Domain

Temperament and personality

These measures have been identified as commonly used measures within the LifeCourse cohorts. These measures were identified to encourage potential opportunities for data harmonisation. The descriptions provided are intended to give cohort custodians and data users some common criteria to assess a survey for appropriateness to use in their own studies. It is not intended to mandate the use of any measure, or provide a comprehensive understanding of these measures.

This information was collated by the LifeCourse team from scoring manuals and documentation, publications, and official measure websites. To read about this process in more detail, access our report.

Measure No. of cohorts using measure Cost and accessibility Time to complete Key reference/s and measure information Reference frame Constructs assessed by measure Age range
SATI: School Aged Temperament Inventory 5

Publicly available, no cost, permission not needed

~10 minutes (estimate)

McClowry, S.G. (1995). The development of the School-Age Temperament Inventory. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 41: 271-285.

Current state
  • Emotional adjustment
  • Hyperactive behaviour
  • Social behaviour
  • Persistence
  • Emotional adjustment
  • Persistence
  • Temperament

Parent report, index child aged 4-12
STST: Short Temperament Scale for Toddlers 4

Pending clarification 

~5 minutes (estimate)

The STST is an Australian Temperament Project adaptation of the Toddler Temperament Scale.

  • Fullard, W., McDevitt, S.C. and Carey, W.B. (1984). Assessing temperament in one- to three-year old children. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 9: 205-216. DOI: 10.1093/jpepsy/9.2.205
  • Prior, M., Sanson, A., Oberklaid, F. and Northam, E. (1987). Measurement of temperament in 1 to 3 year old children. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 10: 121-132. DOI: 10.1177/016502548701000108
  • Sewell, J., Oberklaid, F., Prior, M., Sanson, A. and Kyrios, M. (1988). Temperament in Australian toddlers. Australian Paediatric Journal, 24: 343-345. DOI:  
    10.1111/j.1440-1754.1988.tb01385.x

Current state
  • Fussy infant
  • Hyperactive behaviour
  • Attention
  • Persistence
  • Prosocial behaviour
  • Fussy infant
  • Persistence
  • Temperament

Parent report, index child ages 1-3, but can be administered beyond 36 months