Racial Bias and the MCMI

We studied the scores obtained on the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI) by Black and White male psychiatric inpatients to determine the presence or absence of racial bias. In predicting psychopathology for the two races, comparisons of MCMI performance indicated significant differences for all diagnoses except the personality disorders. The subjects were then matched into two groups of 209 patients each, according to DSM-111 psychiatric diagnoses. The data were analyzed at the item, scale, and structural levels. At the item level, application of the Mantel-Haenszel Procedure revealed that 45 of the 175 items of the inventory were answered significantly different by the two racial groups. Because this number was higher than what could be expected by chance, the finding suggested possible deficiencies in terms of the culture-fairness of the items used in the test. At the scale level, an analysis of variance (ANOVA) demonstrated that the scores obtained by the Black and White groups were significantly different in 9 of the 20 scales (Histrionic, Narcissistic, Antisocial, Paraphrenia, Hypomania, Dysthyrnia, Alcohol Abuse, Drug Abuse, and Psychotic Delusion). With the exception of the Dysthymic scale, all of the differences were in the direction of the Blacks obtaining a higher score than the Whites. At the structural level, however, a principal components factor analysis performed on each group resulted in factor structures that looked identical.     

Ethnic identification biases responses to the Padua Inventory for obsessive-compulsive disorder

The authors report differential item functioning (DIF) between Black and White participants completing the 60-item Padua Inventory (PI) for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The authors use an Internet-generated sample that included 105 Blacks, 67 Hispanics, 582 Whites, and 136 additional participants reporting an OCD diagnosis. Factor analysis replicated prior work indicating the PI consists of four factors: contamination fears, checking behaviors, impaired control over thoughts, and fear of losing control over impulses. On the contamination subscale, nonclinical Black and Hispanic mean scores were as high as the OCD group. Comparing Blacks to Whites, the authors applied an item response theory, DIF-graded response model to each factor and found significant DIF on eight items, with biased items in each factor. Results suggest that extraneous factors contribute to racial differences on scores. Cultural practices and fear of being negatively stereotyped may contribute to item bias.     

Racial differences on the MCMI in an outpatient clinical sample.

In this study, we extended previous research on racial differences on the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI) which focused on psychiatric inpatients. Subscale scores were compared for Black and White outpatient males on the MCMI. Age, education, and employment status were controlled. Results showed that Blacks scored significantly higher than Whites on the Narcissistic, Aggressive, Paranoid, Drug, and Psychotic Delusion subscales. Results are interpreted in terms of the larger body of research on racial differences on personality instruments. Clinical implications and the need for further research are discussed.     

Psychometric analysis of racial differences on the Maudsley Obsessional Compulsive Inventory

Black university students scored significantly higher than White students on the Maudsley Obsessional Compulsive Inventory (MOCI). They tended to endorse more Cleaning and Checking subscale items in the pathological direction. Subsequent analyses examined whether this finding is a reflection of valid group differences in the prevalence of OCD or a psychometric artifact. Structured interviews were conducted to determine the correspondence of MOCI scores with OCD diagnoses. The race difference in endorsement frequency on the MOCI did not extend to OCD diagnoses. The MOCI scores showed modest predictive validity in Whites, but they did not predict interview-based diagnoses in Blacks. Multivariate item response theory was then employed to examine race differences in the Cleaning and Checking subscales. Equivalent item discrimination parameters fit the data for Black and White participants for both subscales. A more restrictive model in which relative item difficulties were also constrained to be equal for Black and White participants did not fit. This interaction between race and item difficulty suggests that the items do not have equivalent psychometric properties in Blacks and Whites.     

