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Introduction. The most widely accepted theoretical and measurement model in personality study is the Big Five Personality Test, designed to measure five traits: Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism, and Openness. One of the most commonly used instruments for evaluating personality in children and adolescents is the BFQ-C. However, its applicability may be limited by its length. The short version of the test has shown stability across different cultures but there is no empirical evidence on its psychometric properties to enable it to be used in the Latin American context. Objective. This study seeks to validate the short version of the Big Five Questionnaire for Children (BFQ-C) in the Colombian population. Method. The questionnaire was administered to 844 adolescents (55% boys and 45% girls) aged between 11 and 16 (M = 13.55 and SD = 2.30). Seven possible models were obtained from a series of exploratory and confirmatory analyses to explain the factorial structure of the test, which were compared with each other to find the model with the best statistical fit. Results. The model with the best absolute fit coincided with the five-factor proposal of the scale, for which empirical evidence is provided for the universality of the Big Five model. The factors showed adequate levels of reliability. Discussion and conclusion. The short version of the BFQ-C has good psychometric properties in adolescents and constitutes a useful instrument for measuring personality in the Latin American context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined how subjective assessments of recollection guide decision making. Subjective recollection was dissociated from accuracy during a forced‐choice recognition task. Distracters were either similar to targets (match condition) or to other studied, but untested items (nonmatch condition). We assessed 223 participants (112 males) across three experiments (137 White, 37 Asian‐American, 7 African‐American, 4 American‐Indian, 32 mixed race, 6 undisclosed). In Experiment 1, 6‐ to 10‐year‐olds and adults (N = 119) were less accurate (d = 0.70), but more likely to claim subjective recollection and make memory selections in anticipation of a reward in the nonmatch condition (ds = 0.64–0.70). This pattern was eliminated in 6‐ to 7‐year‐olds when we limited the number of selections (Experiment 2, N = 52), but was replicated when we required the selections to be counted (Experiment 3, N = 52), underscoring the effects of decision complexity on children's self‐reflections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Praxis der Kinderpsychologie und Kinderpsychiatrie is the property of Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht GmbH & Co. KG and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Longstanding interest has been directed toward the etiology of sociopolitical attitudes. Personality traits have been posited as antecedents; however, most work addressing such links has been limited to cross-sectional study designs. The current study used data from two large (both Ns > 8,700), longitudinal cohorts of individuals from the United Kingdom who were parent-assessed on a measure of temperament (assessing anxiety, conduct problems, and hyperactivity) at age 5 or 7 years and on a range of sociopolitical attitudes at age 30 or 33 years. In both cohorts, higher levels of childhood conduct problems predicted higher levels of economic and political discontent in adulthood. These associations were still evident when controlling for sex, childhood intelligence, and parental social class. In both cohorts, this pathway was partially mediated by educational attainment and achieved social class. These findings are consistent with the perspective that early-life temperament gives rise to adult political sentiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental, psychological, and biological interactions underlie many psychopathologies. Tourette's Syndrome (TS) has an obvious biological substrate but environmental factors and personality play substantial roles in its expression. We aimed to study the interrelationships between stressful life events, personality traits, tics, and comorbid disorders in children with TS. To this end, 132 children with TS and 49 healthy controls were recruited for the study. Major life events in the 12-months prior to testing and minor life events in the month prior to testing were retrospectively assessed using the Life Experiences Survey (LES) and the Brief Adolescent Life Events Scale (BALES), respectively. Personality was assessed with the Junior Temperament and Character Inventory (JTCI). Tics, obsessive compulsive symptoms, attention deficit and hyperactivity symptoms, anxiety, depression and aggression were assessed by self-report questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. We found that major life events correlated with the severity of tics expression and complexity, and comorbid psychopathology. Minor life events correlated with more severe symptomatology. High levels of harm avoidance were related to more obsessions, anxiety, and depression whereas high levels of self-directedness were protective. To conclude, TS expression in childhood should be understood as the result of an interaction between biological, personality and environmental factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reports the psychometric properties of the Estonian short version of the Hierarchical Personality Inventory for Children (HiPIC), a measure for assessing children's personality traits according to the five-factor model. Personality traits of 2009 Estonian kindergarten and elementary school children (982 boys and 1027 girls) ranging from 2 to 11 years were rated by their primary caregivers. 