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Internal consistency of the Human Behavior Rating Scale
Suzanne Woods-Groves1, Ronald C Eaves, Thomas O Williams
1University of Iowa, IA, USA. suzanne-woods-groves@uiowa.edu
Psychological Reports
|January 27, 2010
Summary
The Human Behavior Rating Scale (HBRS) demonstrates excellent internal consistency, with most reliability coefficients exceeding .90. This finding supports its use as a robust research tool for assessing child behavior dimensions.
Area of Science:
- Psychometrics
- Developmental Psychology
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- The Human Behavior Rating Scale (HBRS) is a 91-item Likert-type scale.
- It measures five key dimensions: persistence, curiosity, externalizing affect, internalizing affect, and cognition.
- The scale serves as a research instrument for Eaves' 1993 integrated theory of human behavior.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the internal consistency of the Human Behavior Rating Scale (HBRS).
- To evaluate the reliability of the HBRS across different demographic groups.
Main Methods:
- The study employed three distinct sampling plans.
- Teachers and non-teachers provided HBRS ratings for children aged 5–18 years.
- Cronbach's alpha coefficients were calculated for various subgroups (sex, grade, age).
Main Results:
- A total of 185 Cronbach's alpha coefficients were reported.
- 175 coefficients were at or above .90, indicating high internal consistency.
- The remaining 10 coefficients ranged between .80 and .89.
Conclusions:
- The Human Behavior Rating Scale (HBRS) exhibits strong internal consistency.
- The findings support the reliability of the HBRS as a measurement tool for childhood behavioral dimensions.
- The scale's psychometric properties are suitable for research applications within developmental and behavioral science.
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