Explanations for racial discrimination: The effect of group discussion on intergroup attributions

Studied the effect of group discussion and racial group membership on attributions concerning the causes of racial discrimination. Twenty- four Black (mostly West Indian) and 24 White adolescents (age 16-19) were assigned in pairs to each cell of a 2 (Race of subject: Black/White) × 2 (Discussion/No Discussion) ‘mixed’ design. Each subject read four items exemplifying types of racial discrimination and attributed each to negative dispositions of Black people and/or discrimination by White authority figures (‘the system’). Subjects in the Discussion condition spent two minutes discussing each item prior to making their judgements. Ratings of ingroup and outgroup on eight attitudinal dimensions were also elicited, followed by a social distance measure. Multivariate analyses of variance revealed effects for racial group membership (p < 0.05) and group discussion (p < 0.05) on attributions. Further examination of the data by means of discriminant analyses indicated which items differentiate between the groups. Data based on the attitudinal ratings were also subjected to multivariate analyses and point to the positive group-image of the Black respondents and a lack of intergroup discrimination by the White subjects; the social distance scores of the latter subjects are, however, higher. Results are discussed in terms of the literature on group polarization and intergroup differentiation.     

Empirical testing of the Satisfaction With Life Scale: a South African pilot study

To explore applicability of the Satisfaction With Life Scale in a different racial and cultural context (South Africa), a questionnaire containing items on basic demographic characteristics, the 5-item Satisfaction With Life Scale, and the 10-item Rosenberg Self-esteem scale, was administered to a small convenient sample of 34 Black (13 men and 21 women) and 20 White (9 men and 11 women) South Africans aged between 17 and 70 years. As expected, Black respondents were less likely to have completed high school than White respondents and were more likely to be unemployed. Factor analysis of the Satisfaction With Life Scale (coefficient alpha of .92) yielded a single factor, accounting for 76% of the variance. Mean differences of the two groups were not significant when education and employment status were controlled. As anticipated, Life Satisfaction scores were correlated .86 with rated Self-esteem. Given the very small convenient sample, results are consistent with robust findings in western countries and encourage replication on a larger, representative sample.     

Cultural bias in the WISC

It is often argued that IQ differences between groups of American Blacks and Whites are the result of IQ tests being culturally biased instruments. The present study attempts to determine the existence of cultural bias in the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) by comparing Black and White children on: (1) loadings of the first principal component on the WISC subtests; (2) the rank order of item difficulty; (3) measuring the contribution to the total variance of the Race by Item interaction obtained by ANOVA; (4) and by attempting to stimulate race differences by within-race age differences. The results indicate that: (1) there is no evidence of specific factors peculiar to either racial group (the groups differ on what is common to all subtests); (2) the rank order of item difficulties is similar in both racial groups; (3) ANOVA reveals a significant Race by Item interaction, but one which accounts for less than five percent of the total variance, less than one percent in the case of age offset analysis; (4) the items which best discriminate between Blacks and Whites at any age level are also the items which best discriminate between age groups within-race. The data support the view that race differences are differences in mental maturity rather than in artifact of biased testing instruments.     

Factor structure and psychometric properties of the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 in women: a MACS approach to testing for invariance across racial/ethnic groups

This study used data from 3 sites to examine the invariance and psychometric characteristics of the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 across Black, Hispanic, and White mothers of 5th graders (N = 4,711; M = 38.07 years of age, SD = 7.16). Internal consistencies were satisfactory for all subscale scores of the instrument regardless of ethnic group membership. Mean and covariance structures analysis indicated that the hypothesized 3-factor structure of the instrument was not robust across ethnic groups. It provided a reasonable approximation to the data for Black and White women but not for Hispanic women. Tests for differential item functioning (DIF) were therefore conducted for only Black and White women. Analyses revealed no more than trivial instances of nonuniform DIF but more substantial evidence of uniform DIF for 3 of the 18 items. After having established partial strong factorial invariance of the instrument, latent factor means were found to be significantly higher for Black than for White women on all 3 subscales (somatization, depression, anxiety). In conclusion, the instrument may be used for mean comparisons between Black and White women.     

Cultural influences on responses to items on the strong interest inventory

This study examined racial/ethnic group differences on an interest inventory at the item level using differential bundle functioning (DBF) analyses. Specifically, responses of males and females from five different racial/ethnic groups (N=3750) on the General Occupational Themes of the Strong were examined. Items were grouped together based on substantive considerations to determine if they functioned differentially due to racial/ethnic group differences in role modeling, perceptions of opportunities/barriers, familiarity with activities, and cultural expectations, as opposed to true racial/ethnic group differences in interests. Very high levels of DBF were found for most of the item sets considered in this study, implying that diverse cultural groups have a different conditional probability of endorsing some sets of items due to the items measuring a secondary trait in addition to the main trait the scale was designed to measure.     

