Psychology Commons^™

Factoring The Personal Profile System For Construct Validity: Three Analyses Under Different Standardization Assumptions, Thomas G. Henkel, James Noel Wilmoth

Tom G. Henkel

Three types of data were factor analyzed using principal components extractions with orthogonal and oblique rotations to test publisher claims for construct validity of the Personal Profile System (PPS). Behavioral descriptor data from 1,045 senior non-commissioned Air Force officers were factored as raw data, mean corrected data, and standardized z-scores (correlations). The most efficacious solution was produced with standardized z-scores generating four factors accounting for 86% of the total variance. The measure of sampling adequacy for every descriptor exceeded 0.922. The first factor was general with approximately equal loadings on each of the dominance, influencing, steadiness, and compliance dimensions. The …

Shwartz, Morris, And Penna, 2019. Psychometric Properties Of The Saint Louis University Mental Status Examination.Pdf, Susan Shwartz

Susan Shwartz

Cognitive Triad Inventory (Cti) : Psychometric Properties And Factor Structure Of The German Translation., Patrick Pössel

Patrick Pössel

A central component of Beck, A. T., Rush, J., & Shaw, B. F. [(1979). Cognitive therapy of depression. New York: Guilford Press] cognitive theory of depression is the cognitive triad (negative view of self, world, and future) measurable with the Cognitive Triad Inventory (CTI). This study examined the psychometric properties and factor structure of the German CTI in a sample of 796 German volunteers. The study provides evidence for the reliability and validity of the German CTI and of independent positive and negative elements of the cognitive triad. Furthermore, results emphasize methodological above conceptual problems in Beck et al.'s (1979) …

Respondent Self-Focus And The Internal Consistency Of The Motivational Style Profile, Kenneth M. Cramer, Kathryn Lafreniere, Phillip A. Ianni

Kathryn Lafreniere

One of the underlying tenets of both personality and social psychological theory assumes that questionnaire respondents have access to their thoughts and feelings. The same tenet underlies the various reversal theory states (e.g., telic/paratelic, negativism/conformity, autic mastery /sympathy, alloic mastery/sympathy), so that individuals who are more internally focused should have better access to their internal states and have higher internal consistency ratings across all measures. To evaluate this tenet, 620 participants recruited from a community sample completed a questionnaire that included the Motivational Style Profile and three self-focus measures: self-monitoring, identity formation, and private self-consciousness. Participants were divided (by median …

Respondent Self-Focus And The Internal Consistency Of The Motivational Style Profile, Kenneth M. Cramer, Kathryn Lafreniere, Phillip A. Ianni

Kathryn Lafreniere

One of the underlying tenets of both personality and social psychological theory assumes that questionnaire respondents have access to their thoughts and feelings. The same tenet underlies the various reversal theory states (e.g., telic/paratelic, negativism/conformity, autic mastery /sympathy, alloic mastery/sympathy), so that individuals who are more internally focused should have better access to their internal states and have higher internal consistency ratings across all measures. To evaluate this tenet, 620 participants recruited from a community sample completed a questionnaire that included the Motivational Style Profile and three self-focus measures: self-monitoring, identity formation, and private self-consciousness. Participants were divided (by median …

The Development Of An Internet Attitudes Scale, Brendan Morse, Nicole Gullekson, Samantha Morris, Paula Popovich

Brendan J. Morse

The popularity of Internet use has generated a need for reliable and valid Internet attitude assessments. Current practices in the development and validation of Internet attitude scales have raised several methodological and practical issues. The purpose of this study was to develop general Internet attitudes measure as well as to explore the psychometric and methodological concerns surrounding the construct validity of existing Internet attitude scales. A three-study sequence was conducted that included the development and refinement of the Attitudes Towards the Internet Scale (ATIS), an investigation of differences between Internet and paper-and-pencil administrations, and differential item and person functioning. The …

