Semantic differential studies of children's language development: Some methodological problems

A semantic differential study of development of antonym meanings revealed methodological problems (e.g., concept-scale interaction and developmental changes in scale-checking style) not fully considered in previous semantic differential investigations of child language development. Twenty adjectives were rated on 10 scales by subjects from grades K to 5 (approximately 6 through 11 years old) and adults. Analyses by means, polarity ratings, and average sums of squared differences failed to yield consistent developmental trends. Subjects' choices of scale ratings did show clear age-related differences: Grades K and 1 chose extreme ratings almost exclusively; grades 2 through 4 showed an increase in neutral choices and decreases in extreme ratings; grades 4 and 5 and adults chose extreme ratings least often, neutral choices most often, and more intermediate ratings than any younger subjects. Results show that scale choice is a crucial factor in designing semantic differential studies with children, there is a low correlation between mean scores and ratings given by individual children, and shifts in scale-checking style should be considered when interpreting apparent developmental changes in children's semantic differential ratings.     

The Meaning of Rorschach Inkblots,Responses and Determinants as Perceived by Children

Fifteen semantic-differential scales were applied to the Rorschach inkblots, to nine common Rorschach responses representing various Rorschach determinants, and to two determinants not embodied in responses. Ss consisted of third, sixth, and ninth grade public school children separated by sex within each group. Children significantly differentiated the inkblots on the semantic scales, with older children differentiating the blots more sharply. Girls differentiated the blots at an earlier age than did boys. Individual cards differed widely in regard to their strongest connotations. Children significantly differentiated the majority of responses and determinants on the semantic scales for all age groups. The connotations of the cards, responses and determinants tended to be consistent with commonly held Rorschach interpretations. In general, the findings for children were consistent with the results previously reported for adults. The connotations of chromatic inkblots were found to differ significantly from those of achromatic blots for the third and ninth grades, but not for sixth grade children. Statistically significant clusters of meaning for three age groups of children were found to exist, based on the presence of movement determinants and on a combination of movement, shading and chromatic color. Only for the sixth and ninth grade girls did the semantic scales have a single hierarchy of importance for ordering or differentiating both inkblots and responses of determinants. A communality of connotative meaning between inkblots on the one hand, and responses and determinants commonly associated with the blots on the other, is found only for ninth grade children. Low intergroup agreement was found across grades in mean scale ranking for the inkblots, but high agreement in mean scale ranking of responses and determinants.     

The Factor Structure of MASC Youth Report in Norwegian School Children

Identifying children with symptoms of anxiety before they develop clinical disorders is important. The objective of our study was to examine the latent factor structure of the MASC (youth report version) in a large self-selected sample of school children in 4th to 6th grade, and examine if the measure had a comparable factor structure for gender and age. Gender and age differences in anxiety symptoms were also examined. Children (N?=?1686, 53.8% female) were recruited from schools during pretest of an ongoing randomized, controlled, indicative intervention. Latent variable modelling was used to determine the underlying concepts of the MASC. We found good model fit for the four-factor model, however some items on the Harm/Avoidance scale had low factor loadings. Invariance analysis indicated that the MASC had similar factor structure (comparable meaning) for boys and girls and for younger and older children in this sample. Girls scored significantly higher than boys on all subscales and on the Total Anxiety scale. Age differences were only found on the Separation Anxiety scale. Overall, the original four-factor structure of the MASC was confirmed within a large sample of school children and was invariant across gender and age. However, the Harm/avoidance scale warrants some attention. The MASC is a potentially useful measure to be used for screening purposes in a school setting.     

Differentiation of affective and denotative meaning systems and their influence in personality ratings.

The present study presents an empirical example of the dichotomy of affective and denotative meaning systems and their influence on individual differences in personality ratings. The three-mode factor analytic technique with a newly developed transformation methodology for the scale mode was applied to data collected by Hogenraad from 50 French-speaking Belgians, rating 40 personality concepts against 40 semantic differential scales. Results indicated that three affective dimensions (evaluation, potency, and activity) proved to be dominant in the indigenous factor structure of personality impressions and that three dimensions in the "other" space, orthogonal to affect, are clearly interpretable denotative semantic features of personalities. Three idealized individual differences on interactions of these two meaning systems with four concept factors were highlighted by the final rotated inner core matrix. The present methodology along with the semantic differential technique and three-mode factor analysis can be applied to various types of subjects and/or concept domains for better understanding of intra- and intercultural differences.     

