Subjective well-being is heritable and genetically correlated with dominance in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)

The hypothesis that subjective well-being (SWB) is heritable and genetically correlated with Dominance was tested using 128 zoo chimpanzees. Dominance was a chimpanzee-specific personality factor including items reflecting Extraversion and low Neuroticism. SWB was measured with a 4-item scale. The best behavior genetic model included additive genetic and nonshared environmental effects for SWB and Dominance, marginal matemal effects for SWB, a high genetic correlation, and a low nonshared environmental correlation. Results indicated that the shared variance between SWB and Dominance was a consequence of common genes and that the unique variance between SWB and Dominance was a consequence of the nonshared environment. These findings indicate that common genes may underlie the correlation between human personality factors and SWB.     

青少年校园欺凌行为量表编制

编制青少年校园欺凌行为量表,为校园欺凌的评估、分类、干预工作提供依据。采用文献分析、结构化访谈与问卷调查确定量表维度并编制初始量表,通过项目分析、探索性因素分析、验证性因素分析形成正式量表。青少年校园欺凌行为量表包含26个项目,共5个维度,分别是身体欺凌、关系欺凌、财物欺凌、性欺凌与网络欺凌;量表具有较高的内部一致性信度、分半信度与良好的内容效度、结构效度、效标效度。青少年校园欺凌行为量表符合心理测量学标准,可作为测量校园欺凌行为的工具。     

A biometrical study of schizotypy in a normal population

A recently devised two-scale questionnaire (STQ) for measuring ‘borderline’ personality traits, together with the EPQ, was administered to 108 monozygotic and 102 dizygotic adult twin pairs. Initial item and scale analyses of the STQ indicated good internal consistency and acceptably high endorsement frequencies for individual items, as well as an absense of any marked skew in the scale distributions. The pattern of correlations with the EPQ closely resembled that seen in earlier, smaller-sized studies, the most notable feature being a positive correlation between the borderline scales and the N-scale. Biometrical analysis of the data suggested that, for the main STQ scale (‘schizotypal personality’), the best-fitting model was one assuming additive genetic variation combined with within-family environmental effects: results for the other (‘borderline personality’) scale were less clear cut. A number of sex differences were also observed: males had lower schizotypy scores than females, while the biometrical analysis suggested that schizotypy may be under greater genetic control in males than in females. The data are presented and discussed in the context of the dimensional/biological theory of disposition to psychosis.     

Unidimensionality and Developmental Trajectory of Aggressive Behavior in Clinically-Referred Boys: A Rasch Analysis

A majority of research investigating aggression and its development in children relies on rating scales such as the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). These scales typically are developed using a conventional factor analytic approach for the selection and retention of scale items, but may contain insufficient items to assess the unidimensionality and developmental trajectory of youths’ aggressive behavior. Rasch analysis was employed to determine the extent to which CBCL Aggressive and Delinquent clinical syndrome scale items reflect the unidimensionality and expected developmental trajectory of aggressive behavior based on parent endorsements of 455, 6 to 16 year old boys referred to community mental health centers. The two scales showed considerable promise as a unidimensional aggression scale and mimic the expected developmental pattern of aggressive behavior in extant literature. Future development of an aggressive CBCL dimensional subscale, however, must eliminate redundant and non-contributing items, and include severe aggressive behavior items exhibited by persistently aggressive youths.     

Unidimensionality of life satisfaction and its relation to social desirability: a confirmatory study of a short form of the Life Satisfaction Scale

This study investigated construct validity of a short version of the Life Satisfaction in the Elderly Scale developed from an exploratory factor analysis in 1990 of the original version of Salamon and Conte's Life Satisfaction scale. First, a confirmatory factor analysis (maximum likelihood method) was conducted on 149 adult and elderly Italians to assess whether the latent variable of the Life Satisfaction Short Form scale was adequately represented by one factor. Analysis showed a good fit for the proposed unidimensional model, the items achieved good internal consistency on the scale, and no age differences arose in the score for the Life Satisfaction factor. Second, the correlations between the items measuring Life Satisfaction and the Eysenck 1985 Lie scale indicated that the items on the Life Satisfaction Short Form are largely independent of social desirability for younger and older adults.     

Measurement of self-evaluative motives: a shopping scenario

To develop measures of consumers' self-evaluative motives of Self-verification, Self-enhancement, and Self-improvement within the context of a mall shopping environment, an initial set of 49 items was generated by conducting three focus-group sessions. These items were subsequently converted into shopping-dependent motive statements. 250 undergraduate college students responded on a 7-point scale to each statement as these related to the acquisition of recent personal shopping goods. An exploratory factor analysis yielded five factors, accounting for 57.7% of the variance, three of which corresponded to the Self-verification motive (five items), Self-enhancement motive (three items), and Self-improvement motive (six items). These 14 items, along with 9 reconstructed items, yielded 23 items retained and subjected to additional testing. In a final round of data collection, 169 college students provided data for exploratory factor analysis. 11 items were used in confirmatory factor analysis. Analysis indicated that the 11-item scale adequately captured measures of the three self-evaluative motives. However, further data reduction produced a 9-item scale with marked improvement in statistical fit over the 11-item scale.     

