A New Scale for Measuring Adults' Prosocialness

2005 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 77-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gian Vittorio Caprara ◽  
Patrizia Steca ◽  
Arnaldo Zelli ◽  
Cristina Capanna
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Item Response ◽  
Behavioral Assessment ◽  
Reliability And Validity ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Measurement Properties ◽  
Prior Work ◽  
Item Scale ◽  
Assessment Research

Abstract. In the present study, the authors proposed a novel self-report 16-item scale for assessing individual differences in adult prosocialness and tested its measurement properties by employing an item response theory (IRT) analysis of data collected from a sample of 2,574 Italian adults. Prior work employing classical psychometric methods of analysis had already established the reliability and validity of the instrument. The present study furthered this scrutiny by examining whether the different prosocialness items were equally effective in discriminating people and equally informative; it also examined gender differences in the functioning of the items. The results of IRT analyses strongly supported the measurement effectiveness and sensitivity of the 16 prosocialness items, and findings are discussed for their implications in behavioral assessment research on prosocialness.

Assessing Individual Differences in Working Models of Caregiving

2007 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 227-239 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abira Reizer ◽  
Mario Mikulincer
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Reliability And Validity ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Parenting Attitudes ◽  
Working Models ◽  
Current Series ◽  
Self Construal ◽  
Communal Orientation ◽  
Attachment Dimensions ◽  
Report Measure

Abstract. In the current series of studies, we developed a self-report measure of mental representations of caregiving (MRC). Study 1 (N = 841) describes the development and factor structure of the MRC scale. Studies 2-4 provided convergent, discriminant, and construct validity of the MRC scale, by examining its associations with attachment dimensions, empathy, emotional control, relational interdependent self-construal, communal orientation, and value priorities. Study 5 revealed significant associations between caregiving representations and parenting attitudes (desire to have a child, feelings toward parenthood, and expectations of self-efficacy as a parent). Overall, the results provide highly consistent evidence for the reliability and validity of the new MRC scale. The implications of individual differences in mental representation of caregiving for prosocial behavior and helping are discussed.

Individual differences in the propensity to make attributions to prejudice

2016 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 280-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stuart S. Miller ◽  
Donald A. Saucier
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Reliability And Validity ◽  
Racial Prejudice ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Large Sample ◽  
Prejudice And Discrimination ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Ambiguous Situations

Whether racism is perceived in ambiguous situations may depend on individual differences in perceivers’ beliefs about the prevalence of racial prejudice and discrimination, trivialization of targets’ concerns, and vigilance and confidence in recognizing instances of racial prejudice. In Studies 1 and 2, we develop a psychometrically sound measure of these beliefs, the Propensity to Make Attributions to Prejudice Scale (PMAPS), and provide evidence that the PMAPS is related to individual differences in the justification and suppression of prejudice. Studies 3 and 5 provide evidence that the PMAPS predicts attributions to prejudice in a variety of situations. Theoretically consistent racial and gender differences in the PMAPS were found in a large sample (Study 4). Together, these data provide evidence supporting the reliability and validity of the PMAPS and provide insights about the role that beliefs and expectations play in third-party observers’ judgments about expressions of prejudice.

scholarly journals A Qualitative Review of the Psychometric Properties and Feasibility of Electronic Headache Diaries for Children and Adults: Where We Are and Where We Need to Go

2013 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 142-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer N Stinson ◽  
Anna Huguet ◽  
Patrick McGrath ◽  
Brittany Rosenbloom ◽  
Charlene Soobiah ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Trials ◽  
Psychometric Properties ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Reliability And Validity ◽  
Final Analysis ◽  
Reporting Guidelines ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Measurement Properties ◽  
Essential Components ◽  
Headache Pain

