The purpose of this study was to investigate the degree to which preschool children are able to provide reliable and valid sociometric data pertaining to their classroom peers. The applicability of a sociometric picture rating scale was assessed by examining its concurrent validity using the Kohn Social Competence Scale, a teacher rating instrument designed to provide an indication of the classroom social behavior of preschool children based on teacher observation. Reliability of the sociometric rating scale was investigated through a test-retest procedure over a six-week interval. Subject were thirty-two 3 and 4 year olds (16 male; 16 female) attending public school preschool programs in a rural community in Western Massachusetts. The data obtained included two sets of sociometric scores for each subject (test, retest) as well as scores from the rating scales teachers completed for each subject. Analysis of the data involved investigation of the strength of association between teacher rating scale scores and sociometric scores, as well as stability of the sociometric scores over the six-week test-retest interval. Additionally, analyses were undertaken to determine if there were statistically significant differences in the sociometric scores due to a subject's age, gender, prior socialization experiences, or Special Education status. Results indicated fairly good reliability of the sociometric picture rating scale (correlation between the test and retest sets of scores =.71, p $<$.01). Significant relationships were also found between the sociometric scores and those obtained from the teacher rating scale. Therefore, concurrent validity of the sociometric measure was demonstrated. The only differences of statistical significance found in the sociometric scores were those related to a subject's gender. In this study, females were more likely to receive high sociometric ratings from peers and males were more likely to receive low ratings. Based on the findings, it was concluded that the picture rating scale technique represents a valid and reliable sociometric measure for preschoolers. It was suggested that sociometrics always be used in conjunction with other measures of social functioning, namely direct observations of behavior or teacher rating scales.

This study examines SEARCH, an individually administered screening test used to identify kindergarten children who may be vulnerable to academic failure in school. The public school district in the community studied had used SEARCH as its screening tool for nine years and abandoned it with much controversy as to its usefulness and accuracy as a measure to detect kindergarten children vulnerable to learning failure. If it could be demonstrated that SEARCH is an effective screening instrument, the community would consider renewing its use. A sample comprised of two years of entering kindergarten children (270) who had taken SEARCH and later taken the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills (CTBS) were investigated to determine whether SEARCH was successful in its ability to identify young children at risk. Variables including special education services, pre-school experience, retention, and sex were analyzed to determine any relevant effects on SEARCH scores and academic success. Bivariate and multivariate linear regressions were performed to examine relevant correlations. Stepwise regression was utilized to determine the relative predictive validity of the SEARCH subscales. A positive correlation emerged when SEARCH was compared to CTBS. Children who scored high on SEARCH tended to score high on the CTBS total score, Reading, Mathematics, and TCS scores. Further, students who scored high on SEARCH tended to succeed in regular education programs with greater consistency than low scorers. The specificity of SEARCH was (.78), the sensitivity was (.37), and the overall hit-rate was greater than 71%. Yet, sixty-four percent of children who scored in the vulnerable range on SEARCH never received special education services and twenty-two percent of children who passed SEARCH received 766 remediation. Still, a strong SEARCH score is more indicative of success than a low SEARCH score. Of the 41 children who scored five and below on SEARCH, 5 (12%) were retained, while of the 229 children remaining who passed SEARCH, 11 (4%) were retained. While the ESI reports greater overall predictive validity than SEARCH, one SEARCH subtest yields important diagnostic information. The Lamb Chop Matching subscale will be recommended as a component of the kindergarten screening program.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether developmental researchers were influenced in the laboratory by the characteristics of children who participate in their research. I hypothesized that experimenters, as social partners, would adapt their speaking and other behaviors to the child’s perceived temperamental profile and language proficiency. I specifically focused on whether experimenters would adhere to the experimental laboratory procedure of two elicited imitation tasks, Feed Bear and Make a Rattle, in an archival dataset. Participants included 61 primarily white 15-month-olds. Coders transcribed infant directed speech (IDS) and analyzed transcriptions for total words, words per sentence, and percentage of words with six or more letters. The present study revealed differential correlational findings across temperamental dimensions, experimenter IDS, and elicited imitation tasks. An investigation of this kind provides new information concerning procedural fidelity and how experimenters may be influenced by their child research participants.

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