DIStance-from-the PROtotype (DISPRO) personality assessment for children

We examined a children's version of Broughton's (1990) DISPRO (DIStance-From-the-PROtotype), a multidimensional scaling approach to personality assessment. In this system, a score on a given trait dimension is derived from a subject's judgment about his or her similarity to or distance from a prototype - a hypothetical character who acts in trait-consistent or prototypical ways. The DISPRO assessment model employs eight equidistant trait categories from Wiggins's (1979) interpersonal circumplex. In this study, 74 children (M age = 7.3 years) were told stories about four same-sex characters who performed prototypical acts from a single trait category randomly selected from the circumplex. Results show the structure of children's ratings is remarkably similar to that obtained from adults, but children's ratings show a developmental trend. A sample of younger children (M age = 6) provided a unidimensional solution along a "good-bad" or nurturance continuum. Analysis of an older sample (M age = 8.5) revealed use of the two dimensions of dominance and nurturance commonly found in adult solutions. Significant validity coefficients for parent and teacher criterion measures (average r = .40) and adequate test-retest reliability (average r(tt)= .78) were found. Benefits unique to DISPRO, such as its ease of use and standardization of trait stimuli, are discussed.