Abstract
Impairment in learning from punishment (“punishment insensitivity”) is an established feature of severe antisocial behavior in adults and youth but it has not been well studied as a developmental phenomenon. In early childhood, differentiating a normal: abnormal spectrum of punishment insensitivity is key for distinguishing normative misbehavior from atypical manifestations. This study employed a novel measure, the Multidimensional Assessment Profile of Disruptive Behavior (MAP-DB), to examine the distribution, dimensionality, and external validity of punishment insensitivity in a large, demographically diverse community sample of preschoolers (3–5 years) recruited from pediatric clinics (N=1,855). Caregivers completed surveys from which a seven-item Punishment Insensitivity scale was derived. Findings indicated that Punishment Insensitivity behaviors are relatively common in young children, with at least 50 % of preschoolers exhibiting them sometimes. Item response theory analyses revealed a Punishment Insensitivity spectrum. Items varied along a severity continuum:most items needed to occur “Often” in order to be severe and behaviors that were qualitatively atypical or intense were more severe. Although there were item-level differences across sociodemographic groups, these were small. Construct, convergent, and divergent validity were demonstrated via association to low concern for others and noncompliance, motivational regulation, and a disruptive family context. Incremental clinical utility was demonstrated in relation to impairment. Early childhood punishment insensitivity varies along a severity continuum and is atypical when it predominates. Implications for understanding the phenomenology of emergent disruptive behavior are discussed.
Original language | English (US) |
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Article number | A001 |
Pages (from-to) | 1011-1023 |
Number of pages | 13 |
Journal | Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology |
Volume | 43 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Aug 1 2015 |
Funding
Lauren Wakschlag, Margaret Briggs-Gowan, and David Henry were supported by National Institute of Mental Health grants R01MH082830 and 2U01MH082830- 06. Lauren Wakschlag was also supported by the Walden & Jean Young Shaw Foundation. We thank Alice Carter, Barbara Danis, Carri Hill and Patrick Tolan for their valuable contributions to the development of the MAP-DB. We also thank the pediatric clinics and participants from Rush University, the University of Illinois at Chicago, NorthShore University HealthSystem, North Suburban Pediatrics and the following pediatric research group practices for their participation: Healthlinc in Valparaiso, IN, Healthlinc in Michigan City, IN, and Associated Pediatricians in Valparaiso, IN. We gratefully acknowledge David Cella’s formative insights on the art of measurement science, and his ongoing scientific leadership.
Keywords
- Callousness
- Developmentallysensitivemeasurement
- Dimensional
- Item response theory
- Preschool disruptive behavior
- Punishment insensitivity
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Developmental and Educational Psychology
- Psychiatry and Mental health