A revised version of the psychoticism scale

In view of certain psychometric deficiencies of the original Psychoticism scale, an attempt was made to improve the scale by adding new items. It was attempted to increase the internal reliability of the scale, improve the shape of the distribution and increase the mean and variance score. Two different studies are discussed. Reliabilities are now somewhat improved, distributions are closer to normal and mean scores are higher than on the old scale. Four new short 12-item scales for the measurement of P, E, N and L are also given.     

A brief version of the geriatric depression scale for the chinese

Elderly persons (N=310) attending outpatient psychiatric clinics were given an interview on the 30-item Geriatric Depression Scale (T. L. Brink et al., 1982; J. A. Yesavage et al., 1983) and received an independent psychiatric evaluation. A 3-step binary logistic regression showed that 2 items measuring positive affect and 2 others measuring negative affect combined to produce diagnostic performance comparable with the full scale. This result was cross-validated on a different sample (N=134). A hierarchical measurement model in which the 4 items tapped 2 first-order factors (positive and negative affect), which in turn tapped a higher order construct of depression, provided excellent fit to the data.     

Dispositional need for cognitive closure and self-enhancing beliefs

In 3 studies, the author examined self-enhancing beliefs as a function of dispositional need for cognitive closure. The results of the 1st study revealed that fathers in the Netherlands believed that they devoted more time to their children than did average Dutch fathers; these beliefs were strongest for participants with a high need for closure. Results of Studies 2 and 3 replicated the findings in Study 1 in a controlled experimental context with approaches developed by S. T. Allison, D. M. Messick, and G. R. Goethals (1989) and by D. M. Messick, S. Bloom, J. P. Boldizar, and C. D. Samuelson (1985).     

Perceived group variability and dispositional need for closure

Based on the closure motivation theory proposed by Kruglanski and Webster (1996), it was hypothesized that the extent of perceived variability of target group members would be related to dispositional need for closure. Israeli teachers (n = 160) judged their professors by means of two methods and answered the need for cognitive closure questionnaire (NFCS, Webster & Kruglanski, 1994). The findings show that need for closure is related to social judgment. The perception of participants high in need for closure was less differentiated and more extreme, in comparison to participants low in need for closure. Findings also yielded that measures of variability are method dependent.     

Perceived group variability and dispositional need for closure

Based on the closure motivation theory proposed by Kruglanski and Webster (1996), it was hypothesized that the extent of perceived variability of target group members would be related to dispositional need for closure. Israeli teachers (n = 160) judged their professors by means of two methods and answered the need for cognitive closure questionnaire (NFCS, Webster & Kruglanski, 1994). The findings show that need for closure is related to social judgment. The perception of participants high in need for closure was less differentiated and more extreme, in comparison to participants low in need for closure. Findings also yielded that measures of variability are method dependent.     

A French version of the situational self-awareness scale

ObjectiveThis paper presents the findings of three studies aimed at validating a French version of the situational self-awareness scale (Govern & Marsch, 2001). The 9-item scale measures the extent to which people focus their attention on private or public aspects of themselves or on their surroundings. The scale was translated into French. The first study examined the factor structure, the second study focused on consistency and reliability, and the third study examined the convergent and discriminant validity of the scale.MethodFactor analyses were performed on data collected among 397 students. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability were assessed using Cronbach's alpha and correlation analyses. Finally, we induced public and private self-awareness and assessed awareness to test the validity of the scale.ResultsThe results show that the scale has a three-factor structure and support the reliability of the scale over time. However, doubts remain over the construct validity of the public and private self-awareness dimensions. As expected, the data indicate that SSAS was sensitive to situational variations, in line with previous studies.DiscussionThe discussion focuses on the arguments supporting the use of the original scale and the practical implications of the scale.     

Construct validity of the psychopathic personality inventory two-factor model with offenders

Much of the research on psychopathy has treated it as a unitary construct operationalized by total scores on one (or more) measures. More recent studies on the Psychopathic Personality Inventory (PPI) suggest the existence of two distinct facets of psychopathy with unique external correlates. Here, the authors report reanalyses of two offender data sets that included scores on the PPI along with various theoretically relevant criterion variables. Consistent with hypotheses, the two PPI factors showed convergent and discriminant relations with criterion measures, many of which would otherwise have been obscured when relying on PPI total scores. These results highlight the importance of examining facets of psychopathy as well as total scores.     

