How maternal characteristics influence differences between mothers' and teachers' ratings of Type A behavior in black preschool children.

Abstract

Because of the increased use of reports of Type A behavior pattern (TABP) in preschool-age children, parents are sometimes asked to provide reports on their children in circumstances in which teachers' reports may be inappropriate or unavailable. This article contrasts mothers' and teachers' reports of TABP for 158 urban, black preschool children. Mothers provided self-reports of their own Type A behavior (FTAS). Mothers' scores were weakly correlated with teachers' scores and the FTAS reports. Mothers' reports of TABP for the children were significantly higher than those of the teachers. Reports of children's TABP by high-Type A mothers were significantly higher than reports by low-Type A mothers, whereas teachers' reports showed no difference between children of low- and high-TABP mothers. Results are discussed in terms of how some mothers may project personal characteristics onto their children and how the findings can be used in interpreting mothers' reports.