The Children's Behavior Questionnaire very short scale: psychometric properties and development of a one-item temperament scale

Little research has been conducted on the psychometrics of the very short scale (36 items) of the Children's Behavior Questionnaire, and no one-item temperament scale has been tested for use in applied work. In this study, 237 United States caregivers completed a survey to define their child's behavioral patterns (i.e., Surgency, Negative Affectivity Effortful Control) using both scales. Psychometrics of the 36-item Children's Behavior Questionnaire were examined using classical test theory, principal factor analysis, and item response modeling. Classical test theory analysis demonstrated adequate internal consistency and factor analysis confirmed a three-factor structure. Potential improvements to the measure were identified using item response modeling. A one-item (three response categories) temperament scale was validated against the three temperament factors of the 36-item scale. The temperament response categories correlated with the temperament factors of the 36-item scale, as expected. The one-item temperament scale may be applicable for clinical use.     

Development of a measure of experiential avoidance: the Multidimensional Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire

Experiential avoidance (EA) has been conceptualized as the tendency to avoid negative internal experiences and is an important concept in numerous conceptualizations of psychopathology as well as theories of psychotherapy. Existing measures of EA have either been narrowly defined or demonstrated unsatisfactory internal consistency and/or evidence of poor discriminant validity vis-à-vis neuroticism. To help address these problems, we developed a reliable self-report questionnaire assessing a broad range of EA content that was distinguishable from higher order personality traits. An initial pool of 170 items was administered to a sample of undergraduates (N = 312) to help evaluate individual items and establish a structure via exploratory factor analyses. A revised set of items was then administered to another sample of undergraduates (N = 314) and a sample of psychiatric outpatients (N = 201). A 2nd round of item evaluation was performed, resulting in a final 62-item measure consisting of 6 subscales. Cross-validation data were gathered in 3 new, independent samples (students, N = 363; patients, N = 265; community adults, N = 215). The resulting measure (the Multidimensional Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire, or MEAQ) exhibited good internal consistency, was substantially associated with other measures of avoidance, and demonstrated greater discrimination vis-à-vis neuroticism relative to preexisting measures of EA. Furthermore, the MEAQ was broadly associated with psychopathology and quality of life, even after controlling for the effects of neuroticism.     

Development of short and very short forms of the Children's Behavior Questionnaire

Using data from 468 parents and taking into account internal consistency, breadth of item content, within-scale factor analysis, and patterns of missing data, we developed short (94 items, 15 scales) and very short (36 items, 3 broad scales) forms of the Children's Behavior Questionnaire (CBQ; Rothbart, Ahadi, & Hershey, 1994; Rothbart, Ahadi, Hershey, & Fisher, 2001), a well-established parent-report measure of temperament for children aged 3 to 8 years. We subsequently evaluated the forms with data from 1,189 participants. In mid/high-income and White samples, the CBQ short and very short forms demonstrated both satisfactory internal consistency and criterion validity, and exhibited longitudinal stability and cross-informant agreement comparable to that of the standard CBQ. Internal consistency was somewhat lower among African American and low-income samples for some scales. Very short form scales demonstrated acceptable internal consistency for all samples, and confirmatory factor analyses indicated marginal fit of the very short form items to a three-factor model.     

Development and validation of a scale to measure beliefs about women managers

This paper presents preliminary evidence on the internal consistency and validity of a scale designed to measure the degree to which one believes women managers experience a greater number of obstacles and more critical judgments about their work performance as compared to managerial men (the Stereotype Beliefs about Women Managers scale; SBWMS). Survey data from 1,337 managerial and nonmanagerial men and women employed by a large manufacturing organization revealed that the 6-item scale possessed a single factor. Significant mean group differences and correlations between the SBWMS and a number of organizationallyrelevant measures provide good preliminary support for the scale’s validity.     

Development and validation of a scale to measure beliefs about women managers

This paper presents preliminary evidence on the internal consistency and validity of a scale designed to measure the degree to which one believes women managers experience a greater number of obstacles and more critical judgments about their work performance as compared to managerial men (the Stereotype Beliefs about Women Managers scale; SBWMS). Survey data from 1,337 managerial and nonmanagerial men and women employed by a large manufacturing organization revealed that the 6-item scale possessed a single factor. Significant mean group differences and correlations between the SBWMS and a number of organizationallyrelevant measures provide good preliminary support for the scale’s validity.     

Remembering the message: the use of a reminder cue to increase condom use following a safer sex intervention.

Condom use interventions may be more powerful if they provide cues to recall safe-sex messages when sexual activity occurs. The authors tested this notion by assigning sexually active introductory psychology students (N = 196) to a standard safe-sex intervention, a safe-sex with reminder intervention, or a control (drinking and driving) intervention. Participants assigned to the reminder intervention were given a "friendship bracelet" to wear and were instructed to have the bracelet remind them of the intervention. In a follow-up session (5-7 weeks later), they were asked questions pertaining to condom use. Of the 125 participants who had engaged in sexual intercourse, condom use at last intercourse was higher in the bracelet condition (55%) than in the standard (27%) or control (36%) conditions. The authors also found that the bracelet remained effective, even when participants were under the influence of alcohol. These findings therefore imply that health intervention programs may be more efficacious if they include strategies such as reminder cues to increase the salience of health information in the appropriate contexts.     

