Studying Temperament via Construction of the Toddler Behavior Assessment Questionnaire

Abstract

The Toddler Behavior Assessment Questionnaire (TBAQ) was constructed by an iterative process of item generation intended to ensure content validity, by repeated item analyses focused on internal consistency and discriminant properties, and by scale revision. During the construction and initial validation processes reported in this article, data from 1,012 records were utilized. Internal consistency reliability estimates typically exceeded .80 for each scale. Evidence for convergent validity with other temperament questionnaires and for longitudinal stability was also obtained. Besides yielding a promising instrument, this assessment research has conceptual ramifications. For instance, components of negative affectivity (anger proneness and fearfulness) were independent, and item analyses suggested that shyness and other fears were independent as well. Consistent with most current views of temperament, the TBAQ temperament scales revealed some relationship and/or contextual specificity, as exemplified by the finding of only moderate parental agreement. The rank ordering on most temperament dimensions was impressively preserved from age 12 months, when the Infant Behavior Questionnaire (IBQ) was used, to age 18 months, when the TBAQ was used (especially when subtle differences between the IBQ and TBAQ were taken into account). Most of the analyses benefit from replication.

Homotypic and heterotypic continuity of fine‐grained temperament during infancy, toddlerhood, and early childhood

“…Because there is no apparent rationale for expecting gender differences in patterns of stability (Komsi et al, 2006), we did not conduct separate analyses for males and females. In addition, parent ratings of several dimensions assessed with these questionnaires increase with child age (Gartstein & Rothbart, 2003;Goldsmith, 1996;. To control for sex and age influences, these variables were residualized from all temperament scores prior to substantive analyses.…”

“…Our concerns regarding rater subjectivity were at least partially addressed in the IBQ-R and ECBQ, through utilization of items that ask only about recently occurring events, and inquiring about concrete child behaviours, rather than asking parents to make abstract or comparative judgments (Rothbart & Goldsmith, 1985). Also easing our concern, interparent agreement has been established for the IBQ-R, and ECBQ, (Gartstein & Rothbart, 2003;Rothbart et al, 2001 (Rothbart, 1981) and Toddler Behaviour Assessment Questionnaire (TBAQ; Goldsmith, 1996) on which the IBQ-R and ECBQ are based (Goldsmith & Rothbart, 1991), suggesting a substantial objective component to parent ratings.…”

Measurement of fine-grained aspects of toddler temperament: The Early Childhood Behavior Questionnaire

“…Although fine-grained instruments have been developed to assess temperament in infants (Gartstein & Rothbart, 2003) and older children (Rothbart, Ahadi, Hershey, & Fisher, 2001), an analogous instrument appropriate for use with children between the ages of 1 and 3 has not been made available. The current study describes the psychometric characteristics, factor structure, and demographic correlates of an instrument designed to fill this gap: the Early Childhood Behavior Questionnaire (ECBQ).The ECBQ was originally designed to supplement the Toddler Behavior Assessment Questionnaire (TBAQ; Goldsmith, 1996), a widely-used parent-report temperament questionnaire for young children. The TBAQ includes 108 items that address five aspects of temperament: Activity Level, Pleasure, Social Fearfulness, Anger Proneness, and Interest/ Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Sam Putnam, Department of Psychology, Bowdoin College, 6900 College Station, Brunswick, ME 04011.…”

Neurodevelopment after moderate hyperbilirubinemia at term

“…We calculated scales of temperament: activity level, pleasure level, falling reactivity and soothability, interest, anger, and sadness. The internal consistency reliability estimates of the scales exceed 0.8 (30).…”