Confirmatory factor analysis of the Penn State Worry Questionnaire

Worry is often assessed with the 16-item Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ; Meyer, Miller, Metzger, & Borkovec, 1990. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 28, 487-495), but the factor structure of the PSWQ is not well articulated. Three factor analyses of the PSWQ have been conducted, with two (Brown, Antony, & Barlow, 1992. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 30, 33-37; van Rijsoort, Emmelkamp, & Vervaeke, 1999) retaining a unifactorial solution and one (St?ber, 1995) retaining a two-factor solution. We sought to determine the relative strengths of these solutions. Seven hundred eighty-eight undergraduates completed the PSWQ and measures of depression and anxiety. Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that the two-factor solution provided a better fit to the data. There was also evidence for a higher order worry factor. Multiple regression analyses revealed that factor 1 (Worry Engagement) explained the majority of the variance in the symptom measures. The higher order worry factor also accounted for variance in some measures. Compared to the PSWQ total score, Worry Engagement demonstrated slightly higher internal consistency and significantly stronger correlations with most measures of depression and anxiety. Factor 2 (Absence of Worry) demonstrated moderate negative correlations with Worry Engagement and the PSWQ Total Score but only modest correlations with depression and anxiety.     

儿童移情与道德发展关系研究综述

移情是人际交往中情感的相互作用,是对他人情绪的觉察而导致自己情绪唤起的一种情感体验。培养儿童的移情对儿童的道德发展具有重要作用。本文从移情的概念入手,介绍和探讨儿童移情与道德发展的关系研究状况,并对儿童的移情培养提出建议。     

高校教师组织承诺问卷的编制

本研究采用访谈法和问卷调查法对高校教师的组织承诺进行研究,并编制了符合我国高校实际情况的高校教师组织承诺问卷。探索性因素分析的结果表明,高校教师组织承诺是一个四因素的结构,具体包括:情感承诺、规范承诺、价值承诺和投入承诺。内部一致性分析及验证性因素分析的结果表明,高校教师组织承诺问卷具有较好的信度与效度。     

Responding to the emotions of others: dissociating forms of empathy through the study of typical and psychiatric populations

Empathy is a lay term that is becoming increasingly viewed as a unitary function within the field of cognitive neuroscience. In this paper, a selective review of the empathy literature is provided. It is argued from this literature that empathy is not a unitary system but rather a loose collection of partially dissociable neurocognitive systems. In particular, three main divisions can be made: cognitive empathy (or Theory of Mind), motor empathy, and emotional empathy. The two main psychiatric disorders associated with empathic dysfunction are considered: autism and psychopathy. It is argued that individuals with autism show difficulties with cognitive and motor empathy but less clear difficulties with respect to emotional empathy. In contrast, individuals with psychopathy show clear difficulties with a specific form of emotional empathy but no indications of impairment with cognitive and motor empathy.     

The Gender Gap on Wall Street: An Empirical Analysis of Confidence in Investment Decision Making

We attempted to identify the personal characteristics that influence confidence in an investment decision in an experiment administered to 1,359 subjects nationwide. Multiple regression was used to control statistically for variation among subjects and to develop a model of investment decision confidence. The most striking finding was that women had significantly lower confidence in an investment task than men, after controlling for all other relevant variables and characteristics including the amount of the investment decision itself. Familiarity with and present attitude about investing in the stock market, college credit hours in accounting and finance, experience in evaluating common stocks, the current level of the stock market, and the investment decision itself (the amount to be invested) were also found to be significant. Age, value of personal portfolio, years of college, and years of business experience were not significant characteristics.     

Psychometric properties of the Coach-Athlete Relationship Questionnaire (CART-Q) in seven countries

Objectives

In the sport context, the coach-athlete relationship has been viewed and studied as a universal phenomenon. It is thus important to assess the universality of the psychometric scale that is used to measure the quality of coach-athlete relationships. The present study examined the cultural equivalence or measurement invariance of the Coach-Athlete Relationship Questionnaire (11-item, athlete version CART-Q).

Design

Cross-sectional study.

Methods

A total of 1363 athletes from Belgium (N = 200), Britain (N = 382), China (N = 200), Greece (N = 115), Spain (N = 120), Sweden (N = 169), and United States of America (N = 177) completed the CART-Q.