1087 children were assessed twice, with about a 2-year interval. At the second time, parents additionally completed the Estonian Brief Big Five Inventory (EBBFI). The domain scales of the Estonian HiPIC demonstrated acceptable internal consistency, with alphas ranging from 0.73 to 0.84. Test-retest correlations over two years were moderate to high, ranging from 0.57 to 0.69 for domain scales. Factor congruence between the Estonian and the original Flemish version increased as children grew older. Convergent correlations of HiPIC and EBFFI ranged from 0.63 to 0.79 demonstrating a high level of correspondence between the two measures. Analyses of longitudinal changes and cross-sectional differences in mean levels revealed an increase in Benevolence and decreases in Extraversion and Emotional Stability with age. Thus, the Estonian version provided further support for the validity and reliability of the HiPIC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Parents' perceptions about their strategies to deal with children's anxiety have been minimally explored. Based on a mixed-method approach, the current study compared the strategies that parents said they use more frequently to deal with their child's anxious behaviors and the strategies they actually used during two mildly anxiogenic interactions with their child. Forty-two parents of children with anxiety disorders, aged 9-12 years, participated in the study. Semi-structured interviews were administered to identify parental perceptions about their strategies to deal with their children's anxiety. Subsequently dyadic interactions were observed and coded by two independent coders. We found discrepancies relating to four strategies. Significantly more parents used strategies based on overinvolvement and anxious behavior during the interactions than had been reported by them in the interviews. In contrast, reassurance and reinforcement of avoidance/dependence were used in interactions by fewer parents than would be expected, according to the interviews. Relevant implications for assessment and intervention with families of anxious children are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little research has examined the effect of subtypes of social withdrawal on the development of psychopathology across childhood. Parents of 493 children (220 females) completed a measure of their child’s conflicted shyness and social disinterest as well as the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) when their child was age 3, and again at age 6. When children were age 9, parents completed the CBCL. From 3 to 6, conflicted shyness predicted increases in anxiety symptoms in boys and girls, and predicted depressive symptoms in boys. From 6 to 9, social disinterest predicted increases in anxiety symptoms in girls and boys, and predicted increases in depressive symptoms in boys. In addition, in boys, conflicted shyness at age 6 predicted increases in externalizing symptoms at age 9. Conflicted shyness appears to be particularly problematic in early to middle childhood, while social disinterest appears to be more maladaptive in later childhood, with some differences by gender. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the consensus view is that Agreeableness originates from childhood difficultness and regulatory deficits, few studies have investigated such assumptions longitudinally. In this study, we examined this issue by assessing enduring and mediating effects of self-regulation as well as the impact of parenting behaviors on the development of Agreeableness from preschool to late adolescence. Longitudinal data from 965 Norwegian families following children from 1.5 years to 16.5 years were used. Path analyses revealed childhood difficultness at age 4 to be related to Agreeableness at age 16.5; this effect was mediated through emotion regulation in late childhood. However, such mediation effects were primarily found when parents used punitive practices towards their children. Our findings point to personality coherence throughout development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Impulsivity is commonly conflated with novelty seeking, but these traits are conceptually independent and hold different predictive implications. Using a multi-informant, longitudinal design, we examined childhood inhibitory control, as well as adolescent impulsivity and novelty seeking, as predictors of aggression in a sample of 976 twins. Lower childhood inhibitory control and higher adolescent impulsivity predicted both overt and relational aggression in regression analyses that accounted for sex, puberty status, age, and socioeconomic status. As predicted, novelty seeking did not predict aggression, a finding that supports its independence from impulsivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Can detection of highly stable individual differences in temperament in early childhood be enhanced using measures of resting heart rate (HR) and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA)? The current longitudinal study ( N = 216, 50% female; two to four years old) tested the statistical moderating effects of longitudinal change in resting HR and RSA on stability of mother-rated temperament. Children with the smallest decreases in resting HR and smallest increases in resting RSA had the most stable individual differences in effortful control. In contrast, those with the largest increases in resting RSA had the most stable individual differences in surgency. Including information on HR and RSA can be useful, though the effects depend on the trait and physiological indicator in question. