A Brief Scale for Measuring “Behavioral Inhibition to the Unfamiliar” in Children

Abstract

The behavioral inhibition scale (BIS) is a brief rating scale for measuring behavioral inhibition in children.  The present study examined the test–retest stability of the BIS in a sample of 7–12-year-olds consisting of inhibited and non-inhibited children (N = 83).  Results demonstrated that the BIS scores were fairly stable over a 2-year period, with a test–retest correlation of .77.  Further, the BIS scores of inhibited children significantly increased over the 2-year period, whereas those of the non-inhibited comparison group significantly decreased.  Finally, the BIS was in a theoretically meaningful way associated with temperamental traits as measured by the Rothbart scales.  Altogether, these results provide support for the reliability and validity of the BIS.