Poster #23 - Agreement between Parent and Teacher Ratings of Problem Behaviors: The Role of Children’s Executive Function

• In Event: 2-110 - Poster Session 07
  In Poster Session: PS 07 Section - Cognitive Processes

Integrative Statement

Discrepancies between parent and teacher ratings of problem behaviors have been reported consistently throughout the literature (e.g., Achenbach, McConaughy, & Howell, 1987; DeLosReyes & Kadzin, 2005). There are many different theories as to why this discrepancy exists, and this study builds on the Attribution Context Model (DeLosReyes & Kadzin). This model suggests that the differences in the ratings of behavior may reflect different observable behaviors across contexts, rather than different interpretations of the behavior by the informants. Building on this model, the purpose of this study was to examine the degree to which discrepancies in parents’ and teachers’ ratings of behaviors of young children were associated with children’s executive function (EF). It was expected that varying contextual demands for self-regulation would result in differences in the rate or severity of problem behaviors exhibited by children. It was predicted that the difference between parent and teacher ratings of behavior would be greater for children with average levels of EF and that the contextual differences of school or home would contribute to this discrepancy. Data for this study were obtained from 125 children attending first and second grade in public schools in North Florida. Children’s EF was directly assessed using a battery of EF measures that was developed for use with this age group, and both parents and teachers completed the Strengths and Weakness of ADHD-related and Normal Behavior (SWAN) and Connors Teacher Rating Scale-15 (CTRS-15).

Quantile regression was used to assess the changes in the relation of the difference between parent and teacher ratings of externalizing problem behaviors and the children’s level of EF. Seven difference scores were created to test the relation of EF to the discrepancy of parent and teachers’ ratings on each subscale of the two rating scales as well the combined rating scales. Several of these relations (see Table 1) appeared to fall in line with the hypothesis (i.e., difference between parent and teacher ratings larger at the middle quantiles of EF; see Figure 1); however, none of the relations for any of the seven difference scores were statistically significant. In general, the various difference scores were significantly correlated with the total EF sum or with total scores for some specific EF tasks. For example, the total score for the Dimension Change Card Sorting Task was significantly related to all of the difference scores except for both Hyperactivity/Impulsivity subscales. This finding, along with the finding that the total EF sum was only significantly correlated with the SWAN Inattention score, was consistent with the relations seen between EF and externalizing behaviors across the literature. This consistency speaks to the reliability of the tasks used in this study and suggests that a young child’s cognitive flexibility or ability to shift behavior to different contexts seems to be most strongly related to the disparity between parent and teachers’ ratings of problem behaviors. However, this result was only partially consistent with the hypothesis of the study, given that this relation did not differ significantly across the range of EF functioning.

Authors

• Colleen Osborne, Florida State University
  Presenting Author

• Christopher Lonigan, Florida State University
  Non-Presenting Author