Objective and subjective components in mothers' perceptions of their children from age 6 months to 3 years.

There has been considerable discussion in the literature about the meaning of parent reports of child characteristics, particularly in the area of temperament. Some have suggested that the reports are essentially reflections of the child's ac tual, objectifiable behavior; others, that they are essentially reflections of the parents' cognitive characteristics. In the most comprehensive way to date, the current study evaluated the model that...