Puppet Interview Research Articles

Children's genotypes interact with maternal responsive care in predicting children's competence: Diathesis–stress or differential susceptibility?

We examined Genotype × Environment (G × E) interactions between children's genotypes (the serotonin transporter linked promoter region [5-HTTLPR] gene) and maternal responsive care observed at 15, 25, 38, and 52 months on three aspects of children's competence at 67 months: academic skills and school engagement, social functioning with peers, and moral internalization that encompassed prosocial moral cognition and the moral self. Academic and social competence outcomes were reported by both parents, and moral internalization was observed in children's narratives elicited by hypothetical stories and in a puppet interview. Analyses revealed robust G × E interactions, such that children's genotype moderated the effects of maternal responsive care on all aspects of children's competence. Among children with a short 5-HTTLPR allele (ss/sl), those whose mothers were more responsive were significantly more competent than those whose mothers were less responsive. Responsiveness had no effect for children with two long alleles (ll). For academic and social competence, the G × E interactions resembled the diathesis-stress model: ss/sl children of unresponsive mothers had particularly unfavorable outcomes, but ss/sl children of responsive mothers had no worse outcomes than ll children. For moral internalization, the G × E interaction reflected the differential susceptibility model: whereas ss/sl children of unresponsive mothers again had particularly unfavorable outcomes, ss/sl children of responsive mothers had significantly better outcomes than ll children.

Children's conscience during toddler and preschool years, moral self, and a competent, adaptive developmental trajectory.

We investigated whether children's robust conscience, formed during early family socialization, promotes their future adaptive and competent functioning in expanded ecologies. We assessed two dimensions of conscience in young children (N = 100) at 25, 38, and 52 months in scripted laboratory contexts: internalization of their mothers' and fathers' rules, observed when the child was alone, and empathic concern toward each parent, observed in simulated distress paradigms. We also assessed the child's self-perception on moral dimensions (the moral self), using a puppet interview at 67 months. At 80 months, parents and teachers produced an overall measure of competent, adaptive functioning by rating children on multiple scales of competent, prosocial, rule-abiding behavior and antisocial behavior. As expected, children with histories of a stronger internalization of both parents' rules were more competent and better socialized; for maternal rules, that link was mediated by the child's moral self. The link between the child's history of empathy toward the mother and future socialization was also significant, but it was not mediated by the moral self. This study elucidates the roles of classic components of morality--moral conduct, affect, and self--as antecedents of an adaptive developmental trajectory from toddler to early school age.

Child and family characteristics as risk factors for peer victimization in kindergarten

The current study investigates whether children’s difficulties (symptoms, verbal ability) mediate the impact of family variables (emotional family environment, parental education level and foreign citizenship) on peer victimization. Teachers and parents completed questionnaires; children completed the Berkeley Puppet Interview and a verbal ability test at the ages of 5 and 6 (N=163). Results show that child and family characteristics independently of each other contribute to predict peer victimization. The higher are the level of conduct problems and emotional symptoms and the lower is the children’s verbal ability, the higher is the frequency of victimization experiences. Children from families with low education level present an increased risk of victimization.

Young children’s sibling relationship quality: distal and proximal correlates

Relationships within families are interdependent and related to distal environmental factors. Low socioeconomic status (SES) and high household chaos (distal factors) have been linked to less positive marital and parent-child relationships, but have not yet been examined with regard to young children's sibling relationships. The present study tested direct associations between these distal factors and sibling relationship quality, as well as examining parenting as a potential mediator and/or moderator. One hundred and eighteen families with children aged 4 to 8 years were interviewed and completed questionnaires during home visits. Children provided reports about the quality of their sibling relationships via a puppet interview, and mothers and fathers reported on household chaos and their exertion of harsh discipline. Researchers rated parental warmth towards the children. Finally, parental education and household density were assessed as indicators of SES. Using structural equation modelling (SEM), we found that lower levels of household chaos were related to better quality sibling relationships, and that this link was mediated by maternal warmth and paternal harsh discipline, as well as moderated by maternal harsh discipline. Household chaos was more strongly linked to relationship quality between family members than SES, warranting further research and practical application. The study of children's sibling relationships should take into account inter-relations between proximal and distal environmental factors to fully reveal the complexity of family life.

Maternal Differential Treatment and Child Adjustment: A Multi‐informant Approach

AbstractThe study aimed to replicate previous links with children's adjustment as well as using children's reports of maternal differential treatment (MDT) to test whether difference scores or favouritism scores demonstrate stronger links with child outcome. Finally, it tested for a unique prediction of children's adjustment from distinct aspects and informants of MDT. The sample consisted of 173 working‐ and middle‐class English families with two children aged four to eight years. Mothers provided reports of the mother–child relationship, and both mothers and fathers provided reports of the children's problematic behaviour. The children also provided reports of parent–child relationships and perceived favouritism via a puppet interview. Results confirmed moderate links between MDT and children's adjustment and showed that difference scores provided a better prediction of adjustment than did the favouritism scores. Finally, the results showed that mothers' reports of differential positive feelings were the most salient aspect of MDT for older siblings whereas mothers' reports of negative feelings and positive discipline were the most salient aspects of MDT for younger siblings.

Young children's motivational beliefs about learning science

Abstract For learning science, motivational beliefs such as confidence in one's science abilities and liking of science are associated with current and future science achievement, as well as continued interest in science classes and careers. However, there are currently no measures to test young children's motivational beliefs related to science learning. To meet this need, we developed the Puppet Interview Scales of Competence in and Enjoyment of Science (PISCES). We piloted PISCES with 113 kindergarten children in public schools participating in the Scientific Literacy Project (SLP). Factor analysis supported the multidimensional structure of young children's self-related beliefs about learning science. PISCES scales measured Science Liking, Science Competence, and Ease of Science Learning. Correlations among PISCES scales and achievement subtests provided evidence of PISCES's validity. Children's motivational beliefs varied as a function of length of time spent learning science, with competence beliefs associated positively with science experience. There were no gender differences.

Assessing Internalizing, Externalizing, and Attention Problems in Young Children: Validation of the MacArthur HBQ

To test the validity of the MacArthur Health and Behavior Questionnaire (HBQ) using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis to determine optimal thresholds for the HBQ in predicting Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children Version-IV (DISC-IV) diagnoses. The roles of child sex, level of impairment, and physical health in understanding of psychopathology were also considered. A sample of 814 8-year-old twin children was recruited from birth records. Mothers were interviewed over the telephone using the HBQ and were also interviewed in person using the DISC-IV. Fathers also completed the HBQ; children completed the parallel module of the Berkeley Puppet Interview. The HBQ identified more cases overall than the DISC-IV. Sex did not contribute to prediction of diagnosis. Impairment, DISC-IV symptom counts, father HBQ, child Berkeley Puppet Interview, and physical health significantly distinguished the HBQ low and high symptom groups. The HBQ is a valid new screening measure of psychopathology for use with children under 9 years of age. It is sensitive to internalizing disorders, which may aid the understanding of depression and anxiety disorders that are often underappreciated in young children.

Preschool Children's Social Understanding: A Pilot Study of Goals and Strategies during Conflict Situations

This pilot study tested a new enactive measure of social information-processing skills and investigated whether preschool children's goals were related to their strategies during hypothetical conflict situations. Children (13 boys, 12 girls) ages 3 to 6 years (three 3-yr.-olds, three 4-yr.-olds, 11 5-yr.-olds, and eight 6-yr.-olds) engaged in a puppet interview of six hypothetical situations. Significant correlations were found between goals and strategies of the adapted version of Chung and Asher's Children's Conflict Resolution Measure, suggesting that preschool children who endorsed friendship goals tended to select more prosocial strategies (.41). Children who endorsed more retaliation goals tended to select more hostile strategies (.67) but fewer prosocial strategies (-.41), and children who endorsed more avoidance goals tended to select more adult-seeking strategies (.45).

Associations between family relationships and symptoms/strengths at kindergarten age: what is the role of children's parental representations?

