Assessing preschoolers interactive behaviour: A validation study of the "Coding System for Mother-Child Interaction"

Area of Science:

• Child development research
• Psychological assessment
• Early childhood education

Background:

• Preschool years are critical for developing interactive skills.
• Valid and reliable assessment tools for child interactive behavior are essential.
• Existing measures may be costly or require extensive training.

Purpose of the Study:

• To adapt and validate a coding system for mother-child interactions, focusing on the child's behavior.
• To assess the system's reliability and validity in a preschool population.
• To discuss the implications for future research and clinical practice.

Main Methods:

• Videotaped 220 Portuguese preschoolers and their mothers during a structured task.
• Coded child and mother interactive behaviors.
• Collected maternal reports on child temperament, emotional/behavioral problems, and family psychosocial information.

Main Results:

• Confirmed interrater agreement for the coding system.
• Validated subscales (Cooperation, Enthusiasm, Negativity) and a global child interactive behavior score.
• Established convergent and divergent validity with established measures of child behavior and temperament.

Conclusions:

• The adapted coding system is a valid and reliable measure for preschool child interactive behavior.
• Offers a cost-effective and flexible alternative for research and practice.
• Future research should explore clinical populations and diverse age groups.