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The measurement of difficult child behavior
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THE MEASUREMENT OF DIFFICULT CHILD BEHAVIOR David HacPhee Dept. of Psychology, Univ. of Denver Denver, Colorado 80208 Bidirectional models of socialization typically (a) individual differences in child behavior (temperament) and (b) individual differences in parents' standards for appropriate child behavior (goodness of fit). That is, the frequency or inten~ity of a given behavior may be difficult to one parent but not to another. We examined this theore~ically important yet empirically neglected concept. ~tress
600 mothers of 2-48 month olds completed a behavior checklist we developed. On the BeIC, the rater checks the degree to which 48 desirable and negative child behaviors are Frequent and Problematic. Additional questions ask about dyadic functioning. Disobedience and ~ coercive interactions cluster (r=.50 with each other) emerged from factor analyses of the BCIC. Fifty of the mothers also filled out a temperament questionnaire. The data show large age-related increases in difficult behavior, and that (a)· the goodness-of-fit model is appropriate for desirable and easily managed behaviors (e.g., dependency; pouts), but (b) mothers hold similar standards for disobedience. Also, the absence of socially desirable behaviors may be more problematic to parents than the presence of many aversive behaviors. Finally, the BCIC and temperament scale gave similar results, although the BCIC provided more information about stage-related child behavior. The results argue for the importance of a modified goodness-of-fit model, and for a shift in the way difficult child behavior is measured.
THE MEASUREMENT OF DIFFICULT CHILD BEHAVIOR David HacPhee Dept. of Psychology, Univ. of Denver Denver, Colorado 80208 Bidirectional models of socialization typically (a) individual differences in child behavior (temperament) and (b) individual differences in parents' standards for appropriate child behavior (goodness of fit). That is, the frequency or inten~ity of a given behavior may be difficult to one parent but not to another. We examined this theore~ically important yet empirically neglected concept. ~tress
600 mothers of 2-48 month olds completed a behavior checklist we developed. On the BeIC, the rater checks the degree to which 48 desirable and negative child behaviors are Frequent and Problematic. Additional questions ask about dyadic functioning. Disobedience and ~ coercive interactions cluster (r=.50 with each other) emerged from factor analyses of the BCIC. Fifty of the mothers also filled out a temperament questionnaire. The data show large age-related increases in difficult behavior, and that (a)· the goodness-of-fit model is appropriate for desirable and easily managed behaviors (e.g., dependency; pouts), but (b) mothers hold similar standards for disobedience. Also, the absence of socially desirable behaviors may be more problematic to parents than the presence of many aversive behaviors. Finally, the BCIC and temperament scale gave similar results, although the BCIC provided more information about stage-related child behavior. The results argue for the importance of a modified goodness-of-fit model, and for a shift in the way difficult child behavior is measured.