Children’s Behavior Questionnaire-Very Short Form

Abstract

The Children’s Behavior Questionnaire-Very Short Form (CBQ-VSF) is an abbreviation of the original Children’s Behavior Questionnaire (CBQ) and the CBQ Short Form (CBQ-SF). Developed by Rothbart, Putnam, and colleagues, this 36-item, parent-report instrument is designed to assess key dimensions of temperament in children, typically those aged 3 to 7 years. The CBQ-VSF efficiently captures individual differences across three higher-order factors: Surgency, Negative Affect, and Effortful Control. Its concise nature makes it particularly useful for large-scale research studies where administration time must be minimized, while still maintaining acceptable psychometric properties.

Keywords

Children’s Behavior Questionnaire, CBQ-VSF, Temperament, Child Assessment, Effortful Control, Surgency, Negative Affect, Parent-Report, Psychological Scale

Authors

Mary K. Rothbart, Samuel P. Putnam, S. A. Ahadi, K. L. Hershey, P. Fisher

Purpose

The primary purpose of the CBQ-VSF is to provide a brief yet reliable measure of fundamental dimensions of child temperament for research use. It serves as a highly economical alternative to the 94-item Short Form (CBQ-SF) and the extensive 195-item original CBQ, allowing researchers to gather data on core temperamental profiles efficiently.

The instrument is specifically designed to assess parental perceptions of their child’s behavioral and emotional regulation patterns across various contexts, which are crucial precursors to later personality development and adjustment. Researchers are required to complete a request form describing their usage plans, as the questionnaire is intended strictly for research purposes.

Construct

The CBQ-VSF measures temperament based on Mary Rothbart’s influential psychobiological model, which defines temperament as constitutionally based individual differences in reactivity and self-regulation. While the full CBQ measures 15 specific factors, the Very Short Form is structured around three dominant, higher-order factors:

• Surgency (or Extraversion/Positive Affect): Reflects a child’s general activity level, approach behavior, high-intensity pleasure, and impulsivity. Items often relate to being active, seeking sensation, and positive anticipation.
• Negative Affect: Measures the child’s propensity for emotional distress, including frustration, fear, sadness, discomfort, and difficulty being soothed.
• Effortful Control: Relates to the ability to intentionally inhibit a dominant response to perform a subdominant response, plan, detect errors, and focus attention. This factor is critical for self-regulation and executive function development.

Validity

The CBQ-VSF demonstrates content and construct validity through its derivation from the well-established longer forms (CBQ and CBQ-SF). Validation studies, such as those conducted by Putnam and Rothbart (2006), confirm that the 36 items load appropriately onto the three intended super-factors, aligning with the broader theoretical framework of child temperament.

The instrument is validated across multiple samples, showing strong structural fidelity. Predictive and concurrent validity are supported by the consistent correlation of the three factors (Surgency, Negative Affect, and Effortful Control) with external behavioral measures and clinical outcomes related to socialization and adjustment in childhood.

Reliability

The reliability of the CBQ-VSF, assessed using internal consistency measures (Cronbach’s Alpha), indicates acceptable to strong reliability for research purposes, particularly given the brevity of the scale. The provided alpha coefficients across various samples for the three super-factors are:

• Surgency: .73, .70, .76
• Negative Affect: .66, .70, .67
• Effortful Control: .78, .62, .77

These values suggest that the scale is internally consistent in measuring these broad dimensions, though researchers should note the slightly lower reliability scores for Negative Affect compared to Effortful Control and Surgency in some samples.

Factor Analysis

The CBQ-VSF was developed through extensive factor analysis of the longer CBQ forms to identify a parsimonious set of items that represent the highest-order dimensions of temperament. The 36 items are structured to capture the maximal variance explained by the three proposed super-factors:

• Surgency: Associated with high energy and approach behaviors.
• Negative Affect: Associated with emotional intensity and distress.
• Effortful Control: Associated with executive attentional capacity and inhibitory control.

This three-factor structure is consistently supported in exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, confirming its utility as a brief measure of the core structure of child temperament.

Instrument

Test Type: Parent-Report Questionnaire

Format: 36 items rated on a 7-point Likert scale.

Language Available: English (Original; translations may be available through the Rothbart lab).