Results

Multi-group mean and covariance structure (MACS) analyses supported the factorial validity of the CART-Q in a three-first-order factor model across the seven countries. An examination of the latent mean differences of the CART-Q revealed some variation in terms of the intensity that athletes perceive in the quality of the relationship with their coach across the different countries.

Conclusions

Overall, these results supply additional evidence of the psychometric properties of the CART-Q and highlight that it is a sound instrument that can be applied cross-culturally.     

Cross-sectional and longitudinal confirmatory factor models for the german test anxiety inventory: A construct validation

Construct validity of the German Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI-G) was tested in two respects. Firstly, the purported four-dimensional structure of the TAI-G (comprising subscales Emotionality, Worry, Interference, and Lack of Confidence) as well as relations of the test anxiety dimensions to self-efficacy were tested. Secondly, the trait conception of the TAI-G was tested within the framework of Latent State-Trait theory. The TAI-G was given to a student sample (N=302) on three occasions with a time interval of 2 weeks along with a study-specific self-efficacy scale on occasion 1. Dimensionality assumptions as well as relations with self-efficacy were tested using cross-sectional second-order confirmatory factor analysis. The trait conception was tested separately for TAI-G subscales by specifying longitudinal confirmatory factor models (Latent State-Trait models) and by calculating variance proportions of manifest variables (Latent State-Trait coefficients) referring to different sources of systematic variance (person, situation, and method) based on parameter estimates of the models. Results were supportive of both the purported four-dimensional structure and hypothesized relationships to self-efficacy (i.e., acceptable model fit) as well as of the trait conception of test anxiety (i.e., acceptable model fit and high proportion of variance due to person component). Implications for further validation studies were discussed.     

Further Psychometric Validation of the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS)

Mindfulness is an increasingly prominent construct in health research but its study has been impeded by a lack of well-validated measures. The Mindful Attention and Awareness Scale (MAAS; Brown and Ryan, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84:822–848, 2003) is a promising measure and the goal of the present study was to further validate the MAAS in a large university sample (n = 711). Confirmatory factor analysis supported the unidimensional factor structure of the MAAS in the overall sample. No gender differences in MAAS performance were evident, but the factor structure was not confirmed in the subsample of men, apparently due to power limitations. No categorical differences were evident based on experience with meditation, and MAAS performance was not significantly associated with experience with meditation. These findings are interpreted as broadly supporting the MAAS as a valid measure of mindfulness, but suggesting that novice-level experience with meditation should not be presumed to be associated with greater mindfulness.     

Implications of Indeterminate Factor-Error Covariances for Factor Construction, Prediction, and Determinacy

The assumptions of the model for factor analysis do not exclude a class of indeterminate covariances between factors and error variables (Grayson, 2003). The construction of all factors of the model for factor analysis is generalized to incorporate indeterminate factor-error covariances. A necessary and sufficient condition is given for indeterminate factor-error covariances to be arbitrarily small, for mean square convergence of the regression predictor of factor scores, and for the existence of a unique determinate factor and error variable. The determinate factor and error variable are uncorrelated and satisfy the defining assumptions of factor analysis. Several examples are given to illustrate the results. Requests for reprints should be sent to Wim P. Krijnen, Lisdodde 1, 9679 MC Scheemda, The Netherlands.     

The Portuguese version of the Basic Empathy Scale (BES): Dimensionality and measurement invariance in a community adolescent sample

Empathy is the heightened ability to cognitively perceive and/or affectively share the emotions of others, which has been consistently associated with desirable social interactions. This paper aimed to test the bi-factorial structure of a Portuguese version of the Basic Empathy Scale and examine its variation by gender and age using a large community sample (n = 1029) of adolescents. The two-factor model, originally developed and supported by other cross-cultural validations, presented good fit indicators which was similar across genders and adolescent age groups. Girls were more empathic than boys and younger adolescents were more empathic than the older ones. Further support for the validity of the new scale comes from its relations to measures of social skills and aggression which were similar to theoretical predictions. In conclusion, the Portuguese version of the BES is a consistent and valid instrument for the assessment of empathy in samples of adolescents aged 12–18 years old in Portugal, which can now be used in cross-cultural studies of this important psychological construct.     

