The Effect of Child Gender on Parent Ratings of Temperament and Behavior

Parent ratings of their children play a significant role in the assessment process. However, past research on rating scales has focused largely on teacher ratings. Less frequent studies on parent rating scales have predominant!}' used mothers' ratings and omitted fathers' ratings. In addition, research comparing parent ratings have produced inconsistent results when describing effects of gender of the child and rater. In this study, parents of 35 three to five-year-old preschoolers rated their child on the Temperament Assessment Battery for Children: Parent Form (T AB-R) and the Conners Parent Rating Scales-48 (CPRS-48). Adequate reliability for mothers and father ratings were found on all but one factor (Psychosomatic factor on the CPRS-48). Results suggest significant moderate correlations between parent ratings across gender of the child. When analyzed separately for gender of the child, there were stronger correlations and a greater number of significant correlations for ratings of sons than for ratings of daughters. A series of 2 x 2 ANOVAs (gender of child x rater) for each factor of the TAB-R and the CPRS-48 yielded a significant main effect for gender of the child on the Activity factor (TAB-R) and on the Learning Problems, Anxiety and Hyperactivity Index factors (CPRS-48). No significant differences as a function of the rater were found. Results are discussed and recommendations for further study are noted.

Name thesis:degree_name

Education Specialist

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Department of Psychology

Year

1996

Author dc:creator

• Beck, Brent

• Education
• Psychology

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/894

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.wku.edu:theses-1897