Autocracy bias in informal groups under need for closure

Two experiments investigated the tendency of groups with members under high (vs. low) need for cognitive closure to develop an autocratic leadership structure in which some members dominate the discussion, constitute the "hubs" of communication, and influence the group more than other members. The first experiment found that high (vs. low) need for closure groups, as assessed via dispositional measure of the need for closure, manifested greater asymmetry of conversational floor control, such that members with autocratic interactional style were more conversationally dominant and influential than less autocratic members. The second experiment manipulated the need for closure via time pressure and utilized a social network analysis. Consistent with expectation, groups under time pressure (vs. no pressure) showed a greater asymmetry of participation, of centrality, and of prestige among the group members, such that the more focal members were perceived to exert the greater influence over the groups' decisions.     

Social-ecological assessment of environments: Toward a two-factor model

A study was conducted to test the usefulness of the two-factor model in assessing social environments. Subjects were residents and staff at a residential treatment center for emotionally disturbed and/or delinquent boys and girls. Rating instruments consisted of (a) two parallel versions of Moos' Community-Oriented Programs Enivronment Scale (COPES), each worded so as to be appropriate to the setting being measured, and (b) global ratings of satisfaction with the environment. Principal component factor analyses, carried out separately on the youths' COPES-School and the youths' COPES-Cottage, yielded two orthogonal but similar factors in each environment. In a comparison with Moos' three-dimensional formulation of the social milieu, the two factors strongly resembled two of Moos' dimensions but were more independent, had greater validity, and discriminated between the two environments at a higher level of significance. The instruments derived from the factor analyses provide a simple procedure for assessing a variety of treatment programs and populations.     

Reactive and proactive aggression: evidence of a two-factor model

This article examines the construct validity of reactive and proactive aggression, as assessed by the teacher-rating scale developed by K. A. Dodge and J. D. Coie (1987). In Study 1 (n = 149 boys), confirmatory factor analyses revealed that a 2-factor model, in which a substantial correlation was observed between the 2 latent factors, presented a better fit than a single-factor model. Study 2 (n = 193 boys) examined the relations presented by the 2 forms of aggression with peer status, leadership, social withdrawal, and victimization by peer. Reactive and proactive aggressive behaviors presented distinct patterns of relations consistent with the theoretical definitions. The results of these studies suggest that the questionnaire measures 2 forms of aggressive behavior that, although being substantially related, have a unique discriminant dimension.     

Competing roles for the subfactors of need for closure in committing the fundamental attribution error

Webster’s (1993) finding that the need for closure (NFC) trait predicts the fundamental attribution error (FAE) is well-cited but has mixed support. After detailing failed replications and contradictory findings, this article reports an attempt to verify the positive NFC–FAE relation using the questioner–contestant paradigm. Rarely investigated but potentially vital to the field, this research also considered the two orthogonal subfactors of NFC, decisiveness and need for structure (Neuberg, Judice, & West, 1997). Results showed that need for structure predicted, overall NFC partially predicted, but decisiveness attenuated the FAE. Thus, Webster’s finding was both replicated and reversed by different aspects of NFC. Decisiveness adds to a short list of trait moderators of the FAE. Implications are discussed for how to measure NFC.     

Groups as epistemic providers: need for closure and the unfolding of group-centrism

Theory and research are presented relating the need for cognitive closure to major facets of group behavior. It is suggested that a high need for closure, whether it is based on members' disposition or the situation, contributes to the emergence of a behavioral syndrome describable as group-centrism--a pattern that includes pressures to opinion uniformity, encouragement of autocratic leadership, in-group favoritism, rejection of deviates, resistance to change, conservatism, and the perpetuation of group norms. These theoretical predictions are borne out by laboratory and field research in diverse settings.     

Psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the diabetes empowerment scale

Metabolic control is central to positive clinical outcome in patients with diabetes. Empowerment has been linked to metabolic control in this clinical group. The current study sought to determine key psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Diabetes Empowerment Scale (C-DES) and to explore the relationship of the C-DES sub-scales to metabolic control in 189 patients with a diagnosis of diabetes. Confirmatory factor analysis established that the five sub-scales of the C-DES offered a highly satisfactory fit to the data. Furthermore, C-DES sub-scales were found to have generally acceptable internal consistency and divergent reliability. However, convergent reliability of C-DES sub-scales could not be established against metabolic control. It is concluded that future research needs to address ambiguities in the relationship between empowerment and metabolic control in order to afford patients an evidenced-based treatment package to assure optimal metabolic control.     

Invariance of a two-factor model of Social Dominance Orientation across gender

This research examined the measurement and structural invariance of the 16-item Social Dominance Orientation (SDO) scale across gender. The Social Dominance Theory (SDT) invariance hypothesis proposes that men are higher than women in SDO. Tests of this hypothesis have compared summary scores with t-tests, but there is no psychometric work of measurement invariance across gender, which makes interpretation of t-test comparisons problematic. Some research suggests the scale captures two distinct factors: support for group-based dominance (GBD) and general opposition to equality (OEQ). However, gender differences in GBD and OEQ have mixed findings. Results replicated the two-factor structure. Multiple-group CFA indicated that loadings, intercepts, factor variances, and factor covariance are equivalent across gender. Males demonstrated higher latent means of GBD and OEQ, supporting the SDT invariance hypothesis.     