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conscientiousness is related to a range of important life outcomes, so it is important to understand its development early in life. We examined how conscientiousness changes from late childhood through middle adolescence and what other psychosocial changes it co-occurs with. We developed and validated a conscientiousness scale for use in existing data. Then in a longitudinal study of participants at ages 10, 13, and 16 ( N = 90 at Time 1) we used growth curve modeling to examine how conscientiousness co-develops with academic, health, and relationship functioning. Mean levels of conscientiousness decreased from 10 to 13 and then increased to age 16. The later increase was stronger among females. Changes in conscientiousness were associated with adaptive changes in other variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study uses a prospective, longitudinal design and lifespan perspective to understand how child personality relates to directly observed adult behavior during cognitive testing. Teacher assessments of child Big Five personality in elementary school were correlated with directly observed behaviors during a videotaped cognitive test four decades later. Past work suggested Openness and Conscientiousness may relate to task-relevant academic behaviors. Childhood Openness was associated with several behaviors, even after controlling for participant’s cognitive performance. Childhood Conscientiousness was also related to behavior, but not as expected. Other Big Five ratings were not reliably related to behavior. The study examined personality stability in a unique way and suggests a further examination of how Openness in children manifests in later behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aggregate temperament scores were calculated across 17 studies for 18 countries. These scores were analyzed in relation to aggregate personality scores, cultural orientation, and allelic distribution reported in prior studies. Cross-culture patterns were largely consistent with those previously reported for personality: countries high on Surgency (SUR) were high on Extraversion, high Negative Affectivity (NEG) was consistent with Neuroticism, and Regulatory Capacity (RC) with Agreeableness. Regarding cultural orientation, aggregate SUR was associated with low Power Distance and Long-Term Orientation; NEG with low Individualism and high Masculinity and Uncertainty Avoidance; and RC with low Power Distance and Masculinity. Higher proportion of MAOA-uVNTR low expression alleles was associated with low SUR and low RC; and A118G G-form allele proportion with low RC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the degree to which toddlers’ observed emotional states, toddlers’ temperamental traits, and their interaction accounted for variance in mothers’ and fathers’ parenting. Main effects of two emotional states (positive emotion and negative emotion), three temperamental traits (negative affectivity, effortful control, and surgency) as well as state-by-trait interactions, were examined in relation to parental sensitivity, positive affect, and negative affect. The hypothesis that toddlers’ temperamental traits would moderate the association between their observed emotional states and parenting was partially supported. Significant state-by-trait interactions were found in models predicting the probability that mothers and fathers expressed negative affect toward their toddlers. For parental sensitivity and positive affect, only main effects of temperament and/or emotion expression accounted for variance in parenting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Middle childhood is a crucial juncture in the lifespan where children work toward achieving a sense of competence foundational for future development. However, middle childhood has historically been underrepresented in the personality literature. The current study provides a comprehensive examination of personality in middle childhood using a large (N = 2510), longitudinal sample of 10- to 12-year-old twins. The structure, heritability, and correlates of personality in this period were investigated using personality ratings of parents, teachers, and children. Results showed that personality in middle childhood has a coherent structure, is heritable, and is relevant for developmentally salient outcomes such as externalizing behavior, substance use, and academic engagement. Results emphasize the importance of investigating personality in middle childhood across multiple informants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Personality developmental studies typically rely on single reporter data, while multi-informant studies are rare. In two longitudinal studies, the present investigation examined inter-judge differences in the development of the Big Five personality traits from childhood to young adulthood. Study 1 investigated personality development as judged by the self and parents from age 12 to 17 to 29 ( N = 186). Study 2 investigated personality development annually from age 12 to 18 as judged by the self, and both parents and siblings ( N = 574). Results showed personality maturation from childhood to young adulthood with disruptions during adolescence. Only parent-reports indicated maturation in adolescents’ negative affectivity (decreases in N), while self-reports indicated maturation in self-regulatory traits (increases in A and C). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