Development and Evaluation of the Anxiety Disorder Diagnostic Questionnaire

A model of anxiety that emphasizes a single common pathology across diagnostic categories is gaining support and influencing nosological and treatment approaches of anxiety disorders. As research in this area continues to grow, a need exists for an assessment tool of the theorized single anxiety pathology that is unbiased toward any particular anxiety diagnosis. The Anxiety Disorder Diagnostic Questionnaire (ADDQ) was developed as a screening tool for the presence of clinical fear and anxiety irrespective of diagnoses. It is a brief four-section index developed to assess fear, anxiety/worry, escape/avoidance behaviors, physiological symptoms, and associated distress and interference. The ADDQ was tested for reliability and validity in two samples: 146 undergraduate students who were given the ADDQ along with a variety of other commonly-used measures of anxiety and 94 outpatients representing a mix of diagnoses (28.2% panic disorder with or without agoraphobia, 44.6% social anxiety disorder, 20.7% generalized anxiety disorder, 3.3% anxiety disorder not otherwise specified, 2.1% obsessive–compulsive disorder, and 1.1% posttraumatic stress disorder). Internal consistency of the instrument was strong, and a one- or two-factor solution was found to be the best fit to the data. Convergent and discriminant validity was also demonstrated. Data from those clinical participants who completed a manualized cognitive–behavioral treatment program indicated a very strong concordance between change on the ADDQ and change in clinician severity ratings from a structured diagnostic interview. The findings offer support for the psychometric validity of the ADDQ in both clinical and nonclinical populations.     

Development of a brief measure of college stress: the college student stress scale

The study included assessment of the psychometric properties of an 11-item measure of perceived stress and control in 273 first-year college students. Results indicated good internal consistency and stability over a 5-week interval, and the total score was highly correlated with another measure of perceived stress. Principal components analysis with varimax rotation indicated two possible factors which explained 55% of the variance. However, given the small number of items and low internal consistency of the second factor (alpha=.60), use of the Total score is recommended.     

Development and validation of a scale to measure perceived control of internal states

One of the key developments in the psychological literature on control has been the growing recognition of the multidimensional nature of the control construct. Recent research suggests that perceived control of internal states may be just as important as perceived control of external events. The Perceived Control of Internal States Scale was developed to provide a measure of the degree to which people feel they have control of their internal states (emotions, thoughts, physical reactions). I report the results of 2 studies (N= 689), supporting the reliability, construct, and incremental validity of the scale. The buffering effects of perceived control for people facing major life events was also explored, with higher levels of perceived control being associated with less physical and psychological symptoms of strain.     

Development of a scale to measure leadership capacity of players in sports teams

This study describes the process of developing a scale to measure the leadership capacity of players in sports teams. Research into sports leadership has focused almost exclusively on the formal leadership of the coach, in which the studies by Chelladurai, with his five-factor model, have become an essential point of reference. Nevertheless, hardly any research has been carried out into the leadership that certain players exercise over the other team members. For this purpose, a sample of 143 male basketball players was used; these participants were asked to evaluate the characteristics of the sports leader over a total of 54 indicators. Firstly, explanatory factor analysis was performed with participants' responses, using principal axis and oblique rotation methods. The factor structure obtained was then subjected to confirmatory factorial analysis, enabling us to propose a Sports Leader Evaluation Scale (EELD, in Spanish) with 18 items grouped into 3 factors, denominated empathy and responsibility, assertiveness, and impulsiveness. Satisfactory fit indices were obtained for the model, for the reliability of items and for the internal consistency of factors.     

The Basic HIV Disease Knowledge Questionnaire: a Rasch-scaled instrument to measure essential HIV knowledge.

The need for improvement in HIV disease-related psychometric questionnaires is noted. In response to this need a Rasch-scaled measure to ascertain basic HIV disease knowledge was developed and calibrated on 1092 subjects. Four studies conducted with the measure suggest adequate test-retest reliability. Three validity studies also conducted with this questionnaire suggest that the measure is sensitive to knowledge obtained from HIV-related training and education. Potential uses and limitations of this new questionnaire are discussed.     

Development and initial assessment of a short measure for adult playfulness: The SMAP

This study reports an initial evaluation of a new short measure for adult playfulness (SMAP). In data from a construction (N = 266), and two replication samples (N = 147 students, N = 215 adults), a one-dimensional solution showed the best fit for the data and satisfactory internal consistency (.80–.89) was found (test–retest correlation = .74; 12–16 weeks). Younger adults scored higher in playfulness than older ones. The SMAP demonstrated robust correlations with measures for adult playfulness and the need for play. Cheerfulness and culture along with low seriousness and low conscientiousness were its best predictors. In ratings of an unordered work-space and a surrealistic painting, playful adults expressed higher liking for and lower disapproval of these compared to non-playful adults. Overall, the new scale yielded good psychometric properties and first evidence on its validity was encouraging. The SMAP has been developed for an economic, global assessment of adult playfulness, which is still an understudied topic in personality research.     

Family interventions in psychosis: a scale to measure therapist adherence

The efficacy of family interventions in psychosis is well documented. UK and USA schizophrenia treatment guidelines advocate the practice of family interventions within routine clinical services. However, less attention has been paid to the study of treatment fidelity and the tools used in its assessment. This study reports the inter-rater reliability of a new scale: Family Intervention in Psychosis-Adherence Scale (FIPAS). This measure is designed to assess therapist adherence to the Kuipers et al . (2002) family intervention in psychosis treatment manual. Reliability ratings were based on a sample of thirteen audiotapes drawn from a randomized controlled trial of family intervention. The results indicated that the majority of items of the FIPAS had acceptable levels of inter-rater reliability. The findings are discussed in terms of their implications for the training and monitoring of the effectiveness of practitioners for family interventions in psychosis.     

Development and validation of a measure of children's automatic thoughts: the children's automatic thoughts scale

The aim of this study was to describe the history, