Date of Award
1982
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Lawrence C. Grebstein
Abstract
This study reviews prior descriptive and self-report surveys of children's fears and presents the initial development of a new measure, the Fear Expression and Research Survey (F.E.A.R.S.). The F.E.A.R.S. represents an encouraging improvement over past measures: four clearly identifiable components emerged following the two administrations; the factor structure and degree of factorial invariance were satisfactory; the percentage of total variance accounted for by the 24-item core was 59% on Round One and 58% on Round Two; and the internal consistency (Alpha) coefficients were within acceptable limits. Evidence is presented to suggest that children's fears change with age on at least two of the four component scales, and girls are found to report a significantly greater degree of fear. Cautions and suggestions for future research are outlined.
Recommended Citation
Davies, Michael Hayden, "Children’s Fears: The Development of a New Measure and Preliminary Findings Regarding Age and Sex Differences" (1982). Open Access Dissertations. Paper 1028.
https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/oa_diss/1028
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