BACKGROUND: While paper headache pain diaries have been used to determine the effectiveness of headache treatments in clinical trials, recent advances in information and communication technologies have resulted in the burgeoning use of electronic diaries (e-diaries) for headache pain.OBJECTIVE: To qualitatively review headache e-diaries, assess their measurement properties, examine measurement components and compare these components with recommended reporting guidelines.METHODS: The databases Medline, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Embase, PsychInfo, the Education Resources Information Centre and ISI Web of Science were searched for self-report headache e-diaries for children and adults. A total of 21 publications that involved e-diaries were found; five articles reported on the development of an e-diary and 16 used an e-diary as an outcome measure in randomized controlled trials or observational studies. The diary measures’ components, features and psychometric properties, as well as the quality of evidence of their psychometric properties, were evaluated.RESULTS: Five headache e-diaries met the a priori criteria and were included in the final analysis. None of these e-diaries had well-developed evidence of reliability and validity. Three e-diaries showed evidence of feasibility. E-diaries with ad hoc measures developed by the study investigators were most common, with little to no supportive evidence of reliability and/or validity. Compliance with the reporting guidelines was variable, with only one-half of the e-diaries measuring the recommended primary outcome of headache frequency.CONCLUSIONS: Specific recommendations regarding the development (including essential components) and testing of headache e-diaries are discussed. Further research is needed to strengthen the measurement of headache pain in clinical trials using headache e-diaries.

scholarly journals The 9-SRA Scale: A Simplified 9-Items Version of the SRA Scale to Assess Altruism

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 6999
Author(s):  
Enrique Manzur ◽  
Sergio Olavarrieta
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Reliability And Validity ◽  
The Self ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Altruistic Behavior ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
Potential Applications ◽  
Validation Procedure ◽  
Item Scale ◽  
Adequate Reliability

In a classic study, Rushton and colleagues presented a 20-item scale to assess the altruistic behavior of people: the Self-Report Altruism (SRA) scale. This article focuses on the development of a simplified 9-item scale—the 9-SRA scale—describing the entire refinement and validation procedure using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. The 9-SRA shows adequate reliability and validity and represents a more parsimonious instrument to assess altruism and for use in empirical studies focused on human and prosocial behavior. The article discusses the advantages and potential applications of the new scale.

Delineating physiologic defensive reactivity in the domain of self-report: phenotypic and etiologic structure of dispositional fear

2011 ◽  
Vol 42 (6) ◽  
pp. 1305-1320 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. D. Kramer ◽  
C. J. Patrick ◽  
R. F. Krueger ◽  
M. Gasperi
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Anxiety Disorders ◽  
Hierarchical Structure ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Prior Work ◽  
Neural Substrate ◽  
Phenotypic Structure ◽  
Adult Twins ◽  
Additional Variance ◽  
Startle Potentiation

BackgroundIndividual differences in fear and fearlessness have been investigated at their extremes in relation to markedly different forms of psychopathology – anxiety disorders and psychopathy, respectively. A documented neural substrate of fear-related traits and disorders is defensive reactivity as reflected in aversive startle potentiation (ASP).MethodThe current study extended prior work by characterizing, in a sample of adult twins from the community (n=2511), the phenotypic and etiologic structure of self-report measures of fear and fearlessness known to be associated with ASP.ResultsAnalyses revealed a hierarchical structure to the trait fear domain, with an overarching, bipolar fear/fearlessness dimension saturating each measure in this domain, and subfactors labeled ‘distress,’ ‘stimulation seeking’ and ‘sociability’ accounting for additional variance in particular measures. The structure of genetic and non-shared environmental associations among the measures closely mirrored the phenotypic structure of the domain.ConclusionsThe findings have implications for proposals to reconceptualize psychopathology in neurobiological terms.

Large-Scale Demonstration Experiment of Mental Imagery Ability

1993 ◽  
Vol 76 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 1089-1090 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Richard Ferraro
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Present Article ◽  
Mental Imagery ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Introductory Psychology Class ◽  
Imagery Ability ◽  
Psychology Class ◽  
Demonstration Experiment ◽  
And Gender

The present article describes a demonstration experiment used in a large introductory psychology class pertaining to mental imagery ability. The experiment is effective in providing a concrete instance of mental imagery as well as an effective discussion regarding individual differences and gender differences in imagery ability.

Is There a Measurement Crisis in Disgust Research?

