DETERMINING THE RELIABILITY OF PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT IN CHILDHOOD ANXIETY

The measurement of psychophysiological responses in anxious children is a relatively new area of behavioral assessment. Therefore, basic assessment issues such as reliability and validity should be studied carefully prior to wide-spread acceptance of these procedures as useful assessment strategies. This manuscript discusses the current measurement questions, presents a review of the available literature, and some preliminary reliability data for a group of anxious children. The need for further research to clearly delineate the usefulness and limitations of this form of assessment is discussed. © 1991.