Psychology Commons^™

A Novel Examination Of None-Of-The-Above As It Influences Examinee Item Responses, Kathryn N. Thompson

Dissertations, 2020-current

It is imperative to collect validity evidence prior to interpreting and using test scores. During the process of collecting validity evidence, test developers should consider whether test scores are contaminated by sources of extraneous information. This is referred to as construct irrelevant variance, or the “degree to which test scores are affected by processes that are extraneous to the test’s intended purpose” (AERA et al., 2014, p. 12). One possible source of construct irrelevant variance is violating item-writing guidelines, such as to “avoid the use of none-of-the-above” in multiple-choice items (Rodriguez, 2016, p. 268).

Numerous studies have been conducted with …

Creating A Short, Public-Domain Version Of The Cpai-2: Using An Algorithmic Approach To Develop Public-Domain Measures Of Indigenous Personality Traits, Mukhunth Raghavan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this study we aimed to create a short, public-domain analogue of the Cross-Cultural (Chinese) Personality Assessment Inventory (CPAI-2; F. M. Cheung et al., 1996). Emic (culture-specific) traits measured by the CPAI-2 are purportedly specific to the Chinese culture and argued to not be fully captured by the consensus Big Five personality trait taxonomy. Research suggests that CPAI-2 traits may have unique predictive power, especially in non-Western contexts. However, research has been hampered by several limitations of the measure. The inventory is proprietary and long, with 341 items forming 28 scales and four factors. Cross-cultural personality research would benefit from …

Bridging Psychometric And Cognitive Models Of (General) Intelligence: An Investigation Based On Process Overlap Theory, Han Hao

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Human intelligence has been scientifically investigated as a psychological construct for over a century but there has not been a universally accepted definition or theory. One cause of this problem is that traditional theories attempt to explain the robust findings in cognitive ability testing, such as the positive manifold, from two different perspectives: psychometric or cognitive. Both approaches have their own limitations and are sometimes incompatible with each other. Therefore, contemporary theories of intelligence have been developed to provide a more unified perspective by combining both types of approaches, allowing the psychometric structure of cognitive abilities to be represented and …

Can Ratings Of Item Location Enhance Statistical Item Parameter Estimation? Extending The Feasibility Of Unfolding Irt Models, Michael Mckenna

Dissertations

Research and development of modern psychometric methods such as item response theory have drastically changed the way we understand and carry out the measurement of psychological constructs. Despite this, there has been relatively little adoption by psychological researchers to incorporate these methods into their research. While multiple explanations are surely valid, one oft stated reason is the large sample size requirements of these methods. The sample size requirements of item response theory are needed so that effective estimation of item parameters can be carried out. In an attempt to make these modern measurement methods more accessible and feasible to psychological …

Psychometric Properties Of A Working Memory Span Task, Juan M. Alzate Vanegas

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The intent of this thesis is to examine the psychometric properties of a complex span task (CST) developed to measure working memory capacity (WMC) using measurements obtained from a sample of 68 undergraduate students at the University of Central Florida. The Grocery List Task (GLT) promises several design improvements over traditional CSTs in a prior study about individual differences in WMC and distraction effects on driving performance, and it offers potential benefits for studying WMC as well as the serial-position effect. Currently, the working memory system is composed of domain-general memorial storage processes and information-processing, which involves the use of …

Identifying Examinees Who Possess Distinct And Reliable Subscores When Added Value Is Lacking For The Total Sample, Joseph A. Rios

Doctoral Dissertations

Research has demonstrated that although subdomain information may provide no added value beyond the total score, in some contexts such information is of utility to particular demographic subgroups (Sinharay & Haberman, 2014). However, it is argued that the utility of reporting subscores for an individual should not be based on one’s manifest characteristics (e.g., gender or ethnicity), but rather on individual needs for diagnostic information, which is driven by multidimensionality in subdomain scores. To improve the validity of diagnostic information, this study proposed the use of Mahalanobis Distance and H^T indices to assess whether an individual’s data significantly departs …

Inventory Of Cognitive Distortions: Validation Of A Measure Of Cognitive Distortions Using A Community Sample, Michael B. Roberts

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine and evaluate further the psychometric properties of a self-report inventory of cognitive distortions using a nonclinical, community sample. A group of 474 individuals were contacted via the social networking site, Facebook, and through a college list-serve and were asked to complete multiple measures and also to send the link to other individuals, thus utilizing a snowball sample. The measures used included the Inventory of Cognitive Distortions (ICD), Dysfunctional Attitude Scale (DAS), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and a brief questionnaire to collect demographic information on each participant. Results revealed positive psychometric properties for …

The Structure Of Child And Adolescent Aggression: Confirmatory Factor Analysis Of A Brief Peer Conflict Scale, Justin Russell

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The importance of simultaneous consideration of forms and functions in youth measures of aggressive behavior is well established. Competing models have presented these highly interrelated constructs as either independent (e.g., reactive or overt) or paired factors (e.g., reactive and overt). The current study examines these models in the context of assessing the viability of a new self-report measure, the Peer Conflict Scale – 20 Item Version. Confirmatory factor analyses were conducted on PCS 20 responses from 1,048 school-age youth living in the Gulf Coast region. Both models significantly improved upon one or two-factor alternatives, and demonstrated partial invariance across gender …

