Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

Test-retest reliability on the Q-Sort Inventory of Parenting Behaviors was obtained by using a sample of 30 mothers of 3-year-old children. The inventory consists of 72 statements, each of which describes a different parenting behavior and utilizes a forced-choice format. Mothers independently sorted the statements into nine ordered categories along a continuum from "most like me" to "least like me" and repeated the sort 2 weeks later.

Analysis of variance and Pearson product-moment correlations indicated that the within-subject correlation between first and second sorts was .72. Of this total variability, .37 was common to all mothers. This variability was probably engendered by variance in social desirability of the items. Of the variance, 35% was due to reliable differences among respondents in the profile of item responses.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Appelbaum, M. I. and McCall, R. B. (1983). Design and analysis in developmental psychology. In P. H. Mussen (Ed.), Handbook of child psychology: Vol 1, history, theory and methods (pp. 414-476). New York: John Wiley & Sons.

Burt, C. (1937). Correlations between persons. British Journal of Psychology, 28, 59-96.

Block, J. A. (1955). The difference between Q and R. Psychological Review, 62, 356-358.

Block, J. A. (1956). A comparison of the forced and unforced Q-sorting procedures. Educational And Psychological Measurement, 16, 481-493.

Block, J. A. (1957). A comparison between ipsative and normative ratings of personality. Abnormal & Social Psychology, 54, 50-54.

Block, J. A. (1978). The q-sort method in personality assessment and psychiatric research. Palo Alto: Consulting Psychologists Press.

Edwards, A. L. (1970). The measurement of personality traits by scales and inventories. New York: Holt, Rinehart, & Winston.

Kavanagh, M. , MacKinney, A. C. , and Wolins, L. (1971). Issues in managerial performance: Multitrate-multimethod analyses of ratings. Psychological Bulletin, 75, 34-49.

Kerlinger, F. N. (1973). Foundations of behavioral research (2nd ed). N.Y.: Holt, Rinehart, & Winston.

10.

Lawton, J. , Coleman, M. , Boger, R. , Pease, D. , Galejs, I. , Poresky, R. , and Looney, E. (1983). A Q-sort assessment of parents' beliefs about parenting in six midwestern states. Infant Mental Health Journal, 4, 344-351.

11.

Livson, N. H. , and Nichols, T. F. (1965). Discrimination and reliability in Q-sort personality descriptions. Journal of Abnormal & Social Psychology, 52, 159-165.

12.

Nunnally, J. C. (1978). Psychometric theory. New York: McGraw-Hill.

13.

Nunnally, J. C. (1982). The study of human change: Measurement, research strategies, & methods of analysis. In Wolman, B. B. (Ed.) Handbook of developmental psychology (pp. 133-148). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

14.

Radcliffe, J. A. (1963). Some properties of ipsative score matrices and their relevance for some current interest tests. Australian Journal of Psychology, 15, 1-11.

15.

Ross, J. (1963). The relation between test and person factors. Psychological Review, 70, 432-443.

16.

Stephenson, W. (1953). The study of behavior. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

17.

Thompson, B. (1980). Comparison of two strategies for collecting Q-sort data. Psychological Reports, 47, 547-551.

18.

Wolins, L. (1982). Research mistakes in the social and behavioral sciences. Ames, IA: The Iowa State University Press.

Reliability of the Q-Sort Inventory of Parenting Behaviors

Abstract

Get full access to this article

References