Interviewer Observations

In total, six comparable studies included some form of interviewer observation

metrics. The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study requested the submission of a taped

interaction through the submission of the parent and child taking part in a ‘Two Bags

Task’ (10-minute activity where the parent and child were asked to play with a set of

dishes and a picture book, each placed within a separate numbered bag and opened

in numerical order). The videotapes were later observed and coded by the interviewer

for parental sensitivity, intrusiveness, stimulation of cognitive development, positive

regard, negative regard, detachment, sustained attention, child engagement, and child

negativity behaviours.

Growing Up in Scotland and Fragile Families included observation items from the

HOME (Home Observation for the Measurement of the Environment) inventory such

as parental responsivity and parental acceptance. Growing Up in Scotland also included

three items from the ‘Waiting Room Checklist’: child’s reservations or lack thereof

toward the interviewer, child’s eye contact, and child’s spontaneous movement.

Fragile Families asked the interviewer to observe various household deprivation

indicators such as whether there was a highchair or toys in the home, any hazardous

housing conditions, or whether there was an operational lift. Growing Up in Australia

and Growing Up in New Zealand had similar observational questions related to the

general condition of the home, cleanliness of the child, and condition of buildings

nearby. Growing Up in Australia also included measures of parental and child

behaviour during the interview such as whether there was unprompted praise,

positive/negative moods, or any shyness/anxiety. Growing Up in New Zealand used a

method involving photographs for child-parent interaction.

In terms of measuring child development, Growing Up in New Zealand included a ‘stack

and topple’ game to observe the child’s socio-emotional and cognitive development.

The interviewer demonstrated the activity, prompted the child to take part in it

independently, and then asked the child to cooperate on the activity through taking

turns. Seven comparable studies used the British Ability Scales (BAS) to measure

cognitive ability. Fragile Families used an alternative - the Peabody Picture Vocabulary

Test - as well as a Walk the Line task to assess motor control. The Early Childhood

Longitudinal Study observed whether the child had a knowledge of basic colours,

could walk backwards along a line, catch a bean bag, build structures using blocks,

and a number of other motor assessments. Children of the 2020s uses three other

direct assessments administered on a table device: a go-no-go activity (whether the

child taps or does not tap depending on image presented) to measure response

inhibition, a corsi block task (the child is asked to tap various identical blocks) to

measure visuo-spatial working memory, and a tracing task for fine motor skills.

Diaries