Assessing Students' Perceptions of Psychology as a Science: Validation of a Self-Report Measure

1996 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Friedrich
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Method ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Performance Criteria ◽  
Reliable Measure ◽  
And Performance ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Knowledge Claims ◽  
Report Measure

Training in psychology emphasizes the scientific method as the basis for knowledge claims about thought and behavior. Students are regularly evaluated in terms of their mastery of methodological and statistical principles, but little attention has been paid to assessing the degree to which students endorse the notion that psychology is, indeed, a science. Several studies are reported that validate a self-report measure of this construct. The Psychology as Science Scale is shown to be a reliable measure that predicts a range of construct-relevant attitudinal and performance criteria. Possible research uses of the measure, as well as broader issues surrounding the general public's epistemological assumptions concerning psychology, are discussed.

Using Distributed Practice to Improve Students’ Attitudes and Performance in Statistics

2020 ◽  
pp. 009862832097968
Author(s):  
Wendi L. Benson ◽  
Jonathan P. Dunning ◽  
Danette Barber
Keyword(s):  
Skill Development ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Distributed Practice ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Perceptions And Attitudes ◽  
Attitudes Toward Statistics ◽  
Students Attitudes ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Report Measure ◽  
Major Data

Background: Research shows distributed practice enhances learning and skill development, but less is known about the effect on perceptions and attitudes toward the material being learned. Objective: This study examined whether distributed practice could improve performance and attitudes in statistics, a subject that students report finding unpleasant and anxiety-provoking. Method: This quasi-experiment compared statistics students who received distributed practice with Excel throughout the semester to a control group without distributed practice. At the end of the semester, all students completed a major data analysis project with Excel and a self-report measure of their perceptions and attitudes toward the class and statistics. Results: Significant results suggest students who received distributed practice: earned higher project grades; liked statistics more; and perceived the class to be more effective for knowledge and skill development, even though they found statistics to be more difficult than the control group. Conclusion: This study suggests distributed practice helps improve students’ performance and attitudes toward statistics, even though they think it is difficult. Teaching Implications: In addition to improving performance in challenging subjects, distributed practice may be used to help students appreciate and feel more favorably about classes they find difficult.

scholarly journals Robust associations between the 20-item prosopagnosia index and the Cambridge Face Memory Test in the general population

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 160923 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katie L. H. Gray ◽  
Geoffrey Bird ◽  
Richard Cook
Keyword(s):  
Face Recognition ◽  
General Population ◽  
Validation Study ◽  
Memory Test ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Face Memory ◽  
Formal Testing ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Report Measure

Developmental prosopagnosia (DP) is a neurodevelopmental condition, characterized by lifelong face recognition deficits. Leading research groups diagnose the condition using complementary computer-based tasks and self-report measures. In an attempt to standardize the reporting of self-report evidence, we recently developed the 20-item prosopagnosia index (PI20), a short questionnaire measure of prosopagnosic traits suitable for screening adult samples for DP. Strong correlations between scores on the PI20 and performance on the Cambridge Face Memory Test (CFMT) appeared to confirm that individuals possess sufficient insight into their face recognition ability to complete a self-report measure of prosopagnosic traits. However, the extent to which people have insight into their face recognition abilities remains contentious. A lingering concern is that feedback from formal testing, received prior to administration of the PI20, may have augmented the self-insight of some respondents in the original validation study. To determine whether the significant correlation with the CFMT was an artefact of previously delivered feedback, we sought to replicate the validation study in individuals with no history of formal testing. We report highly significant correlations in two independent samples drawn from the general population, confirming: (i) that a significant relationship exists between PI20 scores and performance on the CFMT, and (ii) that this is not dependent on the inclusion of individuals who have previously received feedback. These findings support the view that people have sufficient insight into their face recognition abilities to complete a self-report measure of prosopagnosic traits.