The quality of the family relationships plays an important role in the development of children's psychopathology and in their socio-emotional development. This longitudinal study aims to investigate whether family relationships are related to children's symptoms/strengths at kindergarten, and whether family relationships are predictors of changes in children's symptoms/strengths between 5 and 6. Our main interest is to examine the role of children's parental representations. One hundred and fifty-three kindergarten children (67 girls, 86 boys) participated in this study. Children's parental representations were assessed using a story stem task (age 5). The family environment was assessed using parents' ratings (age 5). A multi-informant approach (parent, teacher, child) was employed to assess children's symptoms/strengths at 5 and 6. Children were interviewed using a standardised puppet interview. Parents and teachers completed questionnaires. Children's parental representations as well as the family environment were associated with children's symptoms/strengths at 5 and 6. When controlled for gender, children's representations were the only predictor of changes in symptoms/strengths between 5 and 6. A large number of negative parental representations at 5 predicted an increase in conduct problems. A large number of positive parental representations at 5 predicted an increase in pro-social behaviour. In terms of emotional symptoms and hyperactivity/inattention, symptoms at 5 were the only predictor for symptoms one year later. Our results suggest that kindergarten children's narrative representations may elaborate the processes underlying the expression of child disturbance and strengths, and underline the relevance of the play and narration of young children for diagnostics and therapy.

Preschoolers’ Contribution to their Diagnosis of Depression and Anxiety: Uses and Limitations of Young Child Self-Report of Symptoms

The assessment of psychopathology in preschool aged children has traditionally relied exclusively on adult informants as children under 6 years-of-age have been widely regarded as developmentally unable to serve as valid reporters of their own mental state. Based on the finding of a valid preschool depressive syndrome, methods to obtain self-report of symptoms of depression and related anxiety directly from the child are now needed. The Berkeley Puppet Interview (BPI), a novel measure of psychopathology designed for the young child informant, was administered to N = 110 preschool study subjects aged 4.0-5.6 who participated in a comprehensive assessment of preschool depression. Parents filled out the Child Behavioral Checklists (CBCL) and the diagnosis was derived using parent report on the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for children, version IV (DISC-IV-YC) at baseline and 6 months later. Findings suggest that young children may serve as useful reporters of several core and basic symptoms of depression and anxiety based on significant correlations with a variety of parent report measures administered concurrently and 6 months later. However, no significant correlations were found between preschool reports of more complex or abstract symptoms. These findings taken together suggest that the young child can validly self-report on some key aspects of depression and anxiety and that self-report of young children should be sought in these domains. Findings also suggested that these self-reports are limited to the core and basic symptoms of these disorders and that direct age appropriate approaches may not be useful beyond that domain.

Maternal emotion framing and children’s social behavior: the role of children’s feelings and beliefs about peers

Children’s feelings and beliefs about peer relationships were examined as a possible mediator between mothers’ positive and negative emotional framing and children’s (n = 46) behavior with peers. Mothers’ emotion framing was assessed as they and their young children read a picture book depicting emotionally‐laden content, but no printed text. Feelings and beliefs about self and peers were assessed during a puppet interview focusing on beliefs about self and peers. Teachers rated children’s aggressive, competent and withdrawn behavior. Mothers’ emotion framing was significantly associated with children’s cognitive representations of self and peers (r = 0.35 and −0.44, both p < 0.01, for positive and negative emotional framing, respectively) and with withdrawn social behavior (r = −0.39 and 0.41, p < 0.01 for positive and negative framing, respectively). Findings suggest that children’s beliefs about self and peers may mediate the association between mothers’ emotion framing and children’s withdrawn behavior.

Theory of Mind, Self‐worth and the Mother–Child Relationship

AbstractWe tested the hypothesis that mother–child warmth and responsiveness would moderate the link between young children's theory of mind skills and self‐worth. Participants included 125 same‐sex pairs of 3.5 year‐old twins and their mothers. A battery of tests was individually administered to measure the children's theory of mind skills and verbal intelligence, and their self‐reported self‐worth was assessed using a puppet interview. Following visits to the families' homes, the observers completed ratings of warm responsive mother–child behavior based on videotaped unstructured and structured observations. As expected, warm responsive behavior moderated the relation between their theory of mind and the child's self‐worth. Their theory of mind was positively associated with self‐worth in warm responsive mother–child dyads, and there was weaker evidence that their theory of mind may be negatively associated with self‐worth in less warm, unresponsive mother–child dyads.

Pathways of behavioural and emotional symptoms in kindergarten children: What is the role of pro-social behaviour?