Terror Management and Trait Empathy: Evidence that Mortality Salience Promotes Reactions of Forgiveness among People with High (vs. low) Trait Empathy

Terror management research has typically found that people respond harshly toward offending others when reminded of their mortality. In the current research we examined whether mortality salience would increase attitudes of forgiveness toward such individuals, especially among those with high trait empathy. Consistent with prior research, Study 1 showed that mortality salience increased forgiveness of a violent hockey player, but only if this person was a member of the ingroup. Study 2 showed that mortality (vs. dental pain) salience led persons high in trait empathy to forgive the same violent hockey player regardless of his group membership. Implications for increasing forgiveness and prosocial behavior in intergroup contexts are briefly discussed.

Relationships between autistic-like and schizotypy traits: An analysis using the Autism Spectrum Quotient and Oxford-Liverpool Inventory of Feelings and Experiences

To further investigate claims of a relationship between autism and schizophrenia, the current study examined the associations between specific dimensions of autistic-like and schizotypy traits. These traits were assessed using the Autism Spectrum Quotient and the Oxford-Liverpool Inventory of Feelings and Experiences. After using factor analysis to explore the dimensions of autistic-like and schizotypy traits represented in these measures in two separate groups of students (N₁ = 362, N₂ = 639), the relationships between these dimensions were examined. While the results are consistent with suggestions in the literature of an overlap in the interpersonal deficits associated with autism and schizophrenia, they offer little support for Crespi and Badcock’s (2008) claim that autism and positive schizophrenia are diametrically opposed disorders.     

Psychometric properties of the physical activity questionnaire for older children (PAQ-C) in the UK

ObjectivesThe Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children (PAQ-C) is a validated self-report questionnaire designed to assess moderate to vigorous physical activity in children. Currently however, there are no data supporting the use of the PAQ-C in British samples.DesignTwo studies using independent samples assessed the psychometric properties of the PAQ-C in children aged 9–11 from the UK.MethodStudy one (N = 336) examined general test score characteristics, internal reliability, factor structure and construct validity of the PAQ-C with the Self-Report Habit Index (SRHI). Study two (N = 131) re-examined the factor structure and assessed convergent validity with BMI and cardiovascular fitness (CVF).ResultsThe PAQ-C had acceptable item distribution, item total correlations (>.30) and internal reliability (α = .82 & .84). Exploratory factor analyses (EFA) identified two factors which appear to be sensitive to the context in which the activity is performed ‘in school’ and ‘out of school’. The PAQ-C was related to the SRHI (r = .30) and inversely related to CVF (r = −.38) but not with BMI.ConclusionsWith the exception of one problematic item; physical activity during PE, several analyses suggested that the PAQ-C had acceptable measurement properties in this group. Pragmatically, the ease of use and efficient format of the PAQ-C makes it a feasible option for large studies and/or when time, money and manpower are limited. That said, further development of the PAQ-C may be required for younger samples and its usefulness for intervention research has yet to be established.     

The development of the Children's Empathic Attitudes Questionnaire using classical and Rasch analyses

Empathic responding is implicated in antisocial behaviors such as bullying, sexual offending, and violent crime. Identifying children and adolescents at risk for antisocial behavior and evaluating interventions designed to address problem behaviors require valid and reliable measures. Definitional controversies and limited measurement models have hindered measurement. This study describes the development and analysis of the Children's Empathic Attitudes Questionnaire (CEAQ) using both classical and modern techniques. Rasch analyses provided probabilistic results over large item and person groups, enabling meaningful inferences from patterns of responses at the construct level. Analyses of fifth through seventh graders' responses to the final version of the CEAQ provide support for its reliability, validity, and functionality. Four meaningful item clusters were identified, each reflecting more cognitively advanced empathic attitudes. These analyses suggest that the CEAQ provides a theoretically sound, hierarchically meaningful measure of empathic attitudes that will be useful in identification and intervention with children and adolescents at risk for antisocial behavior.     