No previous studies examined longitudinal associations between personality facets and identity dimensions in early and middle adolescence. To uncover these relationships, we test the direction of effects of domain- and facet-level personality traits with identity dimensions in early and middle adolescence. For this purpose, we used two annual waves of longitudinal data on 1233 Japanese early and middle adolescents. Cross-lagged models provided evidence for bidirectionality between personality and identity in early and middle adolescence. Moreover, our results highlighted that the relationships between the facets-level personality and identity dimensions were more complex than the associations between the domain-level of personality and identity dimensions. Our study facilitates a better understanding of the personality-identity interplay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on disorganized attachment has indicated that for children, adolescents, and in early adulthood, dissociative symptoms tend to be associated with disorganized attachment. Additionally, empirical evidence has supported theoretical models suggesting that childhood maltreatment and concurrent abuse exacerbate the effects of disorganization, interacting to enhance dissociative effects. This literature is developmental in nature and does not make use of a self-report measure of disorganized attachment for adults, making it difficult to determine whether similar relationships exist in adulthood. We fill this gap, demonstrating to social and personality psychologists that a self-report measure of disorganization replicates the results for a community sample of adults. We employ a Bayesian approach to analyze our data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the present study was to examine measurement invariance of the Greek translation of the Big Five Questionnaire for Children (BFQ-C) across different sex and age groups using multigroup confirmatory factor analysis with a sample of 1,103 Greek preadolescents. Results supported measurement invariance across sex. Evidence of configural and metric, but not scalar or strict invariance, was found across age. Implications for personality assessment with the Greek BFQ-C scale are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated how aggression resulting from playing violent computer games varies by gender and trait aggressiveness level. In Study 1, 220 children rated 2 video games in terms of pleasantness, excitement, violent content, violent images, fear, interest, and reality. Results indicated that Virtual Cop2 and Fight Landlord games were perceived as violent and nonviolent, respectively. In Study 2, 240 different children responded to the Buss–Perry Aggression Questionnaire, played either Virtual Cop2 or Fight Landlord, and completed a semantic classification task involving rating whether 60 words were aggressive or nonaggressive. Results showed that boys, but not girls, displayed stronger aggression after playing Virtual Cop2, compared to Fight Landlord. Further, children with high trait aggressiveness exhibited strong aggression after playing Virtual Cop2, whereas those with moderate or low trait aggressiveness did not. Overall, our results indicate that gender and trait aggressiveness both affect aggression among children who play violent video games. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sleep are all movement behaviors that range on a continuum from no or low movement, to high movement. Consistent associations between movement behaviors and adiposity indicators have been observed in school-age children. However, limited information exists in younger children. Since approximately 50 % of Canadian children ≤5 years of age attend non-parental care, movement behaviors within and outside of the child care setting are important to consider. Therefore, this study examined the association between movement behaviors (physical activity, sedentary behavior and sleep) inside and outside of child care, with body mass index (BMI) z-scores, among a sample of toddlers and preschoolers.Methods: Children aged 19-60 months (n = 100) from eight participating child care centers throughout Alberta, Canada participated. Movement behaviors inside child care were accelerometer-derived (light physical activity, moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA), sedentary time, and time spent in sedentary bouts lasting 1-4, 5-9, 10-14 and ≥15 min) and questionnaire-derived (daytime sleep). Movement behaviors outside of child care were questionnaire-derived (MVPA, screen and non-screen sedentary behavior, and nighttime sleep). Demographic information (child age, child sex, and parental education) was also questionnaire-derived. Height and weight were measured, and age- and sex-specific BMI z-scores were calculated using World Health Organization growth standards. The association between movement behaviors and BMI z-scores were examined using linear regression models.Results: Hours/day of sedentary bouts lasting 1-4 min (β =-0.8, 95 % CI:-1.5,-0.1) and nighttime sleep (β = 0.2, 95 % CI: 0.1, 0.4) were associated with BMI z-scores. However, after adjusting for demographics variables, sedentary bouts lasting 1-4 min (β =-0.7; 95 % CI:-1.5, 0.0) became borderline non-significant, while nighttime sleep (β = 0.2, 95 % CI: 0.1, 0.4) remained significant. No other movement behaviors inside/outside of child care were associated with BMI z-scores.Conclusions: All children must engage in some sedentary behavior in a day, but promoting the sedentary behavior in short bouts during child care may be important for the primary prevention of overweight and obesity. Future research is needed to understand the mechanisms between sleep and adiposity in this age group and to confirm these findings in large representative samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between perceived parental acceptance-rejection measured by The Child Parental Acceptance Rejection Questionnaire (PARQ), psychological adjustment measured by the Child Personality Assessment Questionnaire (PAQ), and executive function measured by the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) in a group of primary school children. The study was conducted with 59 fourth grade students selected from two low SES primary schools in Istanbul. High scores on the PAQ, which indicate impairment of an individual's psychological adjustment, were found to be related with many of the subtests of PARQ, suggesting that psychological adjustment