Psychometrics in Behavioral Software Engineering: A Methodological Introduction with Guidelines

A meaningful and deep understanding of the human aspects of software engineering (SE) requires psychological constructs to be considered. Psychology theory can facilitate the systematic and sound development as well as the adoption of instruments (e.g., psychological tests, questionnaires) to assess these constructs. In particular, to ensure high quality, the psychometric properties of instruments need evaluation. In this article, we provide an introduction to psychometric theory for the evaluation of measurement instruments for SE researchers. We present guidelines that enable using existing instruments and developing new ones adequately. We conducted a comprehensive review of the psychology literature framed by the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing. We detail activities used when operationalizing new psychological constructs, such as item pooling, item review, pilot testing, item analysis, factor analysis, statistical property of items, reliability, validity, and fairness in testing and test bias. We provide an openly available example of a psychometric evaluation based on our guideline. We hope to encourage a culture change in SE research towards the adoption of established methods from psychology. To improve the quality of behavioral research in SE, studies focusing on introducing, validating, and then using psychometric instruments need to be more common.

Ethics Position and Leadership Style in a Mayor’s Office

Introduction: Recent cases of unethical behavior in organizations indicate the need to carry out empirical research about it. Objective: Determine the existence of a relationship between ethics and leadership, demanded by society and prescribed by various academic theories. Method: For this reason, through the conduction of non-experimental, cross-sectional, quantitative research, it is sought to make a process of falsification of the theoretical proposals in the context of a municipal mayoralty. In the development of the research, the responses of 219 leaders were satisfactorily received, answering questions from two psychometric instruments of wide recognition and academic validity, the Ethics Position Questionnaire and the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire. They were carried out both through an exploratory data analysis and a confirmatory factor analysis, and a model of structural equations that tested the existence of a relation between the ethical position and the styles of leadership. Results: It was also possible to identify the influence exerted by the different ethical positions in each one of the styles of leadership in a local public administration. Conclusions: These findings facilitate the identification of ethical leadership models in local public organizations and contribute towards the empirical demonstration of the current discussion on the relationship between ethics and leadership in organizations.

Some considerations prior to estimating the reliability of psychometric instruments

[Letter to the editor]

Validation and Psychometric Evaluation of the Italian Version of the Bergen–Yale Sex Addiction Scale

Excessive problematic sexual behavior in the form of compulsive sexual behavior disorder (CSBD), hypersexuality (HS), and sex addiction has gained increasing credibility in recent years and has led to the development of various psychometric instruments to assess such behavior. However, there is still considerable controversy over the operational definition of such concepts and whether they can be used interchangeably to describe the behavior. One recently developed tool is the Bergen–Yale Sex Addiction Scale (BYSAS) based on the “components model of addiction.” The present study validated the Italian version of the BYSAS. The BYSAS was administered to a large Italian-speaking sample of Italian adults [N = 1230, aged 18 to 67 years] along with psychometric instruments assessing the “Big Five” personality traits, self-esteem, depression, and two other measures of addictive sexual behavior (i.e., PATHOS and Shorter PROMIS Questionnaire–Sex Subscale). Confirmatory factorial analysis supported a one-factor solution. Furthermore, the scale had good internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.787). The BYSAS was positively associated with extroversion, openness to experience, depression, and problematic sexual behavior, and negatively associated with self-esteem, conscientiousness, emotional stability, agreeableness, and age. Based on the findings, the BYSAS is a brief, psychometrically reliable and valid measure for assessing sex addiction among Italian adults.

Fear of COVID-19 and workplace phobia among Pakistani doctors: A survey study

Background The novel coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) has seriously affected the lives of millions of people across the world. It has also heavily burdened healthcare professionals and the virus poses serious risks for their personal and professional lives. Therefore, the present study examined the associations between fear of COVID-19 and workplace phobia among doctors in Pakistan during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods An online survey was conducted among 421 doctors in Pakistan between April 10 and May 25, 2020. The Workplace Phobia Scale (WPS) and the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) were the main psychometric instruments used in this study. Results There was a significant positive relationship between fear of COVID-19 and workplace panic anxiety and workplace avoidance behavior. Significantly higher fear of COVID-19 was found among (i) females compared to males, (ii) doctors with 5 years or less of work experience compared to those with more than 5 years, and (iii) postgraduate trainees compared with other ranks. Two groups (doctors who were above 30 years old and postgraduate trainees) were found to have higher levels of workplace phobia compared to their counterparts. Doctors with severe levels of fear of COVID-19 had significantly higher levels of workplace panic anxiety and workplace avoidance behavior. Conclusions Fear of COVID-19 was significantly associated with workplace phobia which may negatively affect doctors’ performance. Therefore, important steps are needed to protect doctors’ health by providing sufficient resources to allay their fears and anxieties which consequently help them in carrying out their frontline duties in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Clinical Use of Neurophysiological Biomarkers and Self-Assessment Scales to Predict and Monitor Treatment Response for Psychotic and Affective disorders

