scholarly journals Japanese version of the Generic Conspiracist Beliefs Scale

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshimasa Majima ◽  
Hiroko Nakamura

The present research aimed to develop a Japanese version of the Generic Conspiracist Beliefs Scale (GCBS-J). In the first study, exploratory factor analysis with a split-half subsample (n = 300) proposed a two-factor structure separating the extraterrestrial belief from other conspiracy beliefs. Subsequent confirmatory factor analysis with the other split-half subsample (n = 300) confirmed the two-factor structure. Study 1 also established convergent validity by indicating strong positive correlations with other measures of conspiracist belief. The second study provided further evidence for convergent validity that indicates a positive correlation with related psychological constructs, such as paranormal beliefs. Study 2 also exhibited temporal test–retest reliability and the discriminant validity of the GCBS-J by indicating no association with an unrelated construct. These findings suggest that the GCBS-J is a useful tool for assessing generic conspiracist beliefs within Japanese samples.

2016 ◽  
Vol 96 (6) ◽  
pp. 888-897 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wendy F.M. Aertssen ◽  
Gillian D. Ferguson ◽  
Bouwien C.M. Smits-Engelsman

Background Adequate muscle strength, power, and endurance are important in children's daily activities and sports. Various instruments have been developed for the assessment of muscle function; each measures different aspects. The Functional Strength Measurement (FSM) was developed to measure performance in activities in which strength is required. Objective The study objective was to establish the test-retest reliability and structural and construct validity of the FSM. Design A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted. Methods The performance of 474 children with typical development on the FSM was examined. Test-retest reliability (n=47) was calculated with the intraclass correlation coefficient (2.1A) for agreement. Structural validity was examined with exploratory factor analysis, and internal consistency was established with the Cronbach alpha. Construct validity was determined by calculating correlations between FSM scores and scores obtained with a handheld dynamometer (HHD) (n=252) (convergent validity) and between FSM scores and scores on the Movement Assessment Battery for Children–2 (MABC-2) (n=77) (discriminant validity). Results The test-retest reliability of the FSM total score ranged from .91 to .94. The structural validity revealed one dimension, containing all 8 FSM items. The Cronbach alpha was .74. The convergent validity with the HHD ranged from .42 to .74. The discriminant validity with MABC-2 items revealed correlations that were generally lower than .39, and most of the correlations were not significant. Exploratory factor analysis of a combined data set (FSM, HHD, and MABC-2; n=77) revealed 2 factors: muscle strength/power and muscle endurance with an agility component. Limitations Discriminant validity was measured only in children aged 4 to 6 years. Conclusions The FSM, a norm-referenced test for measuring functional strength in children aged 4 to 10 years, has good test-retest reliability and good construct validity.


2008 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 87-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gordon J. R. Asmundson ◽  
Nicholas R. Carleton ◽  
Candice V. Bovell ◽  
Steven Taylor

Health anxiety is an important but poorly assessed phenomenon. Manifesting along a continuum, health anxiety is the result of a catastrophic appraisal of somatic sensations and changes as indicative of disease. The Whiteley Index (WI) is one of the most widely used self-report measures for assessing health anxiety both for research and for clinical practice. It generally exhibits excellent and robust psychometric properties for internal consistency, test–retest reliability, convergent validity, and concurrent validity; however, both its item content and its factor structure are matters of debate. Moreover, the measure has rarely been assessed in nonclinical samples. For the present study, a sample of 300 participants from the University of Regina completed the WI. If the latent dimensions identified in factor analysis represent etiologic mechanisms, then the elucidation of the WI’s factor structure may enhance our understanding of health anxiety. Exploratory factor analysis was used to determine a robust and reliable item content and factor structure, resulting in a six-item two-factor structure that was invariant across gender. The two factors were denoted Somatic Symptoms/Bodily Preoccupation and Disease Worry/Phobia. Previous factor structure solutions were compared to the factor structure derived from this study by means of confirmatory factor analysis. The newly established item content and factor structure resulted in acceptable fit indices that were statistically superior to those found using the previous factor structure solutions. Implications and directions for assessment of health anxiety and future research are discussed.


Assessment ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 107319112110153
Author(s):  
Simon B. Goldberg ◽  
Scott A. Baldwin ◽  
Kevin M. Riordan ◽  
John Torous ◽  
Cortland J. Dahl ◽  
...  

