Reflection-impulsivity in normal and behavior-disordered children

Area of Science:

• Child Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Cognitive Assessment

Background:

• Reflection-impulsivity is a key cognitive style.
• Kagan's Matching Familiar Figures Test (MFF) is the primary measure, yielding latency and error scores.
• Construct validity of MFF measures requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the construct validity of MFF latency and error scores.
• To compare reflection-impulsivity in normal and behavior-disordered children across different ages.
• To examine developmental trends in reflection.

Main Methods:

• Compared MFF latency and error scores.
• Utilized 9- and 15-year-old normal and "acting-out" behavior-disordered children.
• Statistical analysis of cognitive style measures.

Main Results:

• Younger behavior-disordered children were more impulsive on the MFF error score than other groups.
• No significant differences were found on the MFF latency measure.
• Older behavior-disordered children showed more reflection than younger ones, similar to normal children.

Conclusions:

• MFF error score demonstrates stronger construct validity than the latency score.
• Findings question Kagan's assertion of increasing reflectivity with age in normal children.
• Behavior-disordered children may experience a developmental lag in reflection.