The study investigated the predictive value of pro-social behaviour for developmental pathways of behavioural and emotional problems at kindergarten age. One hundred and sixty children participated in the study at the ages of 5 and 6. Teachers and parents completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire; children completed the Berkeley Puppet Interview at both assessment points. Single-informant data were aggregated to enhance the reliability and validity of data. Gender and parental educational status were controlled. Symptoms (conduct problems, hyperactivity and emotional symptoms) and pro-social behaviour were moderately stable over time. Compared to girls, boys showed higher levels and increases of conduct problems and hyperactivity and lower levels of pro-social behaviour. Lower parental educational level was associated with higher levels and increases in hyperactivity. Although pro-social behaviour was cross-sectionally associated with behavioural and emotional symptoms, pro-social behaviour did not predict changes in conduct problems or hyperactivity over time. However, children with above average emotional symptoms and above average pro-social behaviour at Age_5 showed the highest level of emotional symptoms at Age_6. The results indicate that low levels of pro-social behaviour are associated with children's externalising behaviour problems, but that for children with high levels of emotional symptoms, higher levels of pro-social behaviour should also be considered as a risk factor. In sum, our results suggest mainly homotypic pathways of internalising and externalising symptoms across kindergarten age, but indicate that the assessment of pro-social behaviour yields additional information regarding the developmental pathways of emotional symptoms.

Household chaos – links with parenting and child behaviour

The study aimed to confirm previous findings showing links between household chaos and parenting in addition to examining whether household chaos was predictive of children's behaviour over and above parenting. In addition, we investigated whether household chaos acts as a moderator between parenting and children's behaviour. The sample consisted of 118 working- and middle-class two-parent English families with two children aged 4-8. Parents provided reports of the parent-child relationship, the level of chaos in their home and the children's problematic behaviour. The children also provided reports of parent-child relationships via a puppet interview. The results confirmed the links between household chaos and parenting, and indicated that household chaos is predictive of children's problem behaviour over and above parenting. In addition, in a minority of cases, household chaos played a moderating role between parenting and children's behaviour in that it exacerbated the effect of poorer quality parenting on children's behaviour. Household chaos is able to work in an additive way and predict children's problem behaviour over and above parenting, and is particularly potent when in combination with less positive/more negative parenting.

Associations Between Behavioral/Emotional Difficulties in Kindergarten Children and the Quality of Their Peer Relationships

The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between children's difficulties (conduct problems, hyperactivity/impulsivity, and emotional symptoms) and peer victimization and rejection in kindergarten. For the assessment of children's difficulties, the authors used a multi-informant approach. A total of 153 five-year-old children were interviewed (Berkeley Puppet Interview). Teachers and parents completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Teachers reported on peer victimization. Peer nominations (rejection and acceptance) were conducted in a subgroup of 92 children. Combining teacher, parent, and self-reports of children's difficulties, three components were established: trait (degree of problems), informant differences resulting from perspective (self versus others), and context (kindergarten versus home). Children's difficulties were significantly associated with teacher- and self-reported victimization and peer rejection (r = 0.20-0.35), but not with peer acceptance. Conduct problems and emotional symptoms, but not hyperactivity/impulsivity, contributed independently to the variance of peer victimization and rejection. Perspective differences between children and adults according to hyperactivity/impulsivity also predicted peer rejection. Behavioral and emotional difficulties as well as a lack of self-awareness regarding hyperactive/impulsive behavior may place children at risk of peer victimization and rejection. Child psychiatric assessments and therapeutic strategies should thus take children's self-perception of symptoms and their peer relationships into account.

Psychometric Evaluation of 5- and 7-Year-Old Children's Self-Reports of Conduct Problems

Past research suggests that young children are incapable of reporting information about their own behavior problems. To test this, we examined the validity and the usefulness of children's self-reports in the E-Risk Study, a nationally representative birth cohort of 2,232 children. We used the Berkeley Puppet Interview to obtain children's self-reports of conduct problems when they were 5-years old and the Dominic-R when they were 7-years old. We also collected information about the children and their families by interviewing mothers, sending questionnaires to teachers, and rating examiners' observations during home visits. Results indicate that when children's self-reports are gathered with structured and developmentally appropriate instruments, they are shown to be valid measures: conduct problems reported by the children themselves were associated with known correlates including individual characteristics (e.g., IQ), related behaviors (e.g., hyperactivity), and family variables (e.g., economic disadvantages). Observed correlations closely matched effect sizes reported in the literature using adults' reports of children's behavioral problems. In addition, children's self-reports can be useful: both measures distinguished children meeting DSM-IV criteria for research diagnoses of conduct disorder. Children's reports also contributed unique information not provided by adults. For research and clinical purposes, young children's self-reports can be viewed as a valuable complement to adults' ratings and observational measures of children's behavior problems.

