Internal Properties of the Scales

Abstract

A survey of the research literature and observations of infants and children in day-care centers allowed us to construct a measurement instrument, discussed in detail in the last chapter. In this chapter, the administration of these scales to two separate samples, the procedures used in this administration, and the results that led to a revised version of the scales are described. The empirical aspects of the scale construction are presented in order to demonstrate that the scales (1) provide a reasonable means for observing individual differences in infants’ and young children’s emotional behavior in day-care settings; (2) are reliable (that is, different observers can use them and obtain similar results); (3) possess psychometric validity; and (4) generate information about specific emotions rather than general arousal.