Training distress and performance readiness: Laboratory and field validation of a brief self-report measure

2014 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. e483-490 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. R. Grove ◽  
L. C. Main ◽  
K. Partridge ◽  
D. J. Bishop ◽  
S. Russell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Self Report ◽  
Field Validation ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Report Measure

Assessing Daily Stress with the Short Stress State Questionnaire (SSSQ): Relationships with Cognitive Slips-Failures

2005 ◽  
Vol 49 (10) ◽  
pp. 886-890 ◽  
Author(s):  
William S. Helton ◽  
Diana Fields ◽  
Joseph A. Thoreson
Keyword(s):  
Stress State ◽  
Task Engagement ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Factor Analyses ◽  
Daily Stress ◽  
Reliable Measure ◽  
Stress Task ◽  
The Individual ◽  
P Factor ◽  
Report Measure

Stress is an important aspect of operational settings. This article presents a study providing further psychometric and validation evidence of a short multidimensional self-report measure of stress state, the Short Stress State Questionnaire (SSSQ; Helton, 2004) based on the Dundee Stress State Questionnaire (DSSQ; Matthews et al., 1999, 2002). Participants filled out the SSSQ twice daily for 70 days, once in the morning and once at night. They also reported daily cognitive slipsfailures. Chain-P Factor Analyses of the individual items for both pre and post assessments were conducted and the relationships between the SSSQ factors and daily self-reported cognitive slipsfailures were examined. The factor analyses, as previously indicated by Helton (2004), differentiated three aspects of subjective stress: Task Engagement, Distress, and Worry. Daily post-Distress and post-Worry correlated moderately with cognitive slips. The 24-item SSSQ appears to be a reliable measure of daily stress state, potentially useful in naturalistic studies.

scholarly journals Psychometric properties and validity of dyadic coping inventory-urdu version for use in Pakistan

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-199
Author(s):  
Sultan Shujja ◽  
Adnan Adil ◽  
Ashley K. Randall ◽  
Guy Bodenmann ◽  
Farah Malik
Keyword(s):  
Discriminant Validity ◽  
Dyadic Coping ◽  
Self Report ◽  
English Version ◽  
Reliable Measure ◽  
Convergent And Discriminant Validity ◽  
New Directions ◽  
Married Individuals ◽  
Dyadic Coping Inventory ◽  
Report Measure

For married individuals living in Pakistan, stress within their relationship has emerged as a major source of marital conflicts and even relationship dissolution. However, research based on the systemic transactional model of dyadic coping (DC) suggests partners’ use of coping strategies may help in buffering these devastating effects of stress. The original German version of the Dyadic Coping Inventory (DCI) is a widely used self-report measure that has been translated in various languages, however, has not been validated for use with individuals living in Pakistan who speak Urdu. The purpose of the present study was to translate and validate the DCI into Urdu for use with married individuals living in Pakistan. Data were collected from 538 Pakistani married adults. Findings supported the original factor structure of the German and English version of the DCI. As such, results supported the 33-items DCI-Urdu as a valid and reliable measure to assess DC behaviors in Pakistani married individuals. Further, convergent and discriminant validity and measurement invariance (MI) across gender for the DCI-Urdu were consistent with that of DCI-English. A validated measure of the DCI in Urdu provides new directions for researchers and clinicians working with couples in Pakistan.

Trauma-Related Shame, Sexual Assault Severity, Thwarted Belongingness, and Perceived Burdensomeness Among Female Undergraduate Survivors of Sexual Assault

Crisis ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 134-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher R. DeCou ◽  
Stephanie P. Kaplan ◽  
Julie Spencer ◽  
Shannon M. Lynch
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Suicidal Ideation ◽  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Psychosocial Risk ◽  
Thwarted Belongingness ◽  
Female Undergraduate ◽  
Perceived Burdensomeness ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
And Behavior

Abstract. Background and Aim: This study evaluated trauma-related shame as a mediator of the association between sexual assault severity and perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness. Method: A total of 164 female undergraduates who reported attempted or completed sexual assault completed self-report measures of sexual assault, trauma-related shame, perceived burdensomeness, and thwarted belongingness. Results: Using path analysis, trauma-related shame mediated the association between sexual assault severity and perceived burdensomeness, and between sexual assault severity and thwarted belongingness. Limitations: The findings of this study are limited by the retrospective, self-report, and cross-sectional nature of these data, and do not allow for causal inference. Conclusion: Trauma-related shame warrants additional investigation as a mechanism that explains the association between sexual assault and psychosocial risk factors for suicidal ideation and behavior.