Population Group: Children

Age Group: Typically 3 to 7 years old (Preschool and early school age).

Population Details: Used to assess normative and clinical samples of children.

Test Methodology: Parents or primary caregivers rate how true each statement is of their child, based on observations of the child’s behavior over the preceding six months.

Keywords

Psychological Assessment, Child Development, Rothbart, Psychometric Properties, Behavior Rating Scale, Preschool, Inhibition, Activity Level, Frustration

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source content.

Affiliation Email addresses: [email protected] (Samuel Putnam)

Correspondence Address: Department of Psychology, Bowdoin College, 6900 College Station, Brunswick, ME 04011

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The CBQ-VSF is intended for academic and research use only. Researchers must complete a request form and provide a description of their planned use to acquire the current version of the instrument. There is an explicit request that researchers inform the authors of the results related to the temperament scales following the completion of their project to aid in ongoing validation efforts.

The development and initial validation of the Short and Very Short forms were published in 2006 (Putnam & Rothbart). The original CBQ framework dates back to 1994 and 2001 publications.

The original PDF for this instrument can be downloaded here: http://www.strivetogether.org/sites/default/files/images/10%20Children’s%20Behavior%20Questionnaire%20Very%20Short%20Form.pdf

Reference’s

The primary sources and validation studies for the CBQ and its shorter forms include:

• Rothbart, M. K., Ahadi, S. A., & Hershey, K. L. (1994). Temperament and social behavior in childhood. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 40, 21-39.
• Rothbart, M. K., Ahadi, S. A., Hershey, K. L., & Fisher, P. (2001). Investigations of temperament at 3-7 years: The Children’s Behavior Questionnaire. Child Development, 72, 1394-1408.
• Putnam, S. P., & Rothbart, M. K. (2006). Development of Short and Very Short forms of the Children’s Behavior Questionnaire. Journal of Personality Assessment, 87 (1), 103-113.

Items of the Children’s Behavior Questionnaire-Very Short Form

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

My child:

1. Seems to always be in a big hurry to get from one place to another
2. Gets quite frustrated when prevented from doing something s/he wants to do.
3. When drawing or coloring in a book‚ shows strong concentration.
4. Likes going down high slides or other adventurous activities.
5. Is quite upset by a little cut or bruise.
6. Prepares for trips and outings by planning things s/he will need.
7. Often rushes into new situations.
8. Tends to become sad if the family’s plans don’t work out.
9. Likes being sung to.
10. Seems to be at ease with almost any person.
11. Is afraid of burglars or the “boogie man.”
12. Notices it when parents are wearing new clothing.
13. Prefers quiet activities to active games.
14. When angry about something‚ s/he tends to stay upset for ten minutes or longer.
15. When building or putting something together‚ becomes very involved in what s/he is doing‚ and works for long periods.
16. Likes to go high and fast when pushed on a swing.
17. Seems to feel depressed when unable to accomplish some task.
18. Is good at following instructions.
19. Takes a long time in approaching new situations.
20. Hardly ever complains when ill with a cold.
21. Likes the sound of words‚ such as nursery rhymes.
22. Is sometimes shy even around people s/he has known a long time.
23. Is very difficult to soothe when s/he has become upset.
24. Is quickly aware of some new item in the living room.
25. Is full of energy‚ even in the evening.
26. Is not afraid of the dark.
27. Sometimes becomes absorbed in a picture book and looks at it for a long time.
28. Likes rough and rowdy games.
29. Is not very upset at minor cuts or bruises.
30. Approaches places s/he has been told are dangerous slowly and cautiously.
31. Is slow and unhurried in deciding what to do next.
32. Gets angry when s/he can’t find something s/he wants to play with.
33. Enjoys gentle rhythmic activities such as rocking or swaying.
34. Sometimes turns away shyly from new acquaintances.
35. Becomes upset when loved relatives or friends are getting ready to leave following a visit.
36. Comments when a parent has changed his/her appearance.

The rating scale used is:

1. extremely untrue of your child
2. quite untrue of your child
3. slightly untrue of your child
4. neither true nor false of your child
5. slightly true of your child
6. quite true of your child
7. extremely true of your child

NA (not applicable)