Dissertation
Moderating factors for findings of sex differences in early fear
Washington State University
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Washington State University
05/2009
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7273/000006096
Abstract
The literature regarding sex differences in early fear is mixed in its results, indicating trends in which parent-report data most often show females as more fearful than males, but laboratory observation-based data generally demonstrate no significant sex differences. The present study examined the possibility of a moderating effect of measure type (i.e., parent-report versus laboratory observation) on the relationship between child sex and early fearfulness. A sample of 112 infants (58 male, 54 female) was assessed for fear levels via parent-report and laboratory observation of temperament at 12 months of age, and 85 of these infants (46 male, 39 female) were followed-up as toddlers, utilizing parent-reports of temperament and behavior problems, which included scales addressing fear and internalizing problems, respectively. Correlations of 12-month parent-report and laboratory observation-based fear scores were computed separately for males and females, which demonstrated significant correlations for female, but not male, infants. The magnitudes of these correlations were compared, and did not yield a significant difference. Next, two t-tests were used to examine possible sex differences in fear levels at 12-months based upon parent-report and laboratory-observation. No significant differences were found for either measure. In addition, a one-tailed t-test was conducted to test the hypothesis that parents would report females as significantly more fearful than males at toddler age. This hypothesis was confirmed. Finally, a hierarchical multiple regression was utilized to determine the unique contributions of child sex, parent-reported 12-month fear, laboratory-observed 12-month fear, and the interactions of child sex and each of the fear measures at 12 months, to the prediction of internalizing problems at toddler age, controlling for concurrent fear. Results indicated that the control variable, toddler-age fear, accounted for a significant portion of the variance, but that none of the other predictors was significant.
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Details
- Title
- Moderating factors for findings of sex differences in early fear
- Creators
- Jennifer A. Self
- Contributors
- Maria A. Gartstein (Chair)G Leonard Burns (Committee Member) - Washington State University, Department of PsychologyPaul S Strand (Committee Member) - Washington State University, Department of Psychology
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Department of Psychology
- Theses and Dissertations
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University
- Number of pages
- 70
- Identifiers
- 99901055026601842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Dissertation