The Association between Positive Parenting and Externalizing Behavior

The present study examined the role of positive parenting on externalizing behaviors in a longitudinal, genetically informative sample. It often is assumed that positive parenting prevents behavior problems in children via an environmentally mediated process. Alternatively, the association may be due to either an evocative gene-environment correlation, in which parents react to children's genetically-influenced behavior in a positive way, or a passive gene-environment correlation, where parents passively transmit a risk environment and the genetic risk factor for the behavioral outcome to their children. The present study estimated the contribution of these processes in the association between positive parenting and children's externalizing behavior. Positive parenting was assessed via observations at ages 7, 9, 14, 24, and 36 months and externalizing behaviors were assessed through parent report at ages 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, and 12 years. The significant association between positive parenting and externalizing behavior was negative, with children of mothers who showed significantly more positive parenting during toddlerhood having lower levels of externalizing behavior in childhood; however, there was not adequate power to distinguish whether this covariation was due to genetic, shared environmental, or nonshared environmental influences.     

Coping behavior in depression: report on a new scale

The Coping Strategies Scales (COSTS) were developed to provide a means of measuring how depressed persons cope with depression and to identify the behavior which they find to be most or least helpful. Items were rated by eight psychologists, psychiatrists and social workers. Those items achieving 75% level of agreement on scale assignments were included. The COSTS was then administered to 100 depressed outpatients and inpatients currently in psychotherapy. A replication study of 64 patients was also completed. Nine of the 10 scales had acceptable internal reliability, ranging from 0.70 to 0.86. An initial factor analysis of the 10 scale scores showed there to be three primary factors. Internal reliability coefficients for these three factorially-derived scales ranged from 0.86 to 0.91.     

The Development of the Santa Clara Brief Compassion Scale: An Abbreviation of Sprecher and Fehr’s Compassionate Love Scale

This purpose of this study is to develop a brief version of Sprecher and Fehr’s Compassionate Love Scale (2005). This was accomplished by administering the 21-item scale to college student participants and subsequently selecting five items for a brief version. The five items were selected based on the evaluation of high correlation coefficients between individual item responses and the overall total 21 questions from the original scale, the results of factor analysis, and items that had moderate means and high standard deviations. The correlation between the original and brief version is 0.96, while the internal reliability of the brief version, using Cronbach’s alpha, is 0.90.     

Validity and Reliability of a Turkish Version of the Modified Moral Sensitivity Questionnaire for Student Nurses

This study examined the validity and reliability of a Turkish version of the Modified Moral Sensitivity Questionnaire for Student Nurses (MMSQSN). After obtaining permission to adapt the MMSQSN into Turkish, the translation/back-translation method was used with expert opinions to determine content validity. Factor analysis was conducted to examine the construct validity and test–retest was performed on the questionnaire to determine reliability. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients were calculated to assess for internal consistency. Participants included 272 baccalaureate degree student nurses who took ethics lessons prior to their clinical internship. The factor analysis revealed that even though the factor structure in the original scale was the same, relevant items were categorized with similar components, and factor loads were sufficient. The correlation coefficient in the analyses of test–retest scores was .66 for the total scale (p < .05) and the Cronbach’s alpha was .73 for the total scale. The translated MMSQSN is a valid and reliable measure of ethical sensitivity in student nurses in Turkey.     

Interpretation of a Full-Information Item-Level Factor Analysis of the MMPI-2: Normative Sampling and Nonpathognomonic Descriptors

An exploratory item-level full-information factor analysis was performed on the normative sample for the MMPI-2 (Butcher, Dahlstrom, Graham, Tellegen, & Kaemmer, 1989). This method of factor analysis, developed by Schilling and Bock (Bock & Schilling, 1997) and based on item response theory, works directly with the response patterns and avoids the artifacts associated with phi coefficients and tetrachoric coefficients. Promax rotation of the factor solution organizes the clinical scale items into 10 factors that we labeled Distrust, Self-Doubt, Fitness, Serenity, Rebelliousness, Instrumentality, Irritability, Artistry, Sociability, and Self-Reliance. A comparison was made to the results of Johnson, Butcher, Null, and Johnson (1984), who performed a principal-component analysis on an item set of 550 items from the previous version of the MMPI (Hathaway & McKinley, 1943). Along with version changes and sampling differences, the essential differences between Johnson et al.'s results and ours may be attributed to differences between the Schilling and Bock method, which uses all information in the item responses, and the principal-component analysis, which uses the partial information contained in pairwise correlation coefficients. This study included 518 of the complete 567 items of the MMPI-2, versus Johnson et al.'s retention of 309 of the initially included 550 items of the previous MMPI. The full-information analysis retained all 518 initially included items and more evenly distributed the items over the 10 resulting factors, all sharply defined by their highest loading items and easy to interpret. Sampling effects and factor label considerations are discussed, along with recommendations for research that would validate the clinical utility of the implied scales for describing normal personality profiles. The full-information procedure provides for Bayes estimation of scores on these scales.     

