1. Higher and Lower Order Factor Analyses of the Temperament in Middle Childhood Questionnaire.
- Author
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Kotelnikova, Yuliya, Olino, Thomas M., Klein, Daniel N., Mackrell, Sarah V. M., and Hayden, Elizabeth P.
- Subjects
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FACTOR analysis , *RESEARCH methodology , *PARENTS , *QUESTIONNAIRES , *TEMPERAMENT , *RESEARCH methodology evaluation , *CHILDREN - Abstract
The Temperament in Middle Childhood Questionnaire (TMCQ) is a widely used parent-report measure of temperament. However, neither its lower nor higher order structures has been tested via a bottom-up, empirically based approach. We conducted higher and lower order exploratory factor analyses (EFAs) of the TMCQ in a large (N = 654) sample of 9-year-olds. Item-level EFAs identified 92 items as suitable (i.e., with loadings ≥.40) for constructing lower order factors, only half of which resembled a TMCQ scale posited by the measure’s authors. Higher order EFAs of the lower order factors showed that a three-factor structure (Impulsivity/Negative Affectivity, Negative Affectivity, and Openness/Assertiveness) was the only admissible solution. Overall, many TMCQ items did not load well onto a lower order factor. In addition, only three factors, which did not show a clear resemblance to Rothbart’s four-factor model of temperament in middle childhood, were needed to account for the higher order structure of the TMCQ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2017
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