scholarly journals Development and Validation of the Certainty About Mental States Questionnaire (CAMSQ): A Self-Report Measure of Mentalizing Oneself and Others

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sascha Müller ◽  
Leon Patrick Wendt ◽  
Johannes Zimmermann

The Certainty About Mental States Questionnaire (CAMSQ) is a self-report measure of the perceived capacity to understand mental states of the self and others (i.e., mentalizing). In two studies (total N = 1828), we developed the CAMSQ in both English and German as a two-dimensional measure of Self- and Other-Certainty, investigated associations with other measures of mentalizing, and explored relations to personality functioning and mental health. The CAMSQ performed well in terms of convergent and discriminant validity, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and measurement invariance across the US and Germany. The present research indicates that the CAMSQ assesses maladaptive forms of having too little or too much certainty about mental states (consistent with hypo- and hypermentalizing). A psychologically adaptive profile of perceived mentalizing capacity appears to be characterized by high Self-Certainty that exceeds Other-Certainty, suggesting an important role of imbalances between Self-Certainty and Other-Certainty (Other-Self-Discrepancy) as an aspect of personality pathology.

Assessment ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 107319112110612
Author(s):  
Sascha Müller ◽  
Leon P. Wendt ◽  
Johannes Zimmermann

The Certainty About Mental States Questionnaire (CAMSQ) is a self-report measure of the perceived capacity to understand mental states of the self and others (i.e., mentalizing). In two studies (total N = 1828), we developed the CAMSQ in both English and German as a two-dimensional measure of Self- and Other-Certainty, investigated associations with other measures of mentalizing, and explored relationships to personality functioning and mental health. The CAMSQ performed well in terms of convergent and discriminant validity, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and measurement invariance across the United States and Germany. The present research indicates that the CAMSQ assesses maladaptive forms of having too little or too much certainty about mental states (consistent with hypomentalizing and hypermentalizing). A psychologically adaptive profile of perceived mentalizing capacity appears to be characterized by high Self-Certainty that exceeds Other-Certainty, suggesting that imbalances between Self-Certainty and Other-Certainty (Other-Self-Discrepancy) play an important role within personality pathology.


2009 ◽  
Vol 37 (6) ◽  
pp. 729-741 ◽  
Author(s):  
Atsushi Oshio

The Dichotomous Thinking Inventory (DTI) was developed for this study as a self-report measure used to assess a black-and-white cognitive thinking style or worldview. Validation of the DTI was explored with regard to the relationships among dichotomous thinking, borderline personality, narcissism, self-esteem, undervaluing others, intolerance for ambiguity, perfectionism, and the Big Five; and relationships between dichotomous thinking and peer ratings of traits and attitudes. Factor analysis of the DTI revealed 3 components: preference for dichotomy, dichotomous beliefs, and profit-and-loss thinking. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the DTI were at a sufficient level. Correlations among self-measures supported the convergent and discriminant validity of the DTI. Participants who scored highly on the DTI were rated as being articulate and straightforward by their friends. These results generally supported the reliability and validity of the DTI.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haiyan Wu ◽  
Bowen John Fung ◽  
dean mobbs

Studies have shown that during social interaction a shared system underlies inferring one’s own mental state, and the mental states of others – processes often referred to as mentalization. However, no validated assessment has been developed to measure second order mentalization (one’s beliefs about how transparent one’s thoughts are to others), or whether this capacity plays a significant role in social interaction. The current work presents a interactive mentalization theory, which divides these directional and second order aspects of mentalization, and investigates whether these constructs are measurable, stable, and meaningful in social interactions. We developed a 20-item, self-report interactive mentalization questionnaire (IMQ) in order to assess the different sub-components of mentalization: self-self, self-other, and other-self mentalization (Study 1). We then tested this scale on a large, online sample, and report convergent and discriminant validity in the form of correlations with other measures (Study 2), as well as correlations with social deception behaviors in real interaction with Mturk studies (Study 3 and Study 4). These results validate the IMQ, and support the idea that these three factors can predict mentalization in social interaction.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra C Pike ◽  
Jade Serfaty ◽  
Oliver Joe Robinson

Catastrophising is a cognitive process that can be defined as predicting the worst possible outcome. It has been shown to be related to psychiatric diagnoses such as depression and anxiety, yet there are no self-report questionnaires specifically measuring it outside the context of pain research. Here, we therefore develop a novel, comprehensive self-report measure of general catastrophising. We performed five online studies (total n=734), in which we created and refined a Catastrophising Questionnaire, and used a factor analytic approach to understand its underlying structure. We also assessed convergent and discriminant validity, and analysed test-retest reliability. Furthermore, we tested the ability of Catastrophising Questionnaire scores to predict relevant clinical variables over and above other questionnaires. Finally, we also developed a four-item short version of this questionnaire. We found that our questionnaire is best fit by a single underlying factor, and shows convergent and discriminant validity. Exploratory factor analyses indicated that catastrophising is independent from other related constructs, including anxiety and worry. Moreover, we demonstrate incremental validity for this questionnaire in predicting diagnostic and medication status. Finally, we demonstrate that our Catastrophising Questionnaire has good test-retest reliability (Intra-Class-Correlation Coefficient=0.77, p<.001). Critically, we can now, for the first time, obtain detailed self-report data on catastrophising.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florian Brühlmann ◽  
Beat Vollenwyder ◽  
Klaus Opwis ◽  
Elisa D Mekler

