Peer and self-rating: Children's perception of behavior relevant to hyperkinetic impulse disorder

Children answered a yes/no 50-item questionnaire on child behavior for each of 23 classroom peers. Cluster analysis of the data facilitated the organization of the items into six scales, each of which showed high internal consistency. The emergence of a cluster of items corresponding to the clinical concept of hyperkinetic impulse disorder was particularly clear, and the derived scale showed substantial convergent and discriminant validity when peer and self ratings were compared. This finding refutes the view that hyperactivity is merely a pejorative term used by adults about child behavior. Clusters describing clearly approved and disapproved behavior (Popular and Bully) did not show such validity. Crossvalidation of peer ratings against those of teachers and parents, on previously defined measures, was more limited. However, the higher correlation between peer and teacher ratings of behaviors relevant to hyperactivity than between peer and parent or teacher and parent ratings supports the view that hyperactiveinattentive behavior is determined interactively by the person and the situation, rather than being a context-general trait.This article is based on a paper presented to the 14th Annual Conference of the Australian Psychological Society, Hobart, Tasmania, August 1979. Preparation of the paper was supported by the Nuffield Foundation, England.