Many approaches to the assessment of psychopathology in children have been governed by the conception of the prepubescent child as being unable or unwilling to recognize and report on his or her own behavior. Behavior of interest to the evaluator is perceived as being particularly difficult to obtain. This conception of the child's abilities is particularly evident in the use of behavior checklists, which are almost always designed to be completed by an information source other than the child. Checklists are inexpensive to use, but for diagnosis of depression, for example, they function only as preliminary screening devices and require follow-up by other diagnostic methods. A syndrome determination requires an assessment capable of differential diagnosis, which checklists are not yet designed to do. Structured and semi-structured psychiatric interviews are capable of making a syndrome determination, however. These techniques provide for a more systematic evaluation of signs and symptoms of disorder, thereby reducing the information variance in diagnosis and further improving diagnostic reliability. (MP)