Dimensionality and Reliability Assessment of the Pain Patient Profile Questionnaire

2008 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian E. McGuire ◽  
Michael J. Hogan ◽  
Todd G. Morrison
Keyword(s):  
Self Report ◽  
Pain Patient ◽  
Fit Indices ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Oblique Rotation ◽  
Pain Experience ◽  
Patient Profile ◽  
Adequate Representation ◽  
Pain Patients ◽  
Report Measure

Abstract. Objective: To factor analyze the Pain Patient Profile questionnaire (P3; Tollison & Langley, 1995 ), a self-report measure of emotional distress in respondents with chronic pain. Method: An unweighted least squares factor analysis with oblique rotation was conducted on the P3 scores of 160 pain patients to look for evidence of three distinct factors (i.e., Depression, Anxiety, and Somatization). Results: Fit indices suggested that three distinct factors, accounting for 32.1%, 7.0%, and 5.5% of the shared variance, provided an adequate representation of the data. However, inspection of item groupings revealed that this structure did not map onto the Depression, Anxiety, and Somatization division purportedly represented by the P3. Further, when the analysis was re-run, eliminating items that failed to meet salience criteria, a two-factor solution emerged, with Factor 1 representing a mixture of Depression and Anxiety items and Factor 2 denoting Somatization. Each of these factors correlated significantly with a subsample's assessment of pain intensity. Conclusion: Results were not congruent with the P3's suggested tripartite model of pain experience and indicate that modifications to the scale may be required.

Factor Structure and Measurement Invariance of the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory – Child Version (OCI-CV) in General Population

2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 97-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tíscar Rodríguez-Jiménez ◽  
Antonio Godoy ◽  
José A. Piqueras ◽  
Aurora Gavino ◽  
Agustín E. Martínez-González ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
General Population ◽  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Factor Structure ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Good Consistency ◽  
Order Factor ◽  
General Populations ◽  
Report Measure

Abstract. Evidence-based assessment is necessary as a first step for developing psychopathological studies and assessing the effectiveness of empirically validated treatments. There are several measures of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and/or symptomatology in children and adolescents, but all of them present some limitations. The Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised (OCI-R) by Foa and her colleagues has showed to be a good self-report measure to capture the dimensionality of OCD in adults and adolescents. The child version of the OCI (OCI-CV) was validated for clinical children and adolescents in 2010, showing excellent psychometric properties. The objective of this study was to examine the factor structure and invariance of the OCI-CV in the general population. Results showed a six-factor structure with one second-order factor, good consistency values, and invariance across region, age, and sex. The OCI-CV is an excellent inventory for assessing the dimensions of OCD symptomatology in general populations of children and adolescents. The invariance across sex and age warrants its utilization for research purposes.

Assessing Self-Efficacy in Presentation and Moderation Skills

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 564-576 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tobias Ringeisen ◽  
Sonja Rohrmann ◽  
Anika Bürgermeister ◽  
Ana N. Tibubos
Keyword(s):  
Construct Validity ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Factor Analyses ◽  
Confirmatory Factor Analyses ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
Constructed Self ◽  
University Course ◽  
Correlated Factors ◽  
Report Measure

Abstract. By means of two studies, a self-report measure to assess self-efficacy in presentation and moderation skills, the SEPM scales, was validated. In study 1, factorial and construct validity were examined. A sample of 744 university students (41% females; more than 50% between 20 and 25 years) completed newly constructed self-efficacy items. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) substantiated two positively correlated factors, presentation (SEPM-P) and moderation self-efficacy (SEPM-M). Each factor consists of eight items. The correlation patterns between the two SEPM subscales and related constructs such as extraversion, the preference for cooperative learning, and conflict management indicated adequate construct validity. In study 2, criterion validity was determined by means of latent change modeling. One hundred sixty students ( Mage = 24.40, SD = 4.04; 61% females) took part in a university course to foster key competences and completed the SEPM scales at the beginning and the end of the semester. Presentation and moderation self-efficacy increased significantly over time of which the latter was positively associated with the performance in a practical moderation exam. Across both studies, reliability of the scales was high, ranging from McDonald’s ω .80 to .88.

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