Racial/Ethnic Differences in Internalizing and Externalizing Symptoms in Adolescents

The prevalence of most adult psychiatric disorders varies across racial/ethnic groups and has important implications for prevention and intervention efforts. Research on racial/ethnic differences in the prevalence of internalizing and externalizing symptoms and disorders in adolescents has been less consistent or generally lacking. The current study examined the prevalence of these symptom groups in a large sample of sixth, seventh, and eighth graders in which the three major racial/ethnic groups in the U.S. (White, Black, and Hispanic/Latino) were well-represented. Hispanic females reported experiencing higher levels of depression, anxiety, and reputational aggression than other groups. Black males reported the highest levels of overtly aggressive behavior and also reported higher levels of physiologic anxiety and disordered eating than males from other racial/ethnic groups. Hispanic females also exhibited higher levels of comorbidity than other racial/ethnic groups.     

Developing cognitions about race: White 5‐ to 10‐year‐olds' perceptions of hardship and pain

White American adults assume that Blacks feel less pain than do Whites, but only if they believe that Blacks have faced greater economic hardship than Whites. The current study investigates when in development children first recognize racial group differences in economic hardship and examines whether perceptions of hardship inform children's racial bias in pain perception. Five‐ to 10‐year‐olds (N = 178) guessed which of two items (low versus high value) belonged to a Black and a White child and rated the amount of pain a Black and a White child would feel in 10 painful situations. By age 5, White American children attributed lower‐value possessions to Blacks than Whites, indicating a recognition of racial group differences in economic hardship. The results also replicated the emergence of a racial bias in pain perception between 5 and 10. However, unlike adults', children's perceptions of hardship do not account for racial bias in pain perception.     

Psychometric properties of scores on three Black racial identity scales

In this study, we examined the internal consistency and the structural validity of scores on the African Self-Consciousness Scale (ASCS), the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity (MIBI), and the Cross Racial Identity Scale (CRIS). Participants consisted of 225 African American college students--75 attending predominantly White institutions (PWIs) and 150 attending historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Internal consistency estimates were above .60 for scores on one ASCS subscale, six MIBI subscales, and six CRIS subscales. Exploratory factor analytic procedures supported a two-factor structure for ASCS scores, a five-factor structure for MIBI scores, and a six-factor structure for CRIS scores. Implications for Black racial identity and scale development are discussed.     

The Differential Responding of Male Prisoners to Subtle and Obvious MCMI Subscales

We investigated the differential responding of 100 male inmates to subtle and obvious MCMI scale items; subtlety was determined by judgments by college students. It has been predicted that item subtlety would be positively correlated with item endorsement. This prediction was supported across all 175 MCMI items. as well as across items on 7 of 8 personality and 8 of 12 clinical scales. It had also been predicted that education and intelligence would moderate the relationship between subtlety and endorsement, with inmates higher in education and intelligence demonstrating a greater tendency than other inmates to avoid obvious items. Modest support was obtained for this prediction, with statistically significant results found for 4 personality and 5 clinical scales. The significance of the subtle-obvious distinction is discussed, especially when employing the MCMI with an inmate population.     

The differential responding of male prisoners to subtle and obvious MCMI subscales.

We investigated the differential responding of 100 male inmates to subtle and obvious MCMI scale items; subtlety was determined by judgments by college students. It has been predicted that item subtlety would be positively correlated with item endorsement. This prediction was supported across all 175 MCMI items, as well as across items on 7 of 8 personality and 8 of 12 clinical scales. It had also been predicted that education and intelligence would moderate the relationship between subtlety and endorsement, with inmates higher in education and intelligence demonstrating a greater tendency than other inmates to avoid obvious items. Modest support was obtained for this prediction, with statistically significant results found for 4 personality and 5 clinical scales. The significance of the subtle-obvious distinction is discussed, especially when employing the MCMI with an inmate population.     

Differential item functioning by sex and race in the Hogan Personality Inventory

The authors examined measurement bias in the Hogan Personality Inventory by investigating differential item functioning (DIF) across sex and two racial groups (Caucasian and Black). The sample consisted of 1,579 Caucasians (1,023 men, 556 women) and 523 Blacks (321 men, 202 women) who were applying for entry-level, unskilled jobs in factories. Although the group mean differences were trivial, more than a third of the items showed DIF by sex (38.4%) and by race (37.3%). A content analysis of potentially biased items indicated that the themes of items displaying DIF were slightly more cohesive for sex than for race. The authors discuss possible explanations for differing clustering tendencies of items displaying DIF and some practical and theoretical implications of DIF in the development and interpretation of personality inventories.     

College Students' Racial Attitudes

Factor analyses of responses from white ( N = 260) and black ( N = 81) college students in two neighboring universities were utilized to develop contemporary measures of racial attitudes and of the degree of interracial contact experienced by blacks and by whites. Two sets of 112 attitudinal statements were utilized for the initial factor analyses, one set for black respondents and one for whites. About 60% of the items in the two sets were identical or the same except that the racial designations were reversed. Two 20-item racial attitude scales were derived from the factor analyses, one for blacks and one for whites. For students of each race, scores on the attitude measure showed a weak but significant relationship with a 16-item self-report scale of amount of interracial contact experienced, past and present. The relationship of these scales to earlier racial attitude measures (symbolic racism, modern racism, the MRAI, value rankings) were assessed. Second-order factor analyses suggested that the black students' racial attitudes were more heterogeneous than were the white students' racial attitudes. In general, black respondents tended to show more support than whites for programs designed to increase opportunities for, and recognition of, blacks. Black students also tended to endorse a greater degree of social distance between the races than white students did. The pattern of relationships between racial attitudes and sociopolitical issues differed for whites and blacks.     

Effects of estimation methods on making trait-level inferences from ordered categorical items for assessing psychopathology

In assessments of attitudes, personality, and psychopathology, unidimensional scale scores are commonly obtained from Likert scale items to make inferences about individuals' trait levels. This study approached the issue of how best to combine Likert scale items to estimate test scores from the practitioner's perspective: Does it really matter which method is used to estimate a trait? Analyses of 3 data sets indicated that commonly used methods could be classified into 2 groups: methods that explicitly take account of the ordered categorical item distributions (i.e., partial credit and graded response models of item response theory, factor analysis using an asymptotically distribution-free estimator) and methods that do not distinguish Likert-type items from continuously distributed items (i.e., total score, principal component analysis, maximum-likelihood factor analysis). Differences in trait estimates were found to be trivial within each group. Yet the results suggested that inferences about individuals' trait levels differ considerably between the 2 groups. One should therefore choose a method that explicitly takes account of item distributions in estimating unidimensional traits from ordered categorical response formats. Consequences of violating distributional assumptions were discussed.     

Assessing White Racial Consciousness and Perceived Comfort with Black Individuals: A Preliminary Study

This research examined the relationship between White racial consciousness development and perceived comfort with Black individuals. Participants were 339 White undergraduate students from a large southeastern state university who were asked to complete a two-part inventory: part one measuring White racial consciousness development (a five-stage scale) and part two measuring perceived comfort in situations involving Black individuals. An eta coefficient was calculated, providing evidence for the existence of a strong curvilinear relationship between White racial consciousness and perceived comfort with Black individuals η =.23 at p<.0001. These findings suggest that Whites who are completely foreclosed (stage one) or who are well acquainted with Blacks (stage five) are more comfortable in situations with Blacks than Whites who had a moderate amount of contact with them (stages two, three, and four).     

Racial Differences in the Career Success of Assistant Football Coaches: The Role of Discrimination,Human Capital,and Social Capital1

The purpose of this study was to examine competing hypotheses (human and social capital vs. discrimination) concerning the differential career outcomes of Black and White assistant football coaches. Data were gathered from 328 NCAA Division 1‐A assistant coaches (224 White coaches, 104 Black coaches). Results demonstrated racial differences in the career satisfaction of coaches, number of promotions received, and organizational proximity to the head coach position among the coaches, with Black coaches scoring lower on each outcome. MANCOVA results and subsequent tests for mediation showed that these differences could not be explained by racial differences in human and social capital, thereby providing support for the discrimination hypothesis.