The influence of foster parent investment on children's representations of self and attachment figures

This study examined associations between foster mothers' emotional investment, assessed when foster children were age 2, and foster children's representations of self and others, assessed when children were age 5. Caregiver investment was assessed using a semi-structured interview called the “This is My Baby” interview (TIMB; Bates, B., & Dozier, M. (2002). The importance of maternal state of mind regarding attachment and infant age at placement to foster mothers' representations of their foster infants. Infant Mental Health Journal, 23, 417-431.) administered to foster mothers when their foster children were age 2. Self-representations were assessed using a projective puppet interview (Cassidy, J. (1988). Child-mother attachment and the self in six-year olds. Child Development, 59, 121-134.) when children were age 5. Children's ability to cope with separations from caregivers was examined using the Separation Anxiety Test (SAT; Main, M., Kaplan, N., & Cassidy, J. (1985). Security in infancy, childhood and adulthood: A move to the level of representation. In I. Bretherton & E. Waters (Eds.), Growing points in attachment theory and research. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 50, (Serial No. 209), 66-104.). As predicted, foster mothers who were more accepting of their children early in the child–caregiver relationship had foster children who developed more positive self-representations than children whose foster mothers were less accepting. Additionally, caregiver acceptance was associated with children’s quality of coping responses in response to caregiver separations, with high caregiver acceptance associated with effective solutions to separation scenarios.

Sibling relationships in early/middle childhood: links with individual adjustment.

The overarching goal of the study was to identify links between sibling relationship quality in early/middle childhood with children's adjustment, having accounted for the effects of parent-child relationship quality. The sample consisted of 101 working and middle-class 2-parent English families with 2 children ages 4-8 years. Parents provided reports of sibling relationship quality, the parent-child relationship, and the children's prosocial and problematic behaviors. The children also provided reports of their familial relationships with a puppet interview. Results indicated that sibling relationship quality was associated with the older siblings' adjustment, controlling for the children's relationships with parents. In addition, the pattern of findings suggested that positivity within the sibling relationship was more strongly linked with child adjustment than was sibling conflict.

Can Children Provide Coherent, Stable, and Valid Self-Reports on the Big Five Dimensions? A Longitudinal Study From Ages 5 to 7.

Research on early childhood personality has been scarce. Self-reports of Big Five personality traits were measured longitudinally with the Berkeley Puppet Interview when children were 5, 6, and 7 years of age. For comparative purposes, Big Five self-reports were collected in a sample of college students. The children's self-reports showed levels of consistency and differentiation that approached those of the college age sample. Children's personality self-reports demonstrated significant correlations across the 1- and 2-year longitudinal intervals. Substantial and increasing convergence was found between children's self-reports of Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness and conceptually relevant behavior ratings provided by mothers, fathers, and teachers. Children's self-reports of Neuroticism were unrelated to adults' reports but did predict sadness and anxious behavior observed in the laboratory. The results provide the beginnings of an account of how the Big Five dimensions begin to be salient and emerge as coherent, stable, and valid self-perceptions in childhood.

Evaluation of a Puppet Interview to Measure Young Children's Self-Reports of Temperament

AbstractThis study developed and evaluated a puppet interview that allows children to self-report on temperamental constructs. Structured child self-report measures are rarely utilised in clinical assessment of young children under the age of 7—8 years. Given that clinical assessment is often characterised by low convergence between raters, such a measure may offer important contributions. The present study developed and evaluated a measure based on items from the Colorado Childhood Temperament Inventory and reports two studies with child participants aged 4 to 5 years. Independent observations of the children were also made. Results showed moderate levels of internal consistency and stability, and convergence between child self-report and teacher/parent raters was low, but similar levels of agreement were achieved between adult informants. The puppet interview thus showed some potential but highlighted the difficulties of self-report in young children within a multiple informant framework in clinical assessment.