Motivation is a fundamental concept in understanding people’s experiences and behavior. Yet, motivation to engage with an interactive system has received only limited attention in HCI. We report the development and validation of the User Motivation Inventory (UMI). The UMI is an 18-item multidimensional measure of motivation, rooted in self-determination theory (SDT). It is designed to measure intrinsic motivation, integrated, identified, introjected, and external regulation, as well as amotivation. Results of two studies (total N = 941) confirm the six-factor structure of the UMI with high reliability, as well as convergent and discriminant validity of each subscale. Relationships with core concepts such as need satisfaction, vitality, and usability were studied. Additionally, the UMI was found to detect differences in motivation for people who consider abandoning a technology compared to those who do not question their use. The central role of motivation in users’ behavior and experience is discussed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 66 (7) ◽  
pp. 3069-3094 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia A. Minson ◽  
Frances S. Chen ◽  
Catherine H. Tinsley

We develop an 18-item self-report measure of receptiveness to opposing views. Studies 1a and 1b present the four-factor scale and report measures of internal, convergent, and discriminant validity. In study 2, more receptive individuals chose to consume proportionally more information from U.S. senators representing the opposing party than from their own party. In study 3, more receptive individuals reported less mind wandering when viewing a speech with which they disagreed, relative to one with which they agreed. In study 4, more receptive individuals evaluated supporting and opposing policy arguments more impartially. In study 5, we find that voters who opposed Donald Trump but reported being more receptive at the time of the election were more likely to watch the inauguration, evaluate the content of the inauguration speech in a more even-handed manner, and select a more balanced portfolio of news outlets for later consumption than their less receptive counterparts. We discuss the scale as a tool to investigate the role of receptiveness for conflict, decision making, and collaboration. This paper was accepted by Elke Weber, judgment and decision making.


1999 ◽  
Vol 85 (1) ◽  
pp. 114-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Ishu Ishiyama

A 15-item self-report Situational Social Avoidance scale was developed and validated. Two samples of university students (total N = 407) provided data, evidencing high internal consistency (α=.89 for Sample 1, α = .92 for Sample 2) and test-retest reliability of .86 ( n = 65) over a 6.5-wk. interval. A factor-analysis yielded an interpretable 3-factor solution with three domains of social avoidance, (a) social performance, (b) socializing, and (c) self-assertion. Sample 2 showed a significant sex difference, with 138 women scoring higher, especially in the self-assertion and social performance domains. The scale had high positive correlations (from .60 to .78) with four frequently used social anxiety scales, and meaningful correlations with depression ( r = .36), self-esteem ( r = −.49), and self-critical cognition ( r = .50). Differential correlations were found between the scale's three factor-based subscales and the other social anxiety scales, suggesting different situational properties of the latter scales. Research implications and clinical use of the scale are discussed.


2018 ◽  
Vol 126 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joana Machorrinho ◽  
Guida Veiga ◽  
Jorge Fernandes ◽  
Wolf Mehling ◽  
José Marmeleira

Interoceptive awareness involves several mind–body dimensions and can be evaluated by self-report with the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA), which has been translated and validated in several countries and is being used in research and clinical contexts. This study systematically translated the MAIA with six additional items using a focus group and evaluated its psychometric properties in a respondent sample of 204 Portuguese university students (52% females; M = 21.3, SD = 3.9 years). Based on exploratory factor analysis, we refined the tool into a 33-item version and tested it in a separate sample ( n = 286; 63% females; M = 21.3, SD = 4.7 years). We then conducted confirmatory factor analysis and examined test–retest reliability and convergent and discriminant validity. We confirmed an acceptable model fit for this Portuguese version (MAIA-P) with 33 items and seven scales; it showed good construct validity and acceptable temporal reliability, The MAIA-P appears to be valuable for assessing self-reported interoceptive awareness in Portuguese healthy adults.


2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (6) ◽  
pp. 421-431 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marjaana Lindeman ◽  
Iivo Koirikivi ◽  
Jari Lipsanen

Abstract. Research on empathy has increased rapidly during the last decades but brief assessment methods are not easily available. The aim was to develop a test for affective empathic reactions which would be simple to translate into different languages, easy to use in a variety of research settings, and which would catch the empathic reactions at the moment they arise. We describe the development and validation of the Pictorial Empathy Test (PET) in three studies (Study 1, N = 91; Study 2, N = 2,789; and Study 3, N = 114). The PET includes seven photographs about distressed individuals and the participants are asked to rate on a 5-point scale how emotionally moving they find the photograph. The results indicated that the PET displayed a unitary factor structure and it had high internal consistency and good seven-month test-retest reliability. In addition, the results supported convergent and discriminant validity of the test. The results suggest that the PET is a useful addition to the prevailing methods for assessing affective empathy.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document