Review of Growth Modeling: Structural Equation and Multilevel Modeling Approaches (Grimm,Ram & Estabrook, 2017)

Research questions that address developmental processes are becoming more prevalent in psychology and other areas of social science. Growth models have become a popular tool to model multiple individuals measured over several time points. These types of models allow researchers to answer a wide variety of research questions, such as modeling inter- and intra-individual differences and variability in longitudinal process (Molenaar 2004). The recently published book, Growth Modeling: Structural Equation and Multilevel Modeling Approaches (Grimm, Ram & Estabrook 2017), provides a solid foundation for both beginners and more advanced researchers interested in longitudinal data analysis by juxtaposing both the multilevel and structural equation modeling frameworks for several different models. By providing both sufficient technical background and practical coding examples in a variety of both commercial and open-source software, this book should serve as an excellent reference tool for behavioral and methodological researchers interested in growth modeling.

     

Development of Japanese version of the long‐term mating orientation scale (LTMO‐J)

The purpose of this study was to validate the 7‐item long‐term mating orientation scale (LTMO) as translated into Japanese. Two samples of Japanese adults (N = 2000; 50.0% male; Mage = 40.9 for the first survey; N = 300; 54.7% male; Mage = 42.4 for the second survey) completed a web‐based questionnaire, including the Japanese translation of the LTMO. The results showed that the psychometric properties of the Japanese LTMO scale were comparable to those of the original English version. The scale had adequate reliability based on Cronbach's α and McDonald's ω. Convergent validity was demonstrated by the correlation between the LTMO scores and related variables: human life history strategies, short‐term sociosexual orientation, attitude to infidelity, romantic attachment style, and so on. The translated scale provides a valid and reliable instrument in Japanese that measures human mating strategy.