Psychoses and affective disorders are severe mental illnesses with a considerable negative effect on an individual and global scale. They are among the most damaging and socially significant diseases, which contribute to permanent disabilities for the patients. The aim of this review is to analyse the capacity of neuroscientific methods as tools to reform psychiatry into a biologically valid medical discipline. Furthermore, it will focus on the application of the translational approach towards the diagnostic and therapeutic processes, as well as monitoring of treatment response by using valid biomarkers and psychometric instruments. By combining translational neuroscience with the latest psychopharmacology advances clinicians might be able to provide better quality of precision and individualized medical care for their patients. We visualise a reality in which neuroimaging methods will modify standard clinical evaluation of neuropsychiatric disorders, leading to a biologically valid diagnosis, monitoring and treatment in everyday clinical practice.

Designing short-term drama therapy with people who have Parkinson’s disease in Vigo, Spain

Empirical research about using drama therapy (DT) for people who have Parkinson’s disease (PD) is absent in the literature despite growing, worldwide prevalence of the disease. This article presents an intrinsic case study involving a concurrent mixed-method design within a social constructivist framework that explores the benefits of a short DT program designed for a small group of people who have PD in Vigo, Spain. Two Spanish drama therapists and eight research participants co-designed and co-created material for analysis during five DT workshops that took place once every two weeks over ten weeks. In addition to this, psychometric instruments to assess self-esteem, quality of life (QoL), depression, and purpose in life were administered prior to and after the five-week intervention. Findings are supported by qualitative analysis and are not statistically significant, but suggest an amelioration of depressive symptoms as well as other benefits.

The Psychology of Murder Concealment Acts

The escalating trend of murder victim concealment worldwide appears worrying, and literature does not reveal any specific study focusing on victim concealment amongst convicted male Malaysian murderers. Therefore, this study was aimed at investigating the psychological traits that may underlie the act of murder concealment in Malaysia via mixed method approaches. Male murderers (n = 71) from 11 prisons were selected via purposive sampling technique. In the quantitative analysis, a cross-sectional study design using the validated questionnaire was used. The questionnaire contained murder concealment variables and four Malay validated psychometric instruments measuring: personality traits, self-control, aggression, and cognitive distortion. The independent sample t-tests revealed the significantly higher level of anger in murderers who did not commit concealment acts (8.55 ± 2.85, p < 0.05) when compared with those who did so (6.40 ± 2.64). Meanwhile, the Kruskal–Wallis H test revealed that anger and the personality trait of aggressiveness-hostility significantly varied across the different groups of murder concealment acts (p < 0.05). The qualitative data obtained via the in-depth interviews revealed two important themes for the murderers to commit murder concealment acts: (1) fear of discovery and punishment and (2) blaming others. These findings discussed from the perspectives of the murderers within the context of criminology and psychology may provide the first ever insight into the murder concealment acts in Malaysia that can benefit the relevant authorities for crime prevention and investigation efforts.

Muddled Measurement: A Historical Perspective on Questionable Practices in School Psychology’s Assessment of Learning Disabilities

As school psychologists we are well trained with using and interpreting a variety of psychometric instruments, yet there are several studies that indicate that school psychologist’s interpretive practices veer off the intended path. The application of assessment to the process of identification of specific learning disabilities (SLD) has been noted as one of the more problematic areas in psychoeducational assessment for myriad reasons. While the medical field has begun to focus on de-implementing ineffective practices, the field of psychology has not followed as readily. This article considers the costs of poor decision making in the context of SLD evaluation and seeks to identify evidence-based assessment practices for SLD identification and decision making. After considering historical perspectives, approaches and practices for assessing SLD, actuarial interpretation, and treatment validity will be discussed.