First Grade Norms, Factor Analysis and Cross Correlation for Conners, Davids, and Quay-Peterson Behavior Rating Scales

Abstract

Three behavior rating scales were filled out by teachers for the entire first grades of three public schools, totalling 225 children. Factor analyses on this nonclinical sample yielded different factors from those found previously on clinical samples. The Conners scale showed four factors: hyperkinetic, shy-inept, rebellious-unsocialized, and antisocial-immature. The Quay-Peterson checklist also showed four factors: hyperkinetic, shy-inept, depressed, and dyssocial. The “inattentive” items, which formed a separate factor on older clinical samples, blended into the hyperkinetic factor on this younger normal sample. The whole Davids scale was one clean factor with all loadings above .6 and “impulsiveness” the highest loading. The hyperkinetic factors of both scales correlated highly with each other and with the Davids whole scale. The two shy-inept factors correlated at .82 with each other. Factor analysis of all the items from the 3 scales as if they were one large scale yielded seven factors: hyperkinetic-inattentive, shy, rebellious-unsocialized, antisocial, oversensitive, depressed, and dyssocial. Nonclinical first-grade norms by sex and parent occupational status were derived for all three scales and eight factor sub-scales. These consistently showed advantage for girls and for children of higher occupation parents. Many of these trends were significant at .05. Inspection of the Davids ratings raises questions about the meaning of “average” and suggests that teachers very early dichotomize students into good and poor.