Self-Control Rating Scale (SCRS)

Abstract

The Self-Control Rating Scale (SCRS) is a widely recognized psychometric instrument designed to assess the behavioral and cognitive manifestations of self-control in children. Developed by Philip C. Kendall and Lori E. Wilcox in 1979, the SCRS provides a standardized method for parents or teachers to rate a child’s ability to delay gratification, inhibit impulsive actions, and persist in tasks. The scale is particularly valuable in clinical and educational settings for identifying deficits related to impulsivity and attention regulation.

Comprising 33 items, the SCRS measures various facets of self-regulation, including adherence to rules, patience, persistence, and the ability to manage emotional excitement. Its robust psychometric properties, including high internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.98), have solidified its use in research concerning child development and behavioral interventions.

Keywords

Self-Control Rating Scale, SCRS, Self-control, Impulsivity, Behavioral assessment, Child psychology, Delay of gratification, Psychological scale, Kendall-Wilcox.

Authors

Philip C. Kendall, Lori E. Wilcox.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the SCRS is the standardized assessment of a child’s capacity for self-control, defined operationally through observable behaviors indicative of impulse regulation and sustained attention. It was developed to provide researchers and clinicians with a reliable measure to evaluate treatment effects in cognitive-behavioral interventions targeting behavioral problems such as attention-deficit issues or conduct disorders.

The scale focuses specifically on behaviors related to waiting, following instructions, regulating motor activity, and maintaining focus on tasks. By quantifying these behaviors on a 7-point scale, the SCRS allows for a clear comparison of an individual child’s self-control capacity against normative data, aiding in both diagnosis and longitudinal progress tracking.

Construct

The SCRS measures the psychological construct of self-control, which encompasses both cognitive and behavioral components. This construct is understood as the capacity to override prepotent responses (impulsivity) and to regulate attention, emotion, and behavior in the service of achieving long-term goals. The items reflect behaviors associated with three key domains: impulsivity (e.g., interrupting, acting without thinking), persistence (e.g., sticking to tasks, working toward long-range goals), and delay of gratification (e.g., waiting patiently, postponing immediate rewards).

The underlying theoretical framework often relates to cognitive-behavioral models, where self-control is viewed as a learned skill set that can be improved through structured intervention. The scale attempts to capture the observable output of these internal regulatory mechanisms as perceived by an external rater (parent or teacher).

Validity

While the source content does not explicitly list specific validity coefficients, the development process described in the foundational literature (Kendall & Wilcox, 1979) established strong content validity by deriving items from clinical observations and expert consensus regarding self-control deficits in children. Subsequent research has supported the scale’s construct validity through expected correlations with measures of related constructs, such as teacher ratings of hyperactivity, attention problems, and academic achievement.

The structure of the scale is designed to reflect the multi-faceted nature of self-regulation, and modifications, such as the scale developed by Lennings (1991) for delinquent populations, further demonstrated criterion validity by showing that SCRS scores could effectively differentiate between clinical and non-clinical groups, confirming its utility in distinguishing children with significant self-regulatory challenges.

Reliability

The SCRS demonstrates exceptional levels of reliability, confirming its stability and internal consistency. The internal reliability, measured using Cronbach’s alpha, was reported as highly satisfactory at 0.98. This extremely high value indicates that the 33 items consistently measure the same underlying construct, suggesting strong homogeneity within the scale.

Additionally, the scale exhibits robust test-retest reliability. For a sample (n=24) taken from the present group, reliability assessed over a 3-4 week interval was strong, yielding a coefficient of 0.84. This suggests that the ratings obtained using the SCRS are stable over short periods, making it suitable for reliable baseline assessment and tracking changes following intervention.

Factor Analysis

Initial psychometric evaluations of the SCRS suggested a strong underlying unidimensional factor related to general self-control or impulse inhibition. However, further exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses conducted in subsequent studies (e.g., Kendall et al., 1981) have sometimes suggested a two-factor structure. These factors typically divide the items into categories reflecting overt behavioral impulsivity (e.g., interrupting, physical restlessness) and cognitive self-regulation (e.g., planning, persistence, working toward goals).