is negatively influenced by perceived parent rejection. In relation to the total scores on the PARQ, a significant relation was found between the father form of the PARQ and perseverance scores and the number of errors on the WCST. Multiple regression analysis was computed in order to see the effects of WCST on the PAQ total scores, when PARQ mother and father scores were held constant. WCST error and WCST perseverance had a significant effect on total PAQ scores when PARQ mother and father scores were held constant. In a hierarchical regression model, when gender and father scores for the PARQ were held constant, WCST perseverance had a significant effect on the hostility aggression subtest and emotional instability subtest of the PAQ, suggesting perseverance is related to problems is psychological adjustment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study surveyed the expression areas of the Synthetic House-Tree-Person drawing test (S-HTP test, Mikami, 1995) for Japanese early adolescents. The S-HTP test is a projective method in which subjects are asked to draw a house, tree, and person. The expression area is defined as the area of each drawn item, such as the house, tree or person. The participants consisted of 186 Japanese junior high school students and their S-HTP drawings were analyzed using path analysis. The relationships between the expression areas of each item in the test and the students' personality traits were examined. The personality traits were measured using the Five-Factor Personality Inventory for Children (FFPC, Soga, 1999). The results show that personality traits of high conscientiousness were associated with larger houses (p < .10) and trees (p < .10). In addition, higher scores on openness to experience (p < .01) and on agreeableness (p < .05) correlate with bigger person figures as their size, whereas higher scores on neuroticism correlate with smaller figures as their size (p < .01). The findings also indicate that the total fitness of the model was sufficient (CFI = .984, RMSEA = .021). These findings may aid the development of useful criteria for future psychological assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Theodore Millon was one of the most influential personality theorists of the 20th century. His theory was originally rooted in biosocial learning models and later reconceptualized as an evolutionary model. This foundation of Millon's work encompasses the entire life span. He had a genuine concern for humankind, especially children. His theory encompasses a comprehensive understanding of the relationship among childhood experiences, parenting styles, and recurring events throughout the life span in shaping the personality. Notable contributions to child and adolescent assessment are the Millon Adolescent Personality Inventory (Millon, Green, & Meagher, 1982), the Millon Adolescent Clinical Inventory (Millon, Millon, & Davis, 1993), and the Millon Pre-Adolescent Clinical Inventory (M–PACI; Millon, Tringone, Millon, & Grossman, 2005). Given Millon's influence on the personality disorders section of theDiagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders(DSM), the aforementioned instruments have personality constructs tied to familiarDSMcategories, and among them, cover the age range of 9 to 18 years old. His development of the Millon Inventories revolutionized personality assessment in the United States and abroad. Millon's legacies will live on through his works and through the respect and compassion he demonstrated toward others. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study examined the effect of using a remote device, a Clicker, on the on-task behavior of middle school students with behavior problems. Five students with behavior problems participated in the study. A single-subject research design with ABAB (phase A: baseline 1, phase B: intervention 1, phase A: baseline 2, phase B: intervention 2) phases was used. During the baseline, students’ on-task behavior was recorded in both language and math classes. During the intervention, students were provided a Clicker to answer questions. The Clicker was withdrawn after 5 days of intervention, then returned to the students following the same procedures in the previous intervention. Results showed that students’ on-task behavior increased as well as their academic performance when Clickers were applied. A follow-up interview indicated that students were satisfied with the Clicker and preferred to use this device in class. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Links between current religious status and both childhood play style and adult personality (Five-Factor Model) were explored in a Canadian undergraduate sample. The lifelong religious reported being less open to experience, but more agreeable and conscientious, relative to apostates (who left their childhood faith for no faith), switchers (who migrated to a different faith), converts (who adopted faith since childhood), and the lifelong nonreligious. Relative to the two lifelong groups, apostates and switchers—and, to a lesser extent, converts—reported stronger interest and engrossment in pretend play involving props, peer collaborators, and/or imaginary characters, as well as less interest in organized sports. A childhood predilection for pretend play may function as a marker of greater ability and willingness to consider the implications of experiencing the self in different roles in an “as if” world. In turn, this predisposition may eventuate in a significant ideological shift in response to unmet cognitive and/or emotional needs, consistent with current understandings of religious change. