A study assessed the cross-cultural psychometric characteristics and validity of a multiple-gating screening procedure used by the Early Screening Project (ESP) to screen and identify 126 children at risk for behavioral problems in Head Start centers. Results indicate that the ESP was effective in identifying children exhibiting serious behavioral…

A study investigated Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) scores for 362 children (ages 4-18) served in long-term family foster care by the Casey Family Program. Findings indicate that substantial proportions of children entering Casey scored in the borderline clinical or clinical range on some problem behavior scales. (Contains extensive references.)…

Data are reported on the long-term (6-month) test-retest reliability of the Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale (BERS), which is a strength-based assessment instrument. Participants included 95 typical elementary students and 26 children at risk of having or having emotional or behavioral disorders. Moderate to high test-retest correlations were…

This column demonstrates how behavior rating scales or checklists are an inexpensive and potentially useful source of information. It shows how to make use of likelihood ratios to assess the likelihood of PBD in an individual case. Likelihood ratios are valuable because they may enable a clinician to take a legitimate shortcut and use an easier to…

Among the more recent personality assessment tools used by counseling psychologists is Millon's Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI). This instrument was created, in part, to reflect the changes that had occurred in psychologists' understanding of personality, psychopathology, and diagnostic assessment. The MCMI is derived from Millon's biosocial…

This article illustrates how a cluster analysis can be conducted, validated, and interpreted. Data normed for a behavioral assessment instrument with 14 scales on a nationally representative sample of U.S. school children were utilized. The discussion explores the similarity index, cluster method, cluster typology, cluster validity, cluster…

The concept of treatment/therapy with children exhibiting antisocial maladaptive behavior is analyzed. The process of assessing the individual and planning treatment in a multidisciplinary team setting is discussed. Suggestions are made for treating maladaptive behaviors or teaching adaptive behaviors, and guidelines (such as defining targeted…

This study attempted to refine the assessment of the effectance of four-year-old children through observation of their play. Two scales were developed; the first scale defined organization, involvement, and interpersonal responsiveness in play while the second operationally defined psychosexual content of play. The results confirmed the validity…

This study evaluated the Five P's (Parent/Professional Preschool Performance Profile) observational scale through which preschool teachers and parents evaluate the behavior of disabled or nondisabled children in natural settings while the children interact with familiar adults over prolonged periods of time. Developmental skills and interfering…

The System for the Classroom Observation of Teaching Strategies (SCOTS) is described. The schedule requires a higher level of inference by the observer than many researchers may find acceptable. The paper argues that inference can be controlled within acceptable limits and that issues of objectivity and subjectivity are very complex. The SCOTS…

The relationship between the Scales of Independent Behavior (SIB) and the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale (VABS) was investigated, with 53 children as subjects. Specifically, the study sought to examine the convergent and discriminant validities of the long forms of the SIB and the VABS and to ascertain the accuracy of classification of…

Techniques are proposed for informally assessing oral communication skills in learning disabled adolescents. A feedback sheet uses direct observation by the teacher while the self-rating scale uses an indirect form of observation by the student. Theoretical premises of the two measures are noted. The Communication Feedback Sheet is designed to…

The 3 studies described in this paper focused on the image of the child in television advertising directed toward children between the ages of 2 and 11. Using an analysis code containing 16 operationally-defined categories, the first study analyzed the behaviors of children depicted in 37 commercials for toys, food, and clothing from Saturday…

One of the most persistent problems in the use of projective techniques is the need to develop objective, reliable and valid scoring systems. The sample consisted of 100 college students enrolled in an introductory psychology course. Ss were administered the DAPIR along with an extensive biographical questionnaire. Additionally, Ss were rated by…

Male and female subjects evaluated a male after seeing a videotape of him with his girlfriend. The attractiveness and intelligence of the girlfriend was varied. A multivariate analysis of variance on 10 dependent measures showed the male to be evaluated more favorably when his partner was more attractive or more intelligent. Univariate analysis…