Despite potential sub-factors, the scale is most commonly utilized and scored as a single, global measure of self-control capacity, given the high intercorrelations among the items and the very high overall internal consistency reported.

Instrument

Test Type: Behavioral Rating Scale (Parent or Teacher Report)

Format: 33 items scored on a 7-point Likert scale (1 = never, 7 = always).

Language Available: Primarily English (Original).

Population Group: Children and adolescents.

Age Group: Typically utilized with elementary school-age children (often 6 to 12 years old).

Population Details: Developed using both non-referred and clinically referred children, and frequently applied in research concerning externalizing disorders.

Test Methodology: Raters (parents or teachers) assess the frequency of specific self-control behaviors exhibited by the child over a defined period, scoring on a continuum from 1 (never) to 7 (always).

Keywords

Self-regulation, Behavioral inhibition, Persistence, Rating scale, Childhood development, Impulsive behavior, Cognitive-behavioral therapy, Psychometrics.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not provided in source.

Correspondence Address: Not provided in source.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The scale was first published in 1979 by P. C. Kendall and L. E. Wilcox. The instrument is widely accessible for academic and non-commercial research use. The instrument can be found at: http://www.freepatentsonline.com/article/Journal-Research-in-Childhood-Education/86875101.html

Reference’s

• Kendall, P. C., & Wilcox, L. E. (1979). Self-control in children: Development of a rating scale. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 47, 1020-1029.

• Kendall, P. C., Zupan, B. A., & Braswell, L. (1981). Self-control in children: Further analyses of the Self-Control Rating Scale. Behavior Therapy, 12, 667-681.

• Kendall, P. C., & Hays, R. C. (1988). Self-control rating scale. In M. Hersen & A. Bellack (Eds.), Dictionary of behavioral assessment (pp. 395-396). New York: Pergamin.

• Lennings, C. J. (1991). A modification of the Kendall-Wilcox Self-Control Scale for Delinquents. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 35, 83-91.

Items of the Self-Control Rating Scale (SCRS)

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

1. When the child promises to do something, can you count on him or her to do it?

2. Does the child butt into games or activities even when he or she hasn’t been invited?

3. Can the child deliberately calm down when he or she is excited or all would up?

4. Is the quality of the child’s work all about the same or does it vary a lot?

5. Does the child work for long-range goals?

6. When the child asks a question, does he or she wait for an answer, or jump to something else (e.g., new question) before waiting for an answer?

7. Does the child interrupt inappropriately in conversations with peers, or wait his or her turn to speak?

8. Does the child stick to what he or she is doing until he or she is finished with it?

9. Does the child follow the instructions of responsible adults?

10. Does the child have to have everything right away?

11. When the child has to wait in line, does he or she do so patiently?

12. Does the child sit still?

13. Can the child follow suggestions of others in group projects, or does he or she insist on imposing his or her own ideas?

14. Does the child have to be reminded several times to do something before he or she does it?

15. When reprimanded, does the child answer back inappropriately?

16. Is the child accident-prone?

17. Does the child neglect or forget regular chores or tasks?

18. Are there days when the child seems incapable of settling down to work?

19. Would the child more likely grab a smaller toy today or wait for a larger toy tomorrow, if given the choice?

20. Does the child grab for the belongings of others?

21. Does the child bother others when they’re trying to do things?

22. Does the child break basic rules?

23. Does the child watch where he or she is going?

24. In answering questions, does the child give one thoughtful answer, or blurt out several answers all at once?

25. Is the child easily distracted from his or her work or chores?

26. Would you describe this child more as careful or careless?

27. Does the child play well with peers (follows rules, waits turn, cooperates)?

28. Does the child jump or switch from activity to activity rather than sticking to one thing at a time?

29. If a task is at first too difficult for the child, will he or she get frustrated and quit, or first seek help with the problem?

30. Does the child disrupt games?

31. Does the child think before he or she acts?

32. If the child paid more attention to his or her work, do you think he or she would do much better than at present?

33. Does the child do too many things at once, or does he or she concentrate on one thing at a time?