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Building upon decades of research with the lifelong (nine-decade) Terman Life Cycle Study, we present a life pathway model for understanding human thriving that accounts for long-term individual difference in health and longevity, with a particular focus on child personality and adult social relationships. Developing data derived and supplemented from the Terman study ( N = 570 males, 451 females), we employed regression and survival analyses to test models of childhood personality predicting adult psychosocial factors (subjective well-being, family relationships, community involvement, subjective achievement, hardships) and subsequent longevity. Child personality differentially related to midlife social relationships, well-being, and hardships. Conscientiousness and good social relationships predicted longer life, whereas subjective well-being was unrelated to mortality risk. Examining multiple life factors across long time periods uncovers important pathways through which personality relates to premature mortality or longevity. Typical stress-and-illness models are untenable and should be replaced with life span trajectory approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines whether Big Five personality traits affect the extent to which a socially anxious child will be victimized. A total of 1814 children participated in the study (mean age = 11.99 years). Children completed self-reports and peer reports of victimization, which were aggregated, and self-reports of social anxiety and Big Five personality traits. A regression analysis was performed to study the moderating effect of personality traits on the relation between social anxiety and victimization. Socially anxious children scoring high on extraversion are less at risk for victimization than socially anxious children scoring low on extraversion. In addition, socially anxious boys scoring high on agreeableness were less at risk for victimization than socially anxious boys scoring low on agreeableness. Conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness to experience did not moderate the relation between social anxiety and victimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For many years, the effects of variability in the length of Rorschach records has been debated, and a new administration procedure aimed at reducing the proportion of short and long records has recently been introduced. Using an outpatient sample of children and adolescents, this study explored the impact of an early version of the Rorschach Performance Assessment System (R–PAS) administration, on the central tendencies of Rorschach variables. Specifically, the mean values of 51 variables in 142 Comprehensive System versus 99 R–PAS collected records were compared with each other. Results found comparable mean values across CS and R–PAS administration methods for the variables that guide interpretation with children and adolescents. Both methods produced a comparable number of long (> 27 responses) records. The only relevant difference that emerged is that the early R–PAS administration version yielded significantly fewer short (14–16 responses) records and lower variability in the number of responses. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background Personality is reliably associated with academic performance, but personality measurement in primary education can be problematic. Young children find it difficult to accurately self-rate personality, and dominant models of adult personality may be inappropriate for children. Aims This meta-analysis was conducted to determine the validity of the Five- Factor Model ( FFM) of personality for statistically predicting children's academic performance. Sample Literature search identified 12 reports, with cumulative sample sizes ranging from 4,382 (19 correlations) to 5,706 (23 correlations) for correlations with Emotional Stability and Conscientiousness respectively. Method Hunter- Schmidt random-effects meta-analysis was used, and moderators were tested using sample-weighted regression. Results When compared with self-rated measures, adult-rated Conscientiousness and Openness were more strongly correlated with academic performance, but adult-rated Agreeableness was less strongly correlated. Q-set-based assessments had lower validity, which appeared to explain moderating effects of rating source. Moderating effects were not found for age, year of education (grades 1-7), or language within which the study was conducted. Conclusions Conscientiousness and Openness had two of the strongest correlations with academic performance yet reported, comparable with previous meta-analytic correlations of academic performance with instructional quality, cognitive ability, and feedback. The FFM appears to be valid for educational research with children. Openness, which has no counterpart in models of children's temperament, should be further researched with children. Future research should examine the measurement of childhood personality, its relationship with intelligence, the extent to which it is malleable in primary education, and its causal relationship with academic performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Affect in Play Scale–Preschool (APS–P) and Affect in Play Scale–Preschool–Brief Rating (APS–P–BR) versions assess cognitive and affective play processes during a 5-min standardized play task. In this study, construct validity, external validity, and factor analyses for each scale were examined in 107 preschoolers. Reliability and validity were supported. Unlike results found with school-aged samples, positive affect loaded with the cognitive variables on factor analyses of the APS–P and APS–P–BR, suggesting that negative and undefined affect might represent a separate factor in preschool-aged children. Developmental significance and implications for use of the 2 scoring versions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In a manuscript entitled, 'Bashful boys and coy girls: A review of gender differences in childhood