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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 11, 2026

Assessing the Coherence of Parents' Short Narratives Regarding their Child Using the Five-Minute Speech Sample Procedure
07:56

Assessing the Coherence of Parents' Short Narratives Regarding their Child Using the Five-Minute Speech Sample Procedure

Published on: September 19, 2019

Reliability and Validity of the Dyadic Observed Communication Scale (DOCS).

Wendy Hadley1, Angela Stewart, Heather L Hunter

  • 1Bradley/Hasbro Children's Research Center/Rhode Island Hospital and the Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI 02903. whadley@lifespan.org.

Journal of Child and Family Studies
|May 7, 2013
PubMed
Summary

The Dyadic Observed Communication Scale (DOCS) reliably measures parent-adolescent communication, including verbal and nonverbal behaviors. This validated tool is useful for researchers and clinicians studying family interactions.

Keywords:
adolescentcodingdyadicfamilyobservational

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Use of a Video Scoring Anchor for Rapid Serial Assessment of Social Communication in Toddlers
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Use of a Video Scoring Anchor for Rapid Serial Assessment of Social Communication in Toddlers

Published on: March 14, 2018

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 11, 2026

Assessing the Coherence of Parents' Short Narratives Regarding their Child Using the Five-Minute Speech Sample Procedure
07:56

Assessing the Coherence of Parents' Short Narratives Regarding their Child Using the Five-Minute Speech Sample Procedure

Published on: September 19, 2019

Use of a Video Scoring Anchor for Rapid Serial Assessment of Social Communication in Toddlers
09:16

Use of a Video Scoring Anchor for Rapid Serial Assessment of Social Communication in Toddlers

Published on: March 14, 2018

Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Family Studies
  • Communication Science

Background:

  • Parent-adolescent communication is crucial for adolescent development and well-being.
  • Effective communication strategies are key targets in family-based interventions.
  • Existing measures may not fully capture the nuances of observed dyadic communication.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the reliability and validity of the Dyadic Observed Communication Scale (DOCS).
  • To determine if DOCS can capture a range of communication components between parents and adolescents.
  • To assess the utility of DOCS for research and clinical applications in family interventions.

Main Methods:

  • Seventy-one parent-adolescent dyads were randomly selected from a larger HIV prevention study.
  • The Dyadic Observed Communication Scale (DOCS) was used to code communication behaviors at baseline.
  • Reliability was assessed using interrater agreement, and validity was examined against self-report measures.

Main Results:

  • The Dyadic Observed Communication Scale (DOCS) demonstrated strong preliminary reliability and validity.
  • The scale effectively captured both verbal and nonverbal communication components.
  • Results indicate that coders can be trained to reliably use DOCS for assessing dyadic communication.

Conclusions:

  • The Dyadic Observed Communication Scale (DOCS) is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring observed parent-adolescent communication.
  • DOCS is suitable for use in research and clinical settings, particularly within family-based interventions.
  • The scale provides a relatively quick method for obtaining complex communication data between parents and adolescents.