Measurement Matters: A Revised Scoring System for the Infant Behavior Questionnaire – Revised Short Form (IBQ-R SF) and Age Noninvariance
Abstract
Researchers frequently rely on the Infant Behavior Questionnaire–Revised Short Form (IBQ-R SF) to assess caregiver-reported infant temperament. However, understanding infant temperament depends on the validity of the measures used to assess it. This study examined the validity of the IBQ-R SF factor structure, which underlies its scoring system that uses 14 dimension scores to generate three factor scores (Surgency/Extraversion, Negative Affectivity, and Orienting/Regulation). In a sample of 979 infants aged 3, 5, 7, 10 or 12 months, results suggested that the original and several subsequently published factor structures showed inadequate fit. After testing in discovery and replication datasets, we propose an alternative factor model with four factors that adds a Sustained Engagement factor consisting of the Duration of Orienting and Low Intensity Pleasure scales. The corresponding alternative scoring system is provided. Additional measurement invariance analyses assessed whether the IBQ-R SF measures temperament similarly at each age. Configural and metric invariance were achieved, indicating comparable relationships between IBQ-R SF dimension and factor scores across ages and rank-order stability. Failed scalar invariance may reflect age-related changes in the expression of temperament; we recommend using age as a covariate in IBQ-R SF analyses, as scores are not directly comparable across ages.
Related
- Cross-group and longitudinal measurement invariance of the Child Eating Behavior Questionnaire-24G in middle childhood
- Measurement precision matters: Accounting for uncertainty alters estimated memory trajectories across the cognitive spectrum
- Content validation of the Eating Behavior and Appetite Questionnaire (EBAQ) in adolescents with obesity or overweight.
- Researchers Behavioral Intentions to Engage in Knowledge Translation Activities and Their Association with Bibliometric Indicators: A Theory of Planned Behavior-Informed Questionnaire Study
- Psychometric validation of the persian short form of the physical literacy in children questionnaire in Iranian children aged 4-12 years: factorial validity, internal consistency, and gender-based measurement invariance.
BibTeX
@misc{kuo2026measurement,
title = {{Measurement Matters: A Revised Scoring System for the Infant Behavior Questionnaire – Revised Short Form (IBQ-R SF) and Age Noninvariance}},
author = {Yvonne Chen-Yih Kuo and Carol Lee Wilkinson and Michelle Bosquet Enlow and Samuel P. Putnam and Maria A. Gartstein and Caitlin C Clements},
howpublished = {PsyArXiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.31234/osf.io/5ajqx_v2},
url = {https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/5ajqx_v2/},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Measurement Matters: A Revised Scoring System for the Infant Behavior Questionnaire – Revised Short Form (IBQ-R SF) and Age Noninvariance
AU - Yvonne Chen-Yih Kuo
AU - Carol Lee Wilkinson
AU - Michelle Bosquet Enlow
AU - Samuel P. Putnam
AU - Maria A. Gartstein
AU - Caitlin C Clements
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/02
PB - PsyArXiv
DO - 10.31234/osf.io/5ajqx_v2
UR - https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/5ajqx_v2/
AB - Researchers frequently rely on the Infant Behavior Questionnaire–Revised Short Form (IBQ-R SF) to assess caregiver-reported infant temperament. However, understanding infant temperament depends on the validity of the measures used to assess it. This study examined the validity of the IBQ-R SF factor structure, which underlies its scoring system that uses 14 dimension scores to generate three factor scores (Surgency/Extraversion, Negative Affectivity, and Orienting/Regulation). In a sample of 979 infants aged 3, 5, 7, 10 or 12 months, results suggested that the original and several subsequently published factor structures showed inadequate fit. After testing in discovery and replication datasets, we propose an alternative factor model with four factors that adds a Sustained Engagement factor consisting of the Duration of Orienting and Low Intensity Pleasure scales. The corresponding alternative scoring system is provided. Additional measurement invariance analyses assessed whether the IBQ-R SF measures temperament similarly at each age. Configural and metric invariance were achieved, indicating comparable relationships between IBQ-R SF dimension and factor scores across ages and rank-order stability. Failed scalar invariance may reflect age-related changes in the expression of temperament; we recommend using age as a covariate in IBQ-R SF analyses, as scores are not directly comparable across ages.
ER -