shyness' Doey et al. () suggest that shyness and its related constructs pose a greater developmental risk for boys compared to girls. They support this claim by citing empirical evidence suggesting that shy and anxiously withdrawn boys are responded to more negatively by important others (i.e., parents, peers, and teachers) and that the relationship between internalizing problems and anxious withdrawal is stronger for boys compared to girls. The principal aim of our commentary is to provide a critical examination of Doey et al.'s conclusions vis-à-vis gender differences in child and adolescent shyness. In this response, we begin by providing important theoretical background regarding shyness and its related constructs. Next, we critically examine the two main arguments the authors use in support of their conclusion through a review of existing empirical and theoretical work as well as the presentation of data from The Friendship Project. These data were analyzed with the specific purpose of providing an empirical test of the hypotheses implicit in Doey et al.'s primary arguments: 1) shy and anxiously withdrawn boys are responded to more negatively than girls and 2) the association between anxious withdrawal and internalizing problems is stronger for boys compared to girls. Our results indicate mixed support for these two claims. Finally, we conclude by suggesting new directions for future researchers interested in clarifying the relationship between gender and both the correlates and outcomes of childhood shyness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In our recent review article (Doey et al. ), we provided an overview and synthesis of the extant literature pertaining to gender differences in the prevalence and implications of childhood shyness. In response to this review, Sex Roles solicited three commentaries from noted experts in the field. This rebuttal is meant to briefly address some of the central themes raised in these commentaries. Our comments focus on the issues of parlance i.e., nomenclature, operationalization, and assessment, places (i.e., the importance of considering context), process (i.e., mechanisms that may underlie gender differences in shyness), and paradox (comparing gender differences in the prevalence of shyness versus internalizing problems). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Callous-unemotional (CU) traits have been shown to delineate a unique subgroup of children with severe and persistent conduct problems that seem to have unique etiological origins. However, commonly used measures of CU traits in children may not adequately capture the full range of these characteristics in a developmentally appropriate manner. As a result, the 24-item Inventory of Callous-Unemotional Traits (ICU; self-, parent-, and teacher-report versions; Frick, 2004) was recently developed as a more extensive assessment of CU traits. However, studies to date have focused almost exclusively on the self-report version ICU in adolescents and have identified problems with the factor structure of the measure. The current study is the 1st to examine the factor structure of the parent-report version ICU in a sample of 250 boys (ages 6-I 2 years) exhibiting significant conduct problems. Initial analyses indicated that factor models reported for the parent-report version of the ICU demonstrated a relatively poor fit to the data. Item response theory techniques were used to develop a more psychometrically sound and efficient short form of the ICU consisting of 2 factors (i.e., Callous and Uncaring) using 12 of the original 24 items. The revised version scores demonstrated high internal consistency, good discrimination across the continuum of the CU construct, and adequate short-term test-retest reliability. The revised measure total score also exhibited evidence of convergent and discriminant validity, although the subscales exhibited some differential correlations with theoretically meaningful constructs. Avenues for future measure refinement and use with children are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Child-rearing experts have long believed that praise is an effective means to help children with low self-esteem feel better about themselves. But should one praise these children for who they are, or for how they behave? Study 1 (N = 357) showed that adults are inclined to give children with low self-esteem more person praise (i.e., praise for personal qualities) but less process praise (i.e., praise for behavior) than they give children with high self-esteem. This inclination may backfire, however. Study 2 (N = 313; Mage = 10.4 years) showed that person praise, but not process praise, predisposes children, especially those with low self-esteem, to feel ashamed following failure. Consistent with attribution theory, person praise seems to make children attribute failure to the self. Together, these findings suggest that adults, by giving person praise, may foster in children with low self-esteem the very emotional vulnerability they are trying to prevent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The idea of our column has deep psychological implications, meant to reveal the importance of early education in order to develop a personality, talking here about the one received in the family, and continued with the scientific part given by the school. We want to say that during a man's evolution the most important and very difficult it is the education from the first years of life, and not necessarily the way in which you choose to do it: even if it seems very hard sometimes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined whether changes in children's self-reported Big Five dimensions are represented by (developmental) personality types, using a cohort-sequential design with three measurement occasions across 5 years (four cohorts, 9-12 