Instrument Descriptions

Dr. Rothbart has developed parent- and self-report questionnaires for assessing temperament in infancy, childhood, early adolescence, and adulthood. By clicking on the links below, you can get basic information on the various forms, including a description of the different domains of temperament that they measure. You can also review the answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about the measures.

Please note that these questionnaires are to be used for research purposes only. If you are interested in acquiring current versions of these instruments, we ask that you first fill out a brief request form describing which questionnaires you would like to use, your plans for use of the measures, and the age groups you plan to study. It is helpful if you specify temperament scales and/or factors in your plans of use.

As a reply to your request, you will receive a password and URL that you may follow to download the forms. Upon completion of your research, we request that you send an e-mail describing the results of your project as they relate to the temperament scales. In this way, we hope to coordinate attempts at validation of the scales.

Note: Due to our limited knowledge of other languages, we have not had direct control over the development of the non-English questionnaires. As a result, we cannot offer full assurance regarding the quality of the translations. Our goal, along with those who created the non-English questionnaires, is to make them accessible and accurate. If you identify a problem with the translation of one or more items, please contact us.

The lists below include all translations that we have acquired to date. If you create a translation of one or more of the questionnaires that is not on the list, please allow us to disseminate it on this website by contacting Samuel Putnam at [email protected].

Please note that the age ranges listed below are only rough guidelines.  Most of these questionnaires can be used with children who are somewhat younger or older than the ages listed. Consult our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for more information.