Psychometric analysis of the systemizing quotient (SQ) scale

The psychometric properties of the systemizing quotient (SQ) developed by Baron‐Cohen (2003) are investigated in three studies. Furthermore, we examine the notion that the ability to systemize should be independent of intelligence. In Studies 1 and 2, confirmatory factor analyses are used to examine the factor structure of the SQ. Study 3 examines the relationship between systemizing, mental rotation and intelligence. Studies 1 and 2 indicate that the SQ does not possess a unifactorial structure but is best considered as four related factors; Study 3 found that SQ was not related to intelligence, although mental rotation was. A four factor structure using fewer items was a better fit for the data than either the original version of the SQ or Wakabayashi et al.'s (2006) revised version. Overall these results support Baron‐Cohen's view that SQ is not related to intelligence. Although mental rotation is correlated to SQ, it is not the main determinant of SQ. The problems of self‐report measures are discussed along with the difficulties related to measuring systemizing.     

Cognitive Error Questionnaire (CEQ): Psychometric Properties and Factor Structure of the German Translation

A central component of Beck et al.’s (1979) cognitive theory of depression is faulty information processing reflected by so-called cognitive errors. These cognitive errors are the reason why depressed individuals systematically misinterpret the significance of events in a negative way. They are usually assessed with the application of the Cognitive Error Questionnaire (CEQ). This study examines the psychometric properties and factor structure of the German version of the CEQ in a sample of 796 volunteers at a German university. Results confirmed that the German CEQ has satisfactory to very good psychometric properties, like the American original. Confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated that a hierarchical four-factor model with four subscales and 1 s order factor fits the data best. Therefore, besides using the German CEQ in studies with German-speaking samples, the similarities in psychometric properties of the American and German CEQ allow for cross-cultural studies.     

Empathy towards individuals of the same and different ethnicity when depicted in negative and positive contexts

Individuals can show different empathy responses towards others depending on in-group and out-group biases. The present research tested empathy biases related to ethnicity when targets were depicted in negative and positive contexts. Caucasian (n = 99) and Asian (n = 99) participants gave subjective ratings for images depicting same or other ethnicity individuals in socially-relevant negative and positive contexts. Participants rated significantly higher on all three dimensions of empathy (affect, perspective taking, and understanding) for same ethnicity targets than for other ethnicity targets. However, this bias was found only for targets depicted in negative contexts. Moreover, no ethnicity bias was found for ratings of valence, arousal, distress, and interest. The results suggest that ethnicity-related biases in empathy are present, are limited to negative contexts, and are not merely a manifestation of a more general cognitive or affective bias.     

Revaluating the evidence for the General Factor of Personality in the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire: Concerns about Rushton and Irwing (2009)

We evaluated whether the Big Five-based hierarchical model for the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire (MPQ) reported by Rushton and Irwing (2009) would replicate in a second sample of 733 participants. We were unable to confirm their hierarchical model and detected problems with the reporting of the original results. Exploratory factor analytic investigations generally supported the canonical three factor solution for the MPQ described in the existing literature. This was the case for both the present dataset and for the correlation matrix analyzed by Rushton and Irwing.     

Individual differences in (non-visual) processing style predict the face inversion effect

Recent research suggests that individuals with relatively weak global precedence (i.e., a smaller propensity to view visual stimuli in a configural manner) show a reduced face inversion effect (FIE). Coupled with such findings, a number of recent studies have demonstrated links between an advantage for feature-based processing and the presentation of traits associated with autism among the general population. The present study sought to bridge these findings by investigating whether a relationship exists between the possession of autism-associated traits (i.e., as indicated by individuals'"autism quotient" [(AQ) and the size of the FIE. Participants completed an on-line study in which the AQ was measured prior to a standard face recognition task where half of the faces were inverted at test. The results confirmed that higher AQ levels were predictive of smaller FIEs. Implications for a common underlying factor relating to processing orientation are discussed.     

The role of the school psychologist in the inclusive education of school-age children with autism spectrum disorders

Two independent trends are impacting school psychologists with regard to their involvement in the education of students with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs): increasing prevalence estimates of ASDs and an emphasis on the inclusion of students with special needs in regular education classrooms. In light of these trends and growing awareness of the need for evidence-based practices in the field, school psychologists can expect to be involved in the educational programming of students with ASDs and should be knowledgeable about empirically supported strategies relevant to inclusive education of these children. The purpose of this review is to familiarize school psychologists with currently available intervention techniques by describing each strategy and outlining the degree of empirical support for each. Strategies for managing disruptive behaviors, promoting learning, and facilitating social integration are reviewed.