years at T1; N = 523). Correlates of, and gender differences in, type membership were examined. Latent class growth modeling yielded three personality types: Resilients (highest initial levels on all Big Five), Overcontrollers (lowest Extraversion, Emotional Stability, Imagination), and Undercontrollers (lowest Benevolence, Conscientiousness). Gender differences in type membership were small. Warm parenting, but not overreactive discipline, in childhood was associated with type membership. The types differed in adjustment problems by the end of middle adolescence. Personality change more likely occurs at the level of dimensions within types than in type membership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the persistence of sleep problems over 18 months in 76 referred children with anxiety disorders and/or attention deficit hyperactivity disorders (ADHD) and 31 nonreferred controls, and explores predictors of sleep problems at follow-up (T2) in the referred children. Diagnoses were assessed at initial assessment (T1) using the semi-structured interview Kaufman Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia. Sleep problems were assessed using the Children's Sleep Habit Questionnaire at T1 and at T2. Persistence rate of total sleep problems in the clinical range was 72.4 % in referred children, and did not differ significantly between children with a T1 diagnosis of anxiety disorder (76.0 %), ADHD (70.6 %), anxiety disorder and ADHD (68.8 %) or nonreferred controls (50.0 %) The total sleep problems score at T1 significantly predicted the total sleep problems score at T2, whereas age, sex, parent education level and total number of life events did not. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Research suggests that children''s motivation to read is influenced by their level of reading skill and reading self-concept. However, it is possible that characteristics unrelated to reading, such as underlying personality characteristics, may also influence children''s motivation to read. The current study examined the extent to which children''s intrinsic reading motivation was predicted by their reading skill, reading self-concept, and personality characteristics. Two hundred and ninety five children (aged 10–11) completed questionnaires measuring reading motivation, reading self-concept, personality characteristics, and also completed a reading assessment. It was found that personality explained significant variance in intrinsic reading motivation after accounting for reading skill and reading self-concept. Furthermore, personality factors accounted for similar amounts of variance in intrinsic reading motivation as reading self-concept and skill. The implications for improving children''s motivation to read are discussed, in addition to the importance of tailoring educational and motivational strategies to individuals. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This study explored a longitudinal data set of nearly 5000 adults examining the effects of childhood cognitive ability (measured at age 11), parental social class (measured at birth), and personality on current occupational prestige (all measured at age 50), taking account the effects of education and the previous occupational levels (both measured at age 33). Participants'' levels of occupational attainment significantly went up from age 33 to age 50. Correlational analysis showed childhood cognitive ability, parental social class, education and occupation, and personality traits (openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, emotional stability) were all significantly associated with current occupational prestige. The strongest correlates of current occupational levels were educational qualifications, followed by childhood cognitive ability, parental social class, and personality traits. Structural equation modelling showed that for the change of occupation over 17years, the strongest predictor was education, followed by childhood intelligence. Personality traits (extraversion, conscientiousness, and openness) had modest but significant influence in the upgrading of occupational attainment over the period of time, and parental social status predicted occupational change mediated through education and initial occupational levels. Education and childhood intelligence are more powerful predictors of current occupational prestige than personality factors or family social background. The implications for policy making and equal opportunities for education are discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The paper analyzes challenges faced by parents and other educators striving for creation of optimal conditions for the realization of adaptation options during sensitive developmental periods. In childhood and juvenility it is necessary to acquire positive experience, which does not impair the natural emotional, mental, physical and social development of child's personality. The main challenges to educators are to create favourable conditions for this. Diverse and positive experiences that correspond to the developmental stage of a child, enable a young personality to recognize the situation and choose the most appropriate behaviour, which promotes emotional well-being. Thus, individual's readiness to successfully cope with personal crises and to positively adapt to the changes in society in later stages of development is nurtured. The child's learning process, which successfully started in the family, has to continue in pre-school education institutions as well. A major challenge to educators is to choose the right educational approach as early as birth of a child and to consistently observe this assessing the situation, which would lead to a balanced emotional, spiritual, physical, mental and social development of child's personality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]