Children's Optimism and Its Correlation with Parents' Perceptions

Abstract

This study investigated the level of optimism in children ages seven through ten, and whether the parents of these same children could predict their children’s optimism. Children (N=19) in a suburban/rural day-care center were administered the Children's Attributional Style Questionnaire. The questionnaire measured whether or not children globalize events in their lives, whether they see positive and negative events as permanent, and whether they blame themselves or take credit for successes and failures in their lives. The questionnaire was administered to the entire group after school. The parents completed the same questionnaire without discussion with the children. The parents were told to answer the questions as they believed their children had. Data from the children and parents were correlated. It was found that there was no significant correlation between any of the measured areas except for the personalization of negative events. That is, there was a significant positive correlation between children's responses to negative events and their parents' ability to predict it. In addition, there was almost equal distribution of the group among the categories: optimistic, average, pessimistic. However, there were no extreme measures in any one area. Also, each area of optimism measured resulted in an average rating. This population did not test significantly optimistic or pessimistic, but within the average range as a whole.