The working alliance may be relevant in unguided smartphone-based interventions, but no validated measure exists. We evaluated the psychometric properties of the six-item Digital Working Alliance Inventory (DWAI) using a cross-sectional survey of meditation app users ( n = 290) and the intervention arm of a randomized trial testing a smartphone-based meditation app ( n = 314). Exploratory factor analysis suggested a single-factor solution which was replicated using longitudinal confirmatory factor analysis. The DWAI showed adequate internal consistency and test–retest reliability. Discriminant validity was supported by a lack of association with social desirability, psychological distress, and preference for a waitlist condition. Convergent validity was supported by positive associations with perceived app effectiveness and preference for an app condition. Supporting predictive validity, DWAI scores positively predicted self-reported and objective app utilization. When assessed at Weeks 3 or 4 of the intervention, but not earlier, DWAI scores predicted pre–post reductions in psychological distress.


2013 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 199-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Okam C Cırakoğlu ◽  
Gülce C Şentürk

In the present research, the Performance Anxiety Scale for Music Students (PASMS) was developed in three successive studies. In Study 1, the factor structure of PASMS was explored and three components were found: fear of stage (FES), avoidance (AVD) and symptoms (SMP). The internal consistency of the subscales of PASMS, which consisted of 27 items, varied between 0.89 and 0.91. The internal consistency for the whole scale was found to be 0.95. The correlations among PASMS and other anxiety-related measures were significant and in the expected direction, indicating that the scale has convergent validity. The construct validity of the scale was assessed in Study 2 by confirmatory factor analysis. After several revisions, the final tested model achieved acceptable fits. In Study 3, the 14-day test-retest reliability of the final 24-item version of PASMS was tested and found to be extremely high (0.95). In all three studies, the whole scale and subscale scores of females were significantly higher than for males.


2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazuya Inoue ◽  
Kengo Yokomitsu ◽  
Tomonari Irie ◽  
Makoto Matsuyama ◽  
Masanori Tanaka

Abstract Background The Problematic Online Gaming Questionnaire (POGQ) is an 18-item self-rated measure designed to assess the degree of problematic online gaming. This study translated the POGQ into Japanese (POGQ-J) and examined the POGQ-J’s factor structure, validity, and reliability for a Japanese population. Method A total of 285 undergraduate students (128 males, 157 females, Mage = 19.66, SD = 1.36) participated in this study. Results A confirmatory factor analysis indicated the appropriateness of the POGQ-J’s six-factor structure, χ2(129) = 106.027, p < .931; CFI = .957; RMSEA = .040; SRMR = .054. Regarding convergent validity, the POGQ-J was found to be related to the time spent on online gaming (r = .309), the Game Addiction Scale for Adolescents (r = .824), and Young’s Internet Addiction Test (r = .581). Finally, the POGQ-J was found to have a high test–retest reliability. Conclusions The POGQ-J is valid and reliable for assessing problematic online gaming in a Japanese population.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (17) ◽  
pp. 9828
Author(s):  
V. Vineeth Kumar ◽  
Bhagyasree Chatterjee ◽  
Geetika Tankha

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on students’ personal, academic, and social life has been quite stressful. The threat to life from the virus, social isolation, and the need to shift from face-to-face learning to online mode has been challenging. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to develop and validate a self-administered tool to assess the source of COVID-19 pandemic stress among college students. The data was collected online using google forms in two phases. The data collected from 173 participants from phase one was analyzed using exploratory factor analysis (EFA). The second phase data of 216 participants were analyzed to validate the factor structure using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The standardized factor loadings, Composite Reliability (CR), and AVE of factors were assessed to determine the convergent validity of the scale. Similarly, discriminant validity and concurrent predictive validity were assessed through the HTMT ratio of correlations and ROC curves, respectively. A succession of Exploratory Factor Analysis yielded a five-factor solution, explaining 73.83 percent variance with 13 indices. CFA via maximum likelihood with bootstrapping indicated a good fit for the five-factor model (SRMR = 0.037, RMSEA = 0.049, CFI = 0.981). The standardized factor loadings, Composite Reliability (CR), and AVE of factors together suggest acceptable convergent validity. Further, the ROC curve results to assess stress indicated an acceptable AUC, with a magnitude of 0.79, p < 0.01, indicating concurrent predictive validity for the five-factor Student COVID-19 Stress Scale (SCSS). HTMT ratio of correlations <0.85 indicated discriminant validity for the factor structure. The CR > 0.70 for the dimensions indicated acceptable reliability. Thus, the SCSS can be an effective instrument to assess the source of pandemic stress among students so that tailor-made timely interventions can be provided to prevent long-term adverse effects.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoichi Hiramatsu ◽  
Kenichi Asano ◽  
Yasuhiro Kotera ◽  
Ayumu Endo ◽  
Eiji Shimizu ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective Shame contains external and internal aspects. However, a Japanese language scale for simultaneously assessing both aspects of shame has not been developed to date. This study aimed to standardize the Japanese version of the External and Internal Shame Scale (EISS-J). An online survey was conducted among university students (N = 203) at six universities in Japan (Study 1). A retest questionnaire was sent to the participants by email three weeks after the first survey (Study 2). Study 1 examined the internal consistency, factor structure, and criterion-related validity of the EISS-J, while Study 2 examined its test-retest reliability. Moreover, an additional study was conducted to examine the criterion-related validity of the scale. Results Study 1 demonstrated the high internal consistency of the EISS-J. Moreover, confirmatory factor analysis indicated a two-factor model: external and internal shame. However, exploratory factor analysis indicated a three-factor structure. Study 2 confirmed the test-retest reliability of the scale. Furthermore, both studies indicated correlations between the EISS-J and fear of compassion, anger, humiliation, depression, anxiety, and stress. In addition, the study established the criterion-related validity of the scale. These results confirmed adequate reliability and validity of the EISS-J.


