Is the Structure of Affect Similar for Younger and Older Children? Cross-Sectional Differences in Negative and Positive Affectivity

Authors

Bryan Bushman, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Susan Lynn Crowley, Utah State UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Journal/Book Title/Conference

Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment

Volume

28

Issue

1

Publisher

SAGE Publications

Publication Date

2009

First Page

31

Last Page

39

Abstract

Although studies investigating the validity of positive affectivity and negative affectivity in children have been supportive, investigations of changes in the structure of affect across childhood have demonstrated mixed results. The current study used confirmatory factor analytic techniques to test one-factor, two-factor correlated, and two-factor uncorrelated models of positive affectivity and negative affectivity in two developmentally distinct populations of children (third and sixth grade). Both two-factor models provided an acceptable fit to the data from older and younger children. Based on these results and previous research, the structure of affect appears to be similar across age groups. However, evidence for increased differentiation remains. Limitations of the study include the cross-sectional design and a predominantly rural, White sample.

Comments

Originally published by SAGE Publications. Publisher's PDF available through remote link.

Recommended Citation

Bushman, B. & Crowley, S. L. (2009). Is the Structure of Affect Similar for Younger and Older Children? Cross-Sectional Differences in Negative and Positive Affectivity. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment. August 25, 2009 doi:10.1177/0734282909337584.