The Parental Child-Rearing Attitudes Test
The Falender and Mehrabian Parental Child-Rearing Attitudes scales are offered here primarily for research use by students. In the event they are employed in clinical settings or for any other purposes, it is strongly advised that findings based on the present instruments be checked against additional data from alternative tests and interview materials.
Falender and Mehrabian (1980) developed an emotion-based general
framework for assessing parental attitudes toward child-rearing
practices. In that approach, parental attitudes are viewed as
constituting an "Emotional Climate" within which children are reared.
Furthermore, the latter emotional climate is described very generally
using the PAD Emotional State Model (Mehrabian, 1995).
The PAD Emotion Model
The theoretical rationale and experimental foundations for the PAD
Emotional State Model have been detailed by Mehrabian (1980, 1995). You'll find detailed information about the model at:
Briefly, the model consists of three nearly independent dimensions that are used to
describe and measure emotional states: pleasure-displeasure,
arousal-nonarousal, and dominance-submissiveness (or PAD).
"Pleasure-displeasure" distinguishes the positive-negative affective
quality of emotional states, "arousal-nonarousal" refers to a
combination of physical activity and mental alertness, and "dominance-
submissiveness" is defined in terms of control versus lack of control.
Specific terms describing emotions can be visualized as points in a
three-dimensional PAD emotion space. Alternatively, when the PAD scale
scores are standardized, each emotion term can be described succinctly
in terms of its values on the pleasure-displeasure, arousal-nonarousal,
and dominance- submissiveness axes. The following sample ratings
illustrate definitions of various emotion terms when scores on each PAD
scale range from -1 to +1: angry (-.51, .59, .25), bored (-.65, -.62,
-.33), curious (.22, .62, -.01), dignified (.55, .22, .61), elated (.50,
.42, .23), hungry (-.44, .14, -.21), inhibited (-.54, -.04, -.41), loved
(.87, .54, -.18), puzzled (-.41, .48, -.33), sleepy (.20, -.70, -.44),
unconcerned (-.13, -.41, .08), violent (-.50, .62, .38).
Thus, according to ratings given for "angry," it is a highly unpleasant,
highly aroused, and moderately dominant emotional state. "Sleepy"
consists of a moderately pleasant, extremely unaroused, and moderately
submissive state, whereas "bored" is composed of highly unpleasant,
highly unaroused, and moderately submissive components.
The PAD Parental Attitutdes Test Features
The Parental Attitudes Scales consist of three sets of items, with each
set providing a single total score for each of the three PAD dimensions.
Parents respond to the scales by agreeing or disagreeing with a variety
of statements bearing on child-rearing practices (e.g., "Taking a few
minutes to just be with my child helps me relax," "I don't believe in
catering to my child's demands," "I leave my child with a lot of
different people, so he gets used to change").
The Parental Attitudes Scales are intended primarily for experimental
use. In the event they are used in clinical or applied settings, it is
strongly advisable that findings based on the present instrument be
checked against additional data from alternative tests and interview
materials.
- Administration: does not require tester to be present; can be
used with individuals or groups (parents reporting about their
children)
- Test format: questionnaire, 46 items
- Appropriate population: English fluency, parent of child
- Time required for administration: approximately 10 minutes
- Scoring: hand scored; yields three PAD total-scale scores
- Manual: contains complete scale, scoring directions, norms
- Background literature: includes an article describing the
development of the PAD Parental Attitudes Scales (Falender &
Mehrabian, 1980)
- Possible uses for research and hypothesis testing, e.g., for research studies of parent-child
interactions; effects of parental attitudes on children's psychological
adjustment-maladjustment; investigations of problem children in school settings.
References:
Falender, C.A., & Mehrabian, A. (1980). The emotional climate for
children as inferred from parental attitudes. Educational and
Psychological Measurement, 40, 1033-1042.
Mehrabian, A. (1980). Basic dimensions for a general psychological
theory: Implications for personality, social, environmental, and
developmental studies. Oelgeschlager, Gunn & Hain, Cambridge, MA.
Mehrabian, A. (1995). Framework for a comprehensive description and
measurement of emotional states. Genetic, Social, and General
Psychology Monographs, 121, 339-361.
Mehrabian, A. (1997). Manual for the PAD Parental Attitudes
Scales. (Available from Albert Mehrabian, 1130 Alta Mesa Road,
Monterey, CA, USA 93940).