Temperament was measured at ages four and eight months on a sample of infants representing the five Holingshead social classes. A typology very similar to the New York Longitudinal Study's "easy/difficult" axis was found in both age groups. No influences of social class and gender differences on temperament were found. (CI)

Carried out four experiments in which male and female undergraduates (N=384) completed the Beck Depression Inventory under conditions ranging from absolute anonymity to a face-to-face interview. Results showed no evidence that depression is more severe or common in females. Responses appeared essentially unaffected by method of administration.…

Self Directed Search (SDS) raw score and same-sex normed standard score codes were obtained on a sample of 16- to 18-year-old New Zealand high school students. The 59 boys and 59 girls who showed differences in the first letter of their codes rated the attractiveness of selected DOT job descriptions. (Author)

Used 112 adult patients from three psychiatric facilities to examine psychometric properties of Basic Personality Inventory scales. Found no differences across facilities; sex differences on some scales. Scales appeared to be internally consistent. Using clinical staff ratings as criteria, scales were found to possess both convergent and…

Thirty nine 11-year-old children were given the same unilateral word-naming task on two separate occasions. A test-retest reliability of .46 was a function of both reading ability and sex. (Author)

The Situation Scale for Adolescents, an extended version of the Imaginary Audience Scale, was administered to several hundred youngsters in the seventh, ninth, and twelfth grades. The scale, assessing self-consciousness in two types of social situations, proved to be reliable, but yielded confused results regarding age and sex differences.…

A longitudinal study of approximately 1,000 students aged 10-16 showed high stability of intelligence and creativity. Stability coefficients for intelligence were higher than those for creativity. Results supported the construct validity of creativity. (MH)

The structure of temperament over the ages 3 to 7 years was investigated through factor analysis of maternal ratings of 1,366 children on the Childhood Temperament Questionnaire (CTQ). Found four strong factors (inflexibility, sociability, persistence, and rhythmicity) and two weak ones (activity-mood and threshold). Discusses the strengths and…

The internal-external locus of control scales of Rotter and Levenson and the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale were completed by 156 undergraduates. The three-factor structure underlying Levenson's questionnaire was clearly confirmed. Some new evidence for the multidimensionality of Rotter's scale was also presented. (Author/GDC)

An investigation of worry and emotionality as different components of test anxiety is presented through a longitudinal study of subjects in grades 6 and 9. The study aimed at describing and explaining the development of school-related anxiety, dissatisfaction and the perceived learning environment. By confirmatory factor analysis with boys and…

The Rasch simple logistic model is used to examine the relative item parameter values of a personality inventory with respect to populations cross-classified by sex and country. While items conform to the model within each of the populations, half the items show significant discrepancies among the populations. (Author/RL)

This study used pedometry and the Children Activity Rating Scale (CARS) to investigate physical activity among 3- to 5-year-olds in Hong Kong preschools. Findings indicated that older children were more active than younger ones; boys were more active than girls. Older children in the rural school with larger outdoor play space were more active…

The Self Description Questionnaire II (SDQII) results from 901 Australian secondary school students were factor analyzed and the factors correlated to identify the relationship of self-concept factors to age, sex, and academic achievement. Findings supported the multidimensionality of self-concept and support the construct validity of the SDQII.…

The development of the Depression Proneness Rating Scale (DPRS) and three investigations into its reliability, validity, and factor structure are described. Subjects of all three studies were university undergraduates. The first study (n=100) found a stability coefficient of 0.82 for the DPRS over a test-retest (Time 1-Time 2) interval of 9 weeks.…

Used paired comparison to construct a reading preference inventory based on 14 reading themes drawn from previous research. Tested it using intermediate-grade children in three Canadian communities. (FL)