Predicting conflict acts using behavior and style measures

Purpose This paper aims to compare style and behavior-focused individual difference measures in their ability to uniquely predict naturally occurring conflict acts. Design/methodology/approach Primary participants (and a friend of their choosing) completed a style measure and a behavior-focused measure about the primary participants and reported on the occurrence of a variety of conflict actions over a 60-day period. Findings For self-ratings and friend ratings, both the style measure and the behavior-focused measure were significantly related to the occurrence of conflict acts. However, the unique effect of the behavior-focused measure was stronger than that of the style measure. Research limitations/implications The data were collected from college students, thus limiting the generalizability of the findings. The measure of conflict acts was based on recall, which may also be subject to error and bias. In terms of implications, the findings strongly suggest that behavior-focused instruments are superior to style measures in predicting everyday conflict acts. Practical implications Because the behavior-focused individual difference measure was a better predictor of actual behavior than the style measure, investigators interested in such prediction may want to seriously consider using such measures. Originality/value Little research exists regarding the relative predictive abilities of style measures and behavior-focused measures; this paper provides some of the first such evidence.

Development and Validation of the Implicit Memory Theory Scale

The present research developed and tested a new individual-difference measure of beliefs about autobiographical memory. We assumed that someone's implicit memory theory results in high or low skepticism about memory credibility. Based on the metamemory literature we hypothesized that this skepticism might be a predictor of memory accuracy in various memory tasks. The first phase of the research developed the Implicit Memory Theory Scale (IMTS). The exploratory factor analysis revealed three factors that were converted into three subscales of the 37-item measure. Cronbach α coefficients and test-retest correlations showed acceptable to high reliability for the global scale and three subscales. Validation studies indicated that the scale was sensitive to individual differences in professional knowledge of autobiographical memory and manipulation that involved providing respondents with this kind of knowledge. As predicted, IMTS scores were associated with accuracy in a misinformation experiment. The potential utility of the IMTS for memory research and an applied setting is discussed.

The Multidimensional Dream Inventory: Preliminary Evidence for Validity and Reliability

The present study focused on the development of the Multidimensional Dream Inventory, an individual difference measure of dimensions of dreams. Items were administered to 151 college students. Consistent with expectations, results of an exploratory factor analysis of intercorrelations among items indicated a four-factor solution was appropriate. As a result, four dream-relevant scales were constructed, viz, Dream Importance, Dream Vividness, Dream Usefulness, and Dream Recall. In addition, these scales showed good internal consistency for research. Implications and uses for the Multidimensional Dream Inventory were discussed.