A Brief Scale for Measuring “Behavioral Inhibition to the Unfamiliar” in Children

Authors: Brakel, Anna; Muris, Peter

Source: Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, Volume 28, Number 2, June 2006 , pp. 79-84(6)

Publisher: Springer

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Abstract:

The behavioral inhibition scale (BIS) is a brief rating scale for measuring behavioral inhibition in children. The present study examined the test-retest stability of the BIS in a sample of 7-12-year-olds consisting of inhibited and non-inhibited children (N = 83). Results demonstrated that the BIS scores were fairly stable over a 2-year period, with a test-retest correlation of .77. Further, the BIS scores of inhibited children significantly increased over the 2-year period, whereas those of the non-inhibited comparison group significantly decreased. Finally, the BIS was in a theoretically meaningful way associated with temperamental traits as measured by the Rothbart scales. Altogether, these results provide support for the reliability and validity of the BIS.

Keywords: behavioral inhibition; children; rating scale; temperament

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10862-006-7485-7

Affiliations: 1: Email: a.vanbrakel@dep.unimaas.nl

Publication date: 2006-06-01