An Item Response Theory And Factor Analytic Examination Of Two Prominent Maximizing Tendency Scales, Justin Weinhardt, Brendan Morse, Janna Chimeli, Jamie Fisher

Brendan J. Morse

The current study examines the construct validity of the Maximization Scale (MS; Schwartz et al., 2002) and the Maximization Tendency Scale (MTS; Diab et al., 2008) as well as the nomological net of the maximizing construct. We find that both scales of maximizing suffer psychometrically, especially in their proposed dimensionality. Using confirmatory factor analysis and item response theory (IRT) we identify and remove three problematic items from the MTS and six problematic items from the MS. Additionally, we find that the MS appears to be measuring difficulty and restlessness with the search for the best alternative, whereas the MTS is …

Cross-Cultural Adaptation, Validation And Reliability Of The Brazilian Version Of The Richmond Compulsive Buying Scale, Priscilla Leite, Bernard Range, Monika Kukar-Kinney, Nancy Ridgway, Kent Monroe, Rodolfo Ribas Jr., J. Landeira-Fernandez, Antonio Egidio Nardi, Adriana Silva

Nancy Ridgway

Objective: To present the process of transcultural adaptation of the Richmond Compulsive Buying Scale to Brazilian Portuguese. Methods: For the semantic adaptation step, the scale was translated to Portuguese and then back-translated to English by two professional translators and one psychologist, without any communication between them. The scale was then applied to 20 participants from the general population for language adjustments. For the construct validation step, an exploratory factor analysis was performed, using the scree plot test, principal component analysis for factor extraction, and Varimax rotation. For convergent validity, the correlation matrix was analyzed through Pearson’s coefficient. Results: The scale …

Measuring The Outliers: An Introduction To Out-Of-Level Testing With High-Achieving Students, Karen Rambo-Hernandez, Russell Warne

Russell T Warne

Out-of-level testing is an underused strategy for addressing the needs of students who score in the extremes, and when used wisely, it could provide educators with a much more accurate picture of what students know. Out-of-level testing has been shown to be an effective assessment strategy with high-achieving students; however, out-of-level testing has not been shown to work well with low-achieving students. This article provides a brief history of out-of-level testing, along with guidelines for using it.

Exploring The Various Interpretations Of "Test Bias", Russell Warne, Myeongsun Yoon, Chris Price

Russell T Warne

Test bias is a hotly debated topic in society, especially as it relates to diverse groups of examinees who often score low on standardized tests. However, the phrase “test bias” has a multitude of interpretations that many people are not aware of. In this article, we explain five different meanings of “test bias” and summarize the empirical and theoretical evidence related to each interpretation. The five meanings are as follows: (a) mean group differences, (b) differential predictive validity, (c) differential item functioning, (d) differing factor structures of tests, and (e) unequal consequences of test use for various groups. We explain …

Using Above-Level Testing To Track Growth In Academic Achievement In Gifted Students, Russell Warne

Russell T Warne

Above-level testing is the practice of administering aptitude or academic achievement tests that are designed for typical students in higher grades or older age-groups to gifted or high-achieving students. Although widely accepted in gifted education, above-level testing has not been subject to careful psychometric scrutiny. In this study, I examine reliability data, growth trajectories, distributions, and group differences of above-level test scores obtained from the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills and Iowa Tests of Educational Development. Two hundred twenty-four middle school students participated in this study. All participants were tested at least 1 time for an overall total of 435 …

An Introduction To Item Response Theory For Health Behavior Researchers, Russell Warne

Russell T Warne

OBJECTIVE:

To introduce item response theory (IRT) to health behavior researchers by contrasting it with classical test theory and providing an example of IRT in health behavior.

METHOD:

Demonstrate IRT by fitting the 2PL model to substance-use survey data from the Adolescent Health Risk Behavior questionnaire (n=1343 adolescents).

RESULTS:

An IRT 2PL model can produce viable substance use scores that differentiate different levels of substance use, resulting in improved precision and specificity at the respondent level.