Component Numeracy Skills And Decision Making, Saima Ghazal

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Numeracy—i.e., one’s practical understanding of mathematics in context—is one of the strongest predictors of people’s general decision making skill, independent of other cognitive abilities (e.g., intelligence, working memory, attentional control). Despite notable scientific progress on the nature of numeracy and decision making, the cognitive and decision sciences have yet to investigate individual differences in numeracy components (e.g., algebra versus probability). In this dissertation, I report on my efforts to develop new measurement technology and quantitative models of cognitive and decision skills. Analyses include the first known investigations of the relations between the major adult component numeracy skills and general decision …

Bully/Victim Power Inventory: Measuring The Power Imbalance In The Bully/Victim Relationship, Marybeth Plonkey-Lehto

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The empirical study of the power imbalance in the bully/victim relationship has impeded research synthesis, and the need for a quantitative measure of this key component has been well established in the literature. Lack of differentiation between victimization with and without power imbalance has been cited as a possible cause for imprecise measurement. Increased precision in bully victimization measurement is needed to accurately inform research investigating psychosocial health, treatment and positive outcomes, in addition to prevention and intervention programs. Therefore, the purpose of this dissertation was the initial development and validation of the Bully/Victim Power Inventory aimed at differentiating perceived …

The Utility And Feasibility Of Metric Calibration For Basic Psychological Research, Etienne Lebel

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Inspired by the history of the development of instruments in the physical sciences, and by past psychology giants, the following dissertation aimed to advance basic psychological science by investigating the metric calibration of psychological instruments. The over-arching goal of the dissertation was to demonstrate that it is both useful and feasible to calibrate the metric of psychological instruments so as to render their metrics non-arbitrary. Concerning utility, a conceptual analysis was executed delineating four categories of proposed benefits of non-arbitrary metrics including (a) help in the interpretation of data, (b) facilitation of construct validity research, (c) contribution to theory development, …

A Multigroup Analysis Of Reintegrative Shaming Theory: An Application To Drunk Driving Offenses, Elizabeth J. Dansie

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A restorative justice alternative to crime prevention termed reintegrative shaming theory by Braithwaite has seen increased attention as an alternative to retributive justice, although empirical investigations of its efficacy are limited. The purpose of the present study was to test confirmatory measurement and structural models of reintegrative shaming theory in order to assess the underlying theoretical model and the application of this theory in response to drunk driving offenses. Nine latent constructs were included in these models: reintegration, stigmatization, perceived fairness, self esteem, shame-guilt, embarrassment-exposure, unresolved shame, offender responsibility, and family support.

Multigroup structural equation modeling was used to assess …

Factors Moderating The Association Between Multiple Rating Sources Of Geriatric Depression: Self, Informant, And Physician, Daniel J. Hatch

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Late-life depression is a major public health concern, associated with poor health outcomes, including doubling of dementia risk. Psychiatric evaluation is impractical in large epidemiological studies, which instead typically rely on self/informant reports, which are subject to various biases (stigma, recall). Few studies have addressed level of agreement between sources. This study examined associations between these sources and assessed whether subject and informant variables moderated these associations. In a population-based study of dementia in Cache County, Utah (2002-5), 1,480 subjects completed an in-depth clinical assessment (CA). Major depression was assessed via the self-report Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and informant-rated Neuropsychiatric …

A Construct Validity Study Of Differentiation Of Self Measures And Their Correlates, Mary Jane Maser

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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The Static-99 And Additional Research-Based Risk Factors : A Statistical Theory To Improve Sex Offender Risk Assessment, Jeffrey C. Sandler

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Research has indicated that adjusting Static-99 risk assessments for sexual recidivism using unguided clinical opinion reduces the accuracy of the risk assessments. While progress has been made in the last decade toward identifying which variables (both internal and external to the Static-99) are associated with the likelihood of an offender sexually recidivating, very little guidance has been given on how to consider the variables external to the Static-99 within the context of a Static-99 risk assessment. The current study proposes a statistical theory for how to incorporate certain variables into such an assessment, and provides some preliminary analyses to support …

Faking: A Comparison Of Effective Methods, Devon Rachelle Fell

Theses Digitization Project

This experiment has been designed to investigate which methods of faking appear to be effective, and it compares the relative impact of dispositional and situational methods. This experiment tests the methods of sterotyping (dispositional), prior knowledge (dispositional), and coaching (situational) on the ability to fake an application for a sales job as measured by their scores on two dimensions of the International Personality Item Pool (IPIP) Five Factor Personality Inventory. A total of 271 students enrolled in at least one psychology course from California State University, San Bernardino, volunteered to participate in this experiment.

Factor Structure Of The Life Orientation Test And Life Orientation Test- Revised: The Influence Of Item Framing, Jamie Moore

Theses : Honours

Historically psychological scales have used a mix of positively keyed and negatively keyed items (balanced scales) to control for the effects of response sets. While it has been established that the use of balanced scales does effectively control for response sets such as acquiescence, issues relating to the psychometric properties of these scales emerge. The following review investigated issues surrounding the reliability, validity and factor structure of balanced scales by considering whether these issues were caused by positively and negatively keyed items measuring different aspects of a construct or whether they emerged simply due to measurement error. Both these positions …