Interpretation of a full-information item-level factor analysis of the MMPI-2: normative sampling and nonpathognomonic descriptors

An exploratory item-level full-information factor analysis was performed on the normative sample for the MMPI-2 (Butcher, Dahlstrom, Graham, Tellegen, & Kaemmer, 1989). This method of factor analysis, developed by Schilling and Bock (Bock & Schilling, 1997) and based on item response theory, works directly with the response patterns and avoids the artifacts associated with phi coefficients and tetrachoric coefficients. Promax rotation of the factor solution organizes the clinical scale items into 10 factors that we labeled Distrust, Self-Doubt, Fitness, Serenity, Rebelliousness, Instrumentality, Irritability, Artistry, Sociability, and Self-Reliance. A comparison was made to the results of Johnson, Butcher, Null, and Johnson (1984), who performed a principal-component analysis on an item set of 550 items from the previous version of the MMPI (Hathaway & McKinley, 1943). Along with version changes and sampling differences, the essential differences between Johnson et al.'s results and ours may be attributed to differences between the Schilling and Bock method, which uses all information in the item responses, and the principal-component analysis, which uses the partial information contained in pairwise correlation coefficients. This study included 518 of the complete 567 items of the MMPI-2, versus Johnson et al.'s retention of 309 of the initially included 550 items of the previous MMPI. The full-information analysis retained all 518 initially included items and more evenly distributed the items over the 10 resulting factors, all sharply defined by their highest loading items and easy to interpret. Sampling effects and factor label considerations are discussed, along with recommendations for research that would validate the clinical utility of the implied scales for describing normal personality profiles. The full-information procedure provides for Bayes estimation of scores on these scales.     

Genetic and Environmental Influences on Psychopathy Trait Dimensions in a Community Sample of Male Twins

Psychopathy appears to be comprised of two broad dimensions: impulsivity/antisocial behavior and interpersonal detachment/callousness. This study examined the extent to which variance in these 2 psychopathy trait dimensions was associated with common or unique genetic, shared, and nonshared environmental factors in two independent samples of reared together 16–18-year-old male twins. One sample included 142 monozygotic (MZ) and 70 dizygotic (DZ) pairs; the other sample included 128 MZ and 58 DZ pairs. Boys completed the Minnesota Temperament Inventory (MTI), a 19-item measure that contains separate subscales: Antisocial and Detachment. Variance in the Antisocial and Detachment scales was associated with additive genetic factors and neither scale was associated with shared environmental factors. As expected, the bivariate biometric analysis suggested genetic influence on the covariance of the scales. The results are consistent with theoretical models of psychopathy that posit some independence in the etiology of the two major trait dimensions of psychopathy.     

Multivariate analysis of cognitive and temperament measures in 24-month-old adoptive and nonadoptive sibling pairs

The genetic and environmental etiologies of covariation among measures of temperament (the Bayley Infant Behavior Record's Affect and Task Orientation Scales and the first principal component from the New York Longitudinal Study's difficult temperament items) and cognition (the Bayley Mental Development Index [MDI] and the total score on the Sequenced Inventory of Communication Development [SICD] were assessed at 24 months of age in 70 biologically related and 66 unrelated pairs of siblings in the Colorado Adoption Project. Between- and within-pair mean cross products were equated to expectations using the LISREL multiple-group specification (Fulker, Baker and Bock, 1983) to obtain maximum-likelihood estimates of genetic and environmental factor loadings and specific variances. The full one-factor model, with one general factor and five specific factors, provides a satisfactory fit to the data (χ² = 27.8, df = 30, P = 0.58). Genetic influences are important for the Bayley MDI and SICD languages measures, but not for temperament measures. Little or no evidence was found for shared-sibling environmental influences for any of the measures. Various hypotheses regarding genetic and environmental correlation structures were also tested.     

