar Figures Test (MFFT) as the operational measure of reflection-impulsivity, a study of the short-term (1 week) reliability of different versions of MFFT for boys and girls at kindergarten, second, and fifth grades was conducted. (Author/SB)

A 16-item self-report measure of loneliness and social dissatisfaction was developed to survey 506 third- through sixth-grade children. The measure was found to be internally reliable; more than 10 percent of subjects reported feelings of loneliness and social dissatisfaction; and children's feelings of loneliness were significantly related to…

Examines the reliability and validity of the scores of diverse informants from the Child's Report of Parental Behavior Inventory (CRPBI). Also considers the utility of aggregating scores of parental behavior derived from multiple observers. CRPBI items were adapted to obtain mother's, father's, sibling's, and subject's ratings of parental behavior…

Assesses age differences in the reliability of the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for children commissioned by the National Institute for Mental Health. The interview, covering a broad range of clinically relevant symptoms and behaviors, was administered to 242 children and their parents. Parent and child were interviewed separately and were…

This study examined whether item overlap, or measurement confounding, accounts for the correlation between temperament and behavior problem symptoms in children. Experts rated items on Children's Behavior Questionnaire and Preschool Behavior Questionnaire for their fit to both constructs, and then these items were factor analyzed with longitudinal…