Development and validation of a brief version of the dyadic adjustment scale with a nonparametric item analysis model

The main purpose of the current research was to develop an abbreviated form of the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS) with nonparametric item response theory. The authors conducted 5 studies, with a total participation of 8,256 married or cohabiting individuals. Results showed that the item characteristic curves behaved in a monotonically increasing function for all items of the brief 4-item version of the DAS (DAS-4). The DAS-4 proved to be informative at all levels of couple satisfaction. Compared with the 32-item version of the DAS (DAS-32), it was as effective in predicting couple dissolution and was significantly less contaminated by socially desirable responding. In addition, structural equation modeling demonstrated that the underlying latent construct measured by the DAS-4 was very stable over a 2-year period. This brief version has the advantage of being less time consuming and constitutes a promising alternative to the original DAS-32 for clinicians and researchers.     

The two-factor model of self-reported mood: a cross-cultural replication

The cross-cultural stability of a two-factor model of self-reported mood was studied in Israel. Sixty women and 25 men filled out a 58-adjective Mood Check List, everday for 45 consecutive days. Replicatory factor analyses demonstrated that the two-factor model of mood is applicable to both Israeli men and women and that this structure is consistent across American and Israeli cultures. Three implications of these findings are discussed. Replication of this structure in a diversified and unique culture, such as Israel, coupled with a previous replication in Japan (Watson, Clark, & Tellegen, 1984), is interpreted as lending considerable support to the assertion that this model of mood is cross-culturally consistent. Theoretical formulations and empirical findings derived and discovered in the U.S. can now be employed in planning and interpreting mood studies in Israel. The results of such studies can be incorporated within the general body of knowledge accumulating on this topic in the U.S.     

Influences on cognitive engagement: Epistemological beliefs and need for closure

Background. Research indicates that achievement goals influence cognitive engagement, which, in turn, influences academic achievement. We believe that there are other individual difference variables in the realm of personal epistemology that may also directly or indirectly influence cognitive engagement; specifically, epistemological beliefs and epistemological motives (e.g. need for closure). Aims. This study proposed and tested a conceptual model of relationships among epistemological variables (epistemological beliefs and need for closure), achievement goals (mastery, performance‐approach, performance‐avoidance) and cognitive engagement. Sample. Two hundred and fifty‐nine students attending university in the US volunteered to participate in the study. Students represented a variety of academic disciplines and ranged from 18 to 58 years. Methods. The participants completed three paper‐and‐pencil surveys: the Epistemological Beliefs Inventory; the Attitudes, Beliefs, and Experiences Inventory (a measure of need for closure); and the Approaches to Learning Survey (a measure of achievement goals and cognitive engagement). Results. Structural equation modelling supported the model in general, although not all proposed paths were significant. Correlational analyses further indicated that epistemological beliefs and need for closure are both potentially important variables for understanding learners' treatment of knowledge in instructional settings. Conclusions. There are individual differences in epistemological beliefs and motives that may influence the goals students pursue in learning settings and the nature of their cognitive engagement.     

The need for closure and the spontaneous use of complex and simple cognitive structures

The authors performed 2 experiments that explored the causal role of need for closure in producing the use of simple structures. In particular, the authors gave the participants a cue that called for a complex or a simple solution on a cognitive complexity task. The authors created the participants' need for closure through the use of time pressure. The results of both experiments revealed that participants only generated complex solutions in the complex cue-no time pressure condition. The discussion is focused on the effects of need for closure in tasks calling for adaptive and spontaneous flexibility.     

Construct validation of the Dutch version of the impact of event scale

The Impact of Event Scale (ES; M. J. Horowitz, N. Wilner, & W. Alvarez, 1979) is a worldwide-used self-report measure to assess the frequency of intrusive and avoidant phenomena after a variety of traumatic experiences. The purpose of this article is to assess the psychometric value of the Dutch version of the IES (D. Brom & R. J. Kleber, 1985) in several samples of individuals who had experienced various traumatic stressors. The reliability and structure of the IES were evaluated in 3 different samples (total N = 1.588). The reliability of the Dutch version of the IES was adequate across the various stressors. The construct validity was assessed by using confirmatory factor analyses. Outcomes revealed a robust structure over the various samples, generally supporting the composition of the original IES.