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Early Childhood Behavior Questionnaire subscales and descriptions

Mary Rothbart PhD
www.uoregon.edu/~maryroth for complete information

Surgency

Activity Level/Energy : Level (rate and intensity) of gross motor activity, including rate and extent of locomotion.

High Intensity Pleasure : Pleasure or enjoyment related to situations involving high stimulus intensity, rate, complexity, novelty and incongruity.

Impulsivity : Speed of response initiation.

Positive Anticipation : Excitement about expected pleasurable activities.

Shyness (negative loading): Slow or inhibited approach and/or discomfort in social situations involving novelty or uncertainty.

Sociability : Seeking and taking pleasure in interactions with others.

Negative Affectivity

Discomfort : amount of negative affect related to sensory qualities of stimulation, including intensity, rate or complexity of light, sound, texture.

Fear : Negative affect, including unease, worry, or nervousness related to anticipated pain or distress and/or potentially threatening situations; startle to sudden events.

Frustration : Negative affect related to interruption of ongoing tasks or goal blocking.

Motor Activation : Repetitive small-motor movements; fidgeting.

Perceptual Sensitivity : Detection of slight, low intensity stimuli from the external environment.

Sadness : Tearfulness or lowered mood related to exposure to personal suffering, disappointment, object loss, loss of approval, or response to other’s suffering.

Shyness : Slow or inhibited approach and/or discomfort in social situations involving novelty or uncertainty.
Soothability (negative loading): Rate of recovery from peak distress, excitement, or general arousal.

Effortful Control

Activity Level/Energy (negative loading): Level (rate and intensity) of gross motor activity, including rate and extent of locomotion.

Attentional Focusing : Sustained duration of orienting on an object of attention; resisting distraction.

Attentional Shifting : The ability to transfer attentional focus from one activity/task to another.

Cuddliness : Child’s expression of enjoyment in and molding of the body to being held by a caregiver.

Frustration (negative loading): Negative affect related to interruption of ongoing tasks or goal blocking.

Inhibitory Control : The capacity to stop, moderate, or refrain from a behavior under instruction.

Low Intensity Pleasure : Pleasure or enjoyment related to situations involving low stimulus intensity, rate, complexity, novelty and incongruity.

Perceptual Sensitivity : Detection of slight, low intensity stimuli from the external environment.

Positive Anticipation : Excitement about expected pleasurable activities.

Soothability : Rate of recovery from peak distress, excitement, or general arousal.