CONCLUSION:

IRT is a viable option for health researchers who want to produce high-quality scores for unidimensional constructs. The results from our example-although not …

Positive Trait Item Response Models, Joseph F. Lucke

Joseph Lucke

A new item response model is proposed for which the trait is positive. Three such models, the loglogistic, the log-normal, and the Weibull, are presented along with their item information curves. The data of seven addiction items from the DSM-IV from a study on alcohol addiction is analyzed by these three models using Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo methods. The item characteristic curves and item information curves are presented for all three models. The person scores for four item response patterns are presented for the log-logistic model.

A Reliability Generalization Of The Overexcitability Questionnaire-Two (Oeqii), Russell Warne

Russell T Warne

Reliability generalization (RG) is a meta-analysis that combines and synthesizes reliability coefficients from different studies to ascertain the average observed reliability across studies. An RG study was conducted on previously reported data from 16 samples of the Overexcitability Questionnaire–Two (OEQII) with a combined N of 5,275. Cronbach’s alpha was found to be consistently higher on all OEQII subscales when scale variance was high and the sample consisted of adults. Sample size, gender composition of the sample, number of items from the subscale used, and location of sample (United States or a different county) had varying effects on observed alpha levels …

An Investigation Of Measurement Invariance Across Genders On The Overexcitability Questionnaire-Two (Oeqii), Russell Warne

Russell T Warne

The Overexcitability Questionnaire–Two (OEQII) is a quantitative instrument for assessing overexcitabilities as they are described in Dabrowski’s theory of positive disintegration. This article uses multigroup confirmatory factor analysis to examine the measurement invariance of OEQII scores across genders. Results indicate that raw OEQII scores cannot be compared across genders. Caution should be used in interpreting OEQII scores.

Estimating Confidence Intervals For Eigenvalues In Exploratory Factor Analysis, Ross Larsen, Russell Warne

Russell T Warne

Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) has become a common procedure in educational and psychological research. In the course of performing an EFA, researchers often base the decision of how many factors to retain on the eigenvalues for the factors. However, many researchers do not realize that eigenvalues, like all sample statistics, are subject to sampling error, which means that confidence intervals (CIs) can be estimated for each eigenvalue. In the present article, we demonstrate two methods of estimating CIs for eigenvalues: one based on the mathematical properties of the central limit theorem, and the other based on bootstrapping. References to appropriate …

Predicting Breast-Feeding Attrition: Adapting The Breast-Feeding Attrition Prediction Tool, Elizabeth Reifsnider, Sarah L. Gill, Joseph F. Lucke, Angela R. Mann

Joseph Lucke

CONTEXT: Current breast-feeding rates fall short of the recommendations set forth in Health People 2010. The Breast-feeding Attrition Prediction Tool (BAPT), administered in the postpartum period, has been useful in predicting breast-feeding attrition. However, assessing a woman's intention to breast-feed prior to birth would identify women at risk for breast-feeding attrition.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to describe a revised BAPT, administered antepartally that measures intention to breast-feed.

METHODS: The BAPT, comprising 94 items on a 6-point Likert-type scale, was translated into Spanish and back-translated for accuracy. The BAPT was then revised by reducing the number of items …

The $\Alpha$ And The $\Omega$ Of Congeneric Test Theory: An Extension Of Reliability And Internal Consistency To Heterogeneous Tests, Joseph F. Lucke

Joseph Lucke

Psychometric theory focuses primarily on tests that are homogeneous, that measure only one attribute of a psychosocial entity. However, the complexity of psychosocial behavior often requires tests that are heterogeneous, that measure more than one attribute. In this presentation, reliability and internal consistency are extended to heterogeneous tests under the rubric of congeneric test theory. The extensions show that reliability and internal consistency have very similar properties. Reliability and internal consistency are shown to be unique up to a linear transformation. Whereas internal consistency is a lower bound to reliability in the homogeneous case, it is a strict lower bound …