The interaction between child sex and temperament in predicting behavior problems of preschool-age children in day care

Teachers in three day care programs completed temperament questionnaires and behavior problem checklists for 133 preschool-age children. Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficients were calculated between the temperament and behavior problem scores for boys and girls. The results indicated that correlations between temperament and behavior problem variables were generally higher for boys than girls. A pattern emerged in which boys who were rated by teachers as more active and distractible and less adaptable were also perceived to be more anxious/fearful.