Does the Test of Self-Conscious Affect (TOSCA) measure maladaptive aspects of guilt and adaptive aspects of shame? An empirical investigation

The purpose of this study was to examine whether the Test of Self-Conscious Affect (TOSCA; Tangney, J. P., Wagner, P. E., & Gramzow, R. (1989). The Test of Self-Concious Affect. Fairfax, VA: George Mason University) measures maladaptive forms or aspects of guilt and adaptive aspects of shame that have been described in the literature. First, a judgmental and logical analysis showed that the TOSCA primarily measures mild and adaptive forms and aspects of guilt and maladaptive aspects of shame. Next, principal components analyses (PCAs) in a student (N=328) and adult (N=542) sample showed that items that had a high loading on the guilt factor primarily were items that referred to reparative behavior, while items that had high loadings on the shame factor consisted primarily of items that referred to low self-esteem. To investigate to which extent these items were responsible for correlations found with the TOSCA, we constructed a revised guilt scale containing only items that referred to reparative behavior and a revised shame scale consisting of items that only referred to negative self-esteem, and related these to indices of interpersonal and intrapersonal functioning. The revised TOSCA scales reproduced both the pattern and magnitude of correlations obtained with the original TOSCA scales. Thus, taken together, the results of this study support the interpretation of the TOSCA guilt scale as a measure of mild and adaptive forms of guilt and the TOSCA shame scale as a measure of maladaptive aspects associated with shame. Implications of these findings for further research on the nature of guilt and shame are discussed.     

THE DEVELOPMENT OF BEHAVIORAL OBSERVATION SCALES FOR APPRAISING THE PERFORMANCE OF FOREMEN

Behavioral observation scales (BOS) were developed for first line foremen. BOS are similar to behavioral expectation scales (BES) in that both are based on a job analysis procedure known as the critical incident technique. However, the BOS differ from BES in that, in developing BOS, (a) a group of individuals is observed and rated on a five-point scale as to the frequency with which they engage in the behavior described by each incident/statement, (b) a total score for each individual is determined by summing the observer's responses for each behavioral item, and (c) an item analysis (or factor analysis, depending upon the sample size) is conducted to select the most discriminating items. Those items with the highest correlations with the total score on a scale are retained to form one behavioral criterion or scale (BOS).     

随机截距因子分析模型在控制条目表述效应中的应用

本研究用中文修订版罗森博格自尊量表(RSES-R)考察随机截距因子分析模型在控制条目表述效应时的表现。用RSES-R和过分宣称问卷组成的量表调查621名中学生。结果表明,随机截距模型在建模时,拟合指数良好、因子方差与负荷合理,自尊因子分与RSES-R总分有极高相关,表明该模型能有效分离RSES-R得分的特质与表述效应。分离的表述效应因子分与受测者的自我提升水平具有显著但较弱的相关,表明表述效应与自受测者的社会赞许性有共同的成分。     

大学生恋爱动机问卷的初步编制

目的:探讨大学生恋爱动机的结构并编制相应的测量工具。方法:运用文献法、开放式问卷和访谈法设计问卷,多次施测修改问卷,采用相关分析、探索性分析和验证性分析对问卷的信、效度进行检验。结果:大学生恋爱动机问卷包括功利性、面子性、性爱性,情感性、消遣性和婚姻性六个维度,累计贡献率57.459%,共27项;问卷的信度和效度均符合心理测量学的要求。结论:大学生恋爱动机问卷可作为测评大学生恋爱动机的工具。     

初中生数学自我效能问卷的编制

根据国内外关于数学自我效能研究的文献,结合我国初中生数学学习的内容特点与实际背景情况,编制数学自我效能问卷。研究以初一与初二学生为对象,采用开放式问卷对188名学生和53名数学教师进行调查,首先编制出44个项目的初测问卷;采用封闭式问卷对479名学生的初测结果进行验证性因素分析与项目分析,形成了包含日常生活中数学任务的效能、数学相关课程的效能与数学学业问题解决效能三个维度的26个项目的正式问卷;最后对350名学生施测正式问卷。分析研究结果表明,该数学自我效能问卷的因素结构清晰,具有合理的信度和效度。     

A bias-corrected exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis of right-wing authoritarianism: Support for a three-factor structure

The factor structure of right-wing authoritarianism (RWA) remains a contentious issue. Although designed to measure three underlying attitude clusters, aggression, submission and conventionalism, many items are deliberately double- or triple-barrelled, to capture the covariation of the three clusters in a unidimensional scale. Additionally, although the scale is balanced, there is an item wording direction bias in the clusters; aggression items are pro-trait, and conventionalism items are con-trait. Sub-scale structure is therefore potentially confounded with acquiescence bias. Although RWA as a unitary construct has been an effective tool for exploring prejudice, it would be useful in many cases to measure its underlying components directly. Proposed solutions to this problem include creating short-form scales as subsets of the original scale, or modifying items to simplify and un-confound the structure. We present convergent evidence of an underlying factor structure by considering one-, two- and three-factor solutions to the uncorrected scale and then using an indirect method to correct for acquiescence bias. Before and after correction, factor analysis supported a three-factor solution. Confirmatory factor analyses also support a three-factor solution compared to a one-factor solution.