Behavioural inhibition and behavioural activation system scales for children: relationships with Eysenck's personality traits and psychopathological symptoms

This study examined the psychometric properties of an age-downward version of the Carver and White (1994) BIS/BAS scales. Normal school children (N = 284) aged 8-12 years completed the BIS/BAS scales as well as scales of Neuroticism, Extraversion, and psychopathological symptoms. Results showed that the BIS/BAS scales for children had a theoretically meaningful factor structure and satisfactory reliability. Relationships with Eysenck's personality traits of Neuroticism, and Extraversion, and psychopathological symptoms were generally as expected. That is, Neuroticism was positively associated with both BIS and BAS. whereas Extraversion was negatively related to BIS but positively to BAS. Further, BIS was convincingly connected to higher levels of internalizing symptoms, whereas BAS was to a certain level related to externalizing symptoms. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.