Parent–teacher agreement on 7‐Year‐old children's personality

Agreement between multiple informants on child personality has received limited attention. Focusing on factor structure, gender differences and the influence of socially desirable responding (SDR), we compared parent and teacher Big Five personality ratings of around 600 7‐year olds. Although parent ratings were more desirable than teacher ratings, differential agreement was generally similar to that found for adults, and especially high for ratings of boys. The more evaluative the personality item, the larger the mean‐level difference between parents and teachers on that item. However, undesirable items showed the highest levels of differential agreement. In parent ratings, the two poles of Agreeableness formed separate factors. To view Pro‐sociality as independent of Antagonism could enable parents to view their child more positively. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The many faces of assumed similarity in perceptions of personality

We propose that most coefficients of assumed similarity in acquaintance ratings are based on actual similarity between observer and target rather than any bias to project self onto other. We assessed assumed similarity, actual similarity, and rater accuracy in 62 university roommate dyads who rated each other on 74 personality-related variables. Our findings indicate that our roommates (a) were actually alike on many variables, (b) knew this, rather than assumed it, and (c) applied this knowledge to enhance the accuracy of their ratings. We outline a model of judgment that urges three distinct concepts: true assumed similarity, known similarity, and spurious similarity. We conclude that personality ratings among acquaintances reflecting true assumed similarity are probably rare.     

Differences between informants about type a,anger, and social support and the relationship with blood pressure

Abstract

In a study on the influence of different natural environments on self-perception and that of significant others, behavioral manifestations of Type A, Anger, and Social Support were assessed. It was hypothesized that due to different environmental demands, participants will be perceived as displaying differences in Type A behavior, anger, and social support at home and at work. Participants were 45 university employees, constituting a convenience sample. Assessment included Type A Structured Interview scores of participants and questionnaire scores for Type A, anger, and social support of participants who were also evaluated by their spouses and work supervisors. Other risk factors for coronary heart disease (i.e., blood pressure, smoking, previous heart condition, being sedentary, and family history) and their relationships with Type A, anger, and social support were also examined.

Participants and spouses agreed significantly on all measures, whereas participants and work supervisors agreed only on Type A behavior. Spouses' and work supervisors' evaluations of the participants' behavior were not or only marginally associated. Multiple regression analysis showed that the level of disagreement between the different informants with respect to Type A and social support were associated with elevated blood pressure. These results suggest that the perception of Vpe A behavior, anger, and social support may be situationally determined.     

Responsible Teenage Fatherhood in a South African Historically Disadvantaged Community

The study analysed the relationships between teacher ratings and standardised test scores in Reading and Mathematics for students receiving learning support for learning difficulties (n = 60, mean age= 16.3). Teacher ratings were found to significantly predict pupils' performance in Reading. Students with extended learning support had significantly higher teacher attainment ratings in both Reading and Mathematics. Teacher judgment ratings combined with standardized test scores were reliable for assessing instructional effectiveness. Standardised tests were more reliable than teacher ratings in assessing academic attainment.     

Diagnostic judgments as a function of client and therapist race

The purpose of the present investigation was to examine the process of differential evaluation of clients as a function of client and therapist race. It was hypothesized that race of client and therapist would interact, influencing the judgments of client psychopathology, appropriateness for therapy, verbal facility, and likelihood of treatment success despite standardization of the clinical stimuli. Graduate students in clinical psychology and with varying levels of training (i.e., 1 to 5 years) were asked to rate videotaped interviews of clients in which race of the client and level of psychopathology (i.e., normal, neurotic, and psychotic) were systematically varied. There were significant differences in ratings as a function of race of client, race of therapist, and level of psychopathology observed. Black clients were not rated differently on degree of psychopathology but were rated as less verbally skilled and less appropriate for treatment but more likely to benefit from treatment than white clients. Contrary to expectations, white therapists tended to underrate the pathology of black clients. On the other hand, black therapists tended to overrate the pathology of white clients and made mixed judgments of black clients. The implications of these findings are discussed.This study was supported in part by NIMH Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) Grant G12RR03206-2.     

A Typology of Teacher-Rated Child Behavior for a National U.S. Sample

The purpose of the current study was to build on the emerging effort to produce a meaningful typology of classroom behavior for elementary school age children. The Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC) Teacher Rating Scales for Children (TRS-C) norming data were collected for 1,227 six- to eleven-year-old children at 116 sites representing various regions of the United States. The TRS-C has 148 items that are rated by the teacher on a 4-point scale of frequency, ranging from Never to Almost always. The Ward method of cluster analysis was used to identify the initial centroids or cluster seeds. An iterative clustering method, a K-means procedure, was used to refine the Ward cluster solution. A seven-cluster solution was selected based on both rational and empirical considerations. The resulting clusters were named well-adapted, average, learning disorder, disruptive behavior disorder, physical complaints and worry, severe psychopathology, and mildly disruptive. The seven-cluster solution resembles those of Achenbach (1991), Curry and Thompson (1985), and other researchers. The resulting typology points the way toward future cluster studies of child psychopathology by delineating additional research and theoretical questions.     

Multidimensional successive categories scaling: A maximum likelihood method

A single-step maximum likelihood estimation procedure is developed for multidimensional scaling of dissimilarity data measured on rating scales. The procedure can fit the euclidian distance model to the data under various assumptions about category widths and under two distributional assumptions. The scoring algorithm for parameter estimation has been developed and implemented in the form of a computer program. Practical uses of the method are demonstrated with an emphasis on various advantages of the method as a statistical procedure.The research reported here was partly supported by Grant A6394 to the author by Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. Portions of this research were presented at the Psychometric Society meeting in Uppsala, Sweden, in June, 1978. MAXSCAL-2.1, a program to perform the computations discussed in this paper may be obtained from the author. Thanks are due to Jim Ramsay for his helpful comments.     

Teacher Ratings of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms in Hispanic Children

This study compared teacher's ratings of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in groups of nonreferred Hispanic and non-Hispanic White children via the Teacher Report Form, the Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Scales—IV, and the Conners Abbreviated Teacher Rating Scale. A total of 61 non-Hispanic White teachers completed behavior ratings of 61 Hispanic and non-Hispanic White children between 6 and 11 years old. Significant differences were found between boys and girls, with girls showing fewer behavior problems and fewer hyperactive/inattentive symptoms compared to boys. In addition, Hispanics scored similar or lower than non-Hispanic Whites on multiple subscales measuring symptomatology related to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and overall behavioral disorders. In no instance did Hispanic children score as more pathological than non-Hispanic White children. The need to consider the rater's ethnicity is discussed, and findings are explained in terms of childhood socialization patterns that might help to discern the behavior displayed by Hispanic children in classroom settings.