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Armstrong ◽  
Danica Wilbanks ◽  
Daniel Leong ◽  
Kean J. Hsu
Keyword(s):  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Clinical Psychology ◽  
Reliability And Validity ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Behavioral Therapies ◽  
Cognitive Behavioral Therapies ◽  
Societal Problems ◽  
Test Retest Reliability ◽  
Pathogen Avoidance ◽  
Corrective Information

Once a forgotten emotion, disgust is now studied in fields from evolutionary to clinical psychology. Although highly adaptive as a pathogen avoidance mechanism, disgust is prone to false positives. Indeed, several anxiety-related disorders involve excessive and irrational disgust. Furthermore, disgust resists corrective information, making it difficult to treat through cognitive-behavioral therapies. A deeper understanding of disgust could improve the treatment of mental disorders and other societal problems involving this peculiar emotion. However, researchers may need to improve the measurement of disgust to gain such insights. In this paper, we review psychology’s “measurement crisis” in the context of disgust. We suggest that self-report measures, though optimal in reliability, have compromised validity because the vernacular usage of disgust captures neighboring states of discomfort and disapproval. In addition to potential validity issues, we find that most non-self-report measures of disgust have questionable reliability. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability were rarely reported for psychophysiological and neural measures, but the information available suggests that these measures of disgust have poor reliability and may not support individual difference research crucial to clinical psychology. In light of this assessment, we provide several recommendations for improving the reliability and validity of disgust measurement, including renewed attention to theory.

Individual differences related to present and future mental orientation predict the sense of time

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc Wittmann ◽  
Henrike Fiedler ◽  
Wilhelm Gros ◽  
Julia Mossbridge ◽  
Cintia Retz Lucci
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Time Perspective ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Reproduction Task ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Waiting Period ◽  
Frequency Scale ◽  
Temporal Intervals ◽  
Sense Of Time

With this cross-sectional study we investigated how individual differences regarding present- and future-oriented mental processes are related to the experience of time in the seconds and minutes range. A sample of students (N = 100) filled out self-report measures of time perspective (ZTPI), mindfulness (FMI), impulsiveness (BIS), and the daydreaming frequency scale (DDFS). Furthermore they were asked to (a) retrospectively judge the duration of a waiting period of five minutes, and (b) to prospectively perform an visual duration reproduction task with intervals of 3, 6, and 9 seconds. Regression models show that (a) being more present fatalistic (ZTPI) and more impulsive are related to longer duration estimates of the waiting period, and (b) having a stronger propensity to daydream leads to a stronger under-reproduction of temporal intervals. These findings show how personality traits related to present orientation are associated with the state-like perception of duration.

Individual differences in white and grey matter structure associated with verbal habits of thought

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin C. Hayes ◽  
Katherine L Alfred ◽  
Rachel Pizzie ◽  
Joshua S. Cetron ◽  
David J. M. Kraemer
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
White Matter ◽  
Cognitive Processing ◽  
Grey Matter ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Self Report ◽  
White Matter Tracts

Modality specific encoding habits account for a significant portion of individual differences reflected in functional activation during cognitive processing. Yet, little is known about how these habits of thought influence long-term structural changes in the brain. Traditionally, habits of thought have been assessed using self-report questionnaires such as the visualizer-verbalizer questionnaire. Here, rather than relying on subjective reports, we measured habits of thought using a novel behavioral task assessing attentional biases toward picture and word stimuli. Hypothesizing that verbal habits of thought are reflected in the structural integrity of white matter tracts and cortical regions of interest, we used diffusion tensor imaging and volumetric analyses to assess this prediction. Using a whole-brain approach, we show that word bias is associated with increased volume in several bilateral language regions, in both white and grey matter parcels. Additionally, connectivity within white matter tracts within an a priori speech production network increased as a function of word bias. These results demonstrate long-term structural and morphological differences associated with verbal habits of thought.

Assessing OCD Symptoms and Severity

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole M. Dorfan ◽  
Sheila R. Woody
Keyword(s):  
Treatment Plan ◽  
Behavioral Assessment ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Self Monitoring ◽  
Evidence Based Treatment ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Symptom Profile ◽  
Diagnostic Interviews

This chapter describes methods and tools for assessing obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). The chapter outlines the purposes of assessment and discusses special challenges presented by OCD, such as shame associated with socially unacceptable obsessional content. Several types of assessment tools are discussed, including structured diagnostic interviews, semistructured clinician interviews to assess OCD symptom profile and severity, self-report instruments, behavioral assessment and self-monitoring, assessment of appraisals and beliefs relevant to OCD, and functional impairment. The importance of linking assessment findings to an evidence-based treatment plan is discussed.

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