THE STRUCTURE OF ATTITUDE TOWARD QUANTITATIVE CONCEPTS

The purpose of this study was to assess the dimensionality of attitude toward quantitative concepts. Subjects were 311 graduate students. The instrument employed was a semantic differential consisting of six quantitative concepts and 14 evaluative scales. The concepts were: Algebra, Statistics, Mathematics, Numbers, Calculations, and Formulas. An obliquely rotated principal factor analysis of the data yielded two categories of interpretable factors: (1) factors defined by all scales within one quantitative concept, and (2) factors defined by a sub-set of scales across quantitative concepts.     

A Study of the affective responses elicited by occupational stimuli

In this study the semantic differential was used to assess the properties of affect elicited by occupational stimuli. Vocationally committed men studying medicine (N = 119), business (N = 120), and engineering (N = 83) responded to a semantic differential containing occupational concepts representing the fields of medicine, business, engineering, the clergy, and law enforcement. A factor analysis of the data yielded a semantic space for all three groups composed of three orthogonal dimensions of affect called Evaluation, Activity, and Potency, in that order of salience. Tests of factorial similarity indicated that the semantic spaces of the three groups were virtually identical. It was concluded that occupational stimuli elicit Evaluative, Activity, and Potency responses, and that all three affective dimensions should be used when predicting occupational behavior.     

Confirmatory factor analysis of parents' and teachers' ratings of DSM-IV symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in a Spanish sample

Confirmatory factor analysis examined the factor structure of DSM IV Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder symptoms and analyzed the differences in informants' ratings of ADHD symptoms by children's age and sex. A sample of 1,018 Spanish school children, 574 girls and 444 boys, ages 4 to 12 years, was rated by teachers and parents. Confirmatory factor analysis showed a similar fit for the three-factor model of Inattention, Hyperactivity, and Impulsivity (teachers: CFI = .976, RMR = .041, % of total variance = 83.2; parents: CFI = .969, RMR = .037, % of total variance = 82.7) and for the two-factor model of Inattention and Hyperactivity Impulsivity (teachers: CFI = .958, RMR = .044, % of total variance = 79.3; parents: CFI = .961, RMR = .038, % of total variance, 79.9). The two-factor model was selected as a parsi monious representation of the teachers' and parents' ratings of ADHD symptoms. Analyses of variance indicated significant differences in teachers' and parents' mean ratings across sex and school grades of children.     

Stability over age and sex of children's responses to embedded figures test

240 children in Grades K to 4 were administered the entire Children's Embedded Figures Test to determine whether similar factor structures are obtained from samples of different sex and age as well as when the population is randomly split. Data were analyzed by principal axis factor analysis and relevant factor structures were compared using Veldman's 1967 program "Relate". There was one stable factor which was consistent across sex and accounted for about 19% of the variance. Results were inconsistent across grades and indicated a possible lack of agreement of factor structures.     

Intrinsic,identified, and controlled types of motivation for school subjects in young elementary school children

Background. There are two approaches to the differential examination of school motivation. The first is to examine motivation towards specific school subjects (between school subject differentiation). The second is to examine school motivation as a multidimensional concept that varies in terms of not only intensity but also quality (within school subject differentiation). These two differential approaches have led to important discoveries and provided a better understanding of student motivational dynamics. However, little research has combined these two approaches. Aims. This study examines young elementary students' motivations across school subjects (writing, reading, and maths) from the stance of self‐determination theory. First, we tested whether children self‐report different levels of intrinsic, identified, and controlled motivation towards specific school subjects. Second, we verified whether children self‐report differentiated types of motivation across school subjects. Sample. Participants were 425 French‐Canadian children (225 girls, 200 boys) from three elementary schools. Children were in Grades 1 (N=121), 2 (N=126), and 3 (N=178). Results. Results show that, for a given school subject, young elementary students self‐report different levels of intrinsic, identified, and controlled motivation. Results also indicate that children self‐report different levels of motivation types across school subjects. Our findings also show that most differentiation effects increase across grades. Some gender effects were also observed. Conclusion. These results highlight the importance of distinguishing among types of school motivation towards specific school subjects in the early elementary years.     

Construction and validation of a children's interpersonal trust belief scale

A scale was constructed to assess children's generalized trust beliefs (CGTB) in four target groups (mother, father, teacher and peer) with respect to three bases of trust: reliability, emotionality, and honesty. The CGTB Scale was administered to 145 Year 5 and 156 Year 6 children (mean age = 10 years, 1 month) residing in the English Midlands, United Kingdom. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses yielded evidence for the expected factor structure of the CGTB Scale. The total CGTB Scale and subscales demonstrated acceptable internal consistency and expected levels of stability across time. As support for validity, Year 6 participants' scores on the CGTB peer subscale were correlated with their trust beliefs in classmates, assessed a year earlier. As hypothesized, children's helpfulness to their classmates was correlated with the CGTB Scale and subscales. Girls displayed greater trust beliefs and helpfulness to classmates than did boys.     

Development and validation of adolescent-perceived microsystem scales: Social support,daily hassles,and involvement

Developed and validated instruments for urban and culturally diverse adolescents to assess their self-reported transactions with family, peer, school, and neighborhood microsystems for the constructs of social support, daily hassles, and involvement. The sample of 998 youth were from schools in three Eastern cities with high percentages of economically disadvantaged youth. Data were collected before and after the transition to junior high school or to senior high school. Blacks constituted 26%, whites 26%, and Latinos 37% of the sample. Factor analyses confirmed and enhanced the hypothesized four-factor microsystem factor structure for support, hassles, and involvement; internal consistency and stability coefficients were consistent with these structures. In general, the microsystem factors were common across gender, ethnicity, and age. However, when group differences did occur on these demographic variables, they tended to validate the salience of microsystem specificity. In contrast to the total scores, the microsystem-specific factors yielded more meaningful and differential information with regard to demographic differences and the mediating processes across a school transition.     

A reexamination of body build stereotypes

Using semantic differential and discriminant analysis techniques, the study sought to determine (a) the existence of body build stereotypes, (b) the extent of identification with these stereotypes, and (c) the effect of identification upon the child's self-evaluation. The subjects were 406 children in Grades four to eight from a midwestern community. All subjects were white and had predominantly middle-class backgrounds. Subjects completed the Piers-Harris Children's Self Concept Scale, semantic differential ratings of the Global self-concept, and the body build concepts of “SKINNY GIRL,” “FAT GIRL,” “SKINNY BOY,” and “FAT BOY,” and the situationally specific self-concepts of “MYSELF IN THE CLASSROOM,” “MYSELF AT LUNCH/RECESS,” and “MYSELF WHEN LOOKING IN A MIRROR,” Measures of weight and height were obtained using a standard weighing scale and wall chart. Fat child and skinny child stereotypes were found to be invariant across age and sex groups and did not appear to be gender specific. Actual fatness was found to be generally related to identification with the body build stereotypes, but not strongly so. Low self-esteem was a concomitant of identification with the fat child stereotype. The majority of children identified with the average child in all settings.     

儿童欺负行为的类型及其相关因素

本研究采用Olweus欺负问卷中文修订版对我国6471名中小学生进行调查,探讨了中小学生欺负行为的类型特点及其相关因素,结果发现:(1)在小学和初中阶段,直接言语欺负的发生率最高,其次是直接身体欺负,间接欺负的发生率最低。(2)小学和初中男生受直接身体欺负的比例显著高于女生,直接言语欺负没有显著的性别差异。(3)小学阶段三类欺负行为的发生率存在显著的年级差异,三年级儿童受直接身体欺负的比例极显著地高于四、五年级,受直接言语欺负的比例总体上随儿童年级升高而上升,受间接欺负的比例在2-4年级之间相对稳定,5年级出现极显著的下降;在初中阶段三类欺负行为的发生率相对稳定。(4)欺负者大多与受欺负者同龄或年长于受欺负者,初中学生的欺负呈现出明显的“团体化”特点。     

Parent Ratings of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms: Factor Structure and Normative Data

Changes in the diagnostic criteria for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have necessitated the creation of new measures for clinical assessment. The factor structure of a parent rating scale containing the 18 symptoms of ADHD was examined in this study. Factor analyses and assessment of differences in ADHD ratings across sex, age, and ethnic group were conducted using a sample of 4666 participants ranging in age from 4 to 20 years old who attended kindergarten through 12th grade in 22 school districts across the United States. Two factors (Inattention and Hyperactivity–Impulsivity) were derived and normative data for a nationally representative sample are presented. A higher frequency of ADHD symptoms was found for boys, younger children, and African-American participants. Potential uses of this scale in clinical practice and research are discussed.     

The school adjustment of South Asian immigrant children in the United States

This study examined the school adjustment process among South Asian children who had immigrated to the United States with their parents, and who had below-average grades. Both risk and protective factors for dropping out of school were explored in the context of the traditions, familial values, and social norms of South Asians. Data were collected from 75 parents and 75 children in separate semistructured interviews. Content analysis revealed three major themes: congruence of the parents' and school's views on the value of education, congruence of the parents' and children's beliefs that education is the tool to achieve goals, and determination of the children to achieve goals. The low level of proficiency in English was found to be a critical factor in low achievement and school failure. It was concluded that parental encouragement to succeed, in conjunction with teachers' efforts, can be used to facilitate children's school adjustment. Strategies for assisting immigrant children are discussed.     

Development of Component Skills in Reading Chinese

Development of three component skills in reading Chinese was examined in primary school children in Hong Kong. Feature analysis skills, syntax knowledge, and semantic analysis skills were found to differ in their contribution to reading proficiency at different grades. Visual processing skill was not at all a good predictor for reading proficiency, but the phonological access skill was important in predicting children's reading proficiency before grade three. It was an ineffective predictor beyond grade three. Skill in semantic analysis, on the other hand, was insignificant as a predictor at younger grades but it became an important predictor after grade two. Syntax knowledge was an important predictor of reading proficiency in the first grade and remained a significant predictor of reading proficiency right up to grade six. The present data support the idea that some preliminary component processes of reading may become automatic with increasing experience in reading and that this automatization of component processes will leave more resource capacity for higher-order analyses. Chinese reading shares much in common with English reading in terms of the component processes involved at different stages of reading proficiency.     

Selective adult age differences in an age-invariant multifactor model of declarative memory

Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test competing models of declarative memory. Data from middle-aged participants provided support for a model comprised of 2 2nd-order (episodic and semantic memory) and 4 1st-order (recall, recognition, fluency, and knowledge) factors. Extending this model across young-old and old-old participants established support for age invariance. Tests of group differences showed an age deficit in episodic memory that was more pronounced for recall than for recognition. For semantic memory, there was an increase in knowledge from middle to young-old age and thereafter a decrease. Overall, the results support the view that episodic memory is more age sensitive than semantic memory, but they also indicate that aging has differential effects within these 2 forms of memory.     

The end of the reading age: grade and age effects in early schooling

During the school years, psychological test norms may be indexed by age or by grade. A number of studies have shown that using age-based norms appears to produce biases associated with grade assignment. Cahan and Cohen [Child Dev. 60 (1989) 1239-1249] showed that the effect of one grade was over twice the effect of 1 year of age for most verbal cognitive ability subtests in Grades 4-6. A higher ratio might be expected for more curriculum-related areas such as reading tests. Analysis of a representative sample of 4257 Grade 1 and 2 children in Tasmanian government schools (which use relatively strict age assignment to grades) for three subtests of the Woodcock Reading Mastery Test—Revised (WRMTR): Word Identification, Word Attack, and Passage Comprehension, showed that the grade effect is about twice the age effect. This data shows that using age-based norms instead of grade-based norms for reading and other verbal ability tests may produce bias in the early school years. Psychologists should thus be primarily concerned with children's educational history, as once children have entered school other developmental factors indexed by age have less influence on children's verbal performance.     

A behavioral assessment scale for attention deficit disorder in brazilian children based on DSM-IIIR criteria

A teacher scale based on DSM-III-R diagnostic criteria for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was developed for the behavioral assessment of children in Brazil. A total of 2, 082 children (782 males and 1,300 females) with a mean age of 11.2 years who were attending a public school in the greater Rio de Janeiro area were the subjects of this study. Two factors (Hyperactivity-Impulsivity and Inattention) were extracted from a principal-factor analysis conducted on the data, and the factor structure of the scale was found to be stable. Ratings of boys were higher than ratings of girls, and younger children had higher ratings than older children for both factors. Test-retest reliability for each item of the scale ranged from .56 to .70. The data are discussed in view of current controversies in the factor structure of teacher ratings of DSM-III-R ADHD symptoms.This research was supported by FINEP (42.88.0138.00) and FUNPENE. GNOB is the recipient of a CNPq Research Career Development Award (30.0197/82). RCAP was supported by a CNPq fellowship (82.2151/87). The authors are grateful to Rosely V. Magalhaes and Angela S. Guedes for assistance in data analysis with the SAS and SPSS packages. The authors wish to thank the school staff and teachers who participated in the study. This work was presented at the Fifteenth European Conference of the International Neuropsychological Society, Portugal, 1993.