Children ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. 665
Author(s):  
Zunaira Bilal ◽  
Saba Ghayas ◽  
Taram Naeem ◽  
Sumaira Kayani ◽  
Ruibo Xie ◽  
...  

The current study presents the validation process of a measure of institutional identity for university students. The research is composed of two studies. Study I consisted of the generation of an item pool based on the literature review, semi-structured interviews, and expert opinion, which were administered to a convenient sample of university students (n = 707; 300 males and 407 females) in Pakistan. Exploratory factor analysis yielded a two-factor structure with 20 items, and the factors were named commitment (α = 0.84) and crisis (α = 0.74). The two-factor solution was confirmed through confirmatory factor analysis, which revealed an excellent model fit with the two-factor structure. Study II reports on the convergent and divergent validity of the scale which was carried out on an independent sample (n = 120). Results provided evidence of convergent validity as depression correlated negatively with the commitment subscale and positively with the crisis subscale. Divergent validity was ensured by a non-significant correlation between the subscales of the newly developed scale and a measure of religious belief. Moreover, the implications and limitations of the study are discussed.


2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Maroti ◽  
Erland Axelsson ◽  
Brjánn Ljótsson ◽  
Gerhard Andersson ◽  
Mark Lumley ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective The 25-item Emotional Processing Scale (EPS) is a measure of emotional processing. There is a scarcity of research about its factor structure, test-retest reliability, and validity in individuals with psychiatric symptoms. Method We administered the EPS-25 to a sample (N=512) of people with elevated psychiatric symptoms, using confirmatory factor analysis to evaluate three a priori models from previous research. We then evaluated discriminant and convergent validity against measures of alexithymia (Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20; TAS-20), depressive symptoms (Patient Health Questionaire-9; PHQ-9) and anxiety symptoms (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7; GAD-7). Results None of the a priori models achieved acceptable fit, and subsequent exploratory factor analysis did not lead to a convincing factor solution for the 25 items. A 5-factor model did, however, achieve acceptable fit if we retained only 15 items (EPS-15) and this solution could be replicated in a holdout sample. Convergent and discriminant validity for EPS-15 was r=-.19-.46 vs. TAS-20, r=.07-.25 vs. PHQ-9, r=.29-.57 vs. GAD-7. Test-retest reliability was ICC=.73. Conclusions This study strengthens the case for the reliability and validity of the five factor Emotional Processing Scale but suggest that only 15 items should be retained. Future studies should further examine the reliability and validity of the EPS-15.


2009 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 239-243
Author(s):  
Roberto Nuevo ◽  
Andrés Losada ◽  
María Márquez-González ◽  
Cecilia Peñacoba

The Worry Domains Questionnaire was proposed as a measure of both pathological and nonpathological worry, and assesses the frequency of worrying about five different domains: relationships, lack of confidence, aimless future, work, and financial. The present study analyzed the factor structure of the long and short forms of the WDQ (WDQ and WDQ-SF, respectively) through confirmatory factor analysis in a sample of 262 students (M age = 21.8; SD = 2.6; 86.3% females). While the goodness-of-fit indices did not provide support for the WDQ, good fit indices were found for the WDQ-SF. Furthermore, no source of misspecification was identified, thus, supporting the factorial validity of the WDQ-SF scale. Significant positive correlations between the WDQ-SF and its subscales with worry (PSWQ), anxiety (STAI-T), and depression (BDI) were found. The internal consistency was good for the total scale and for the subscales. This work provides support for the use of the WDQ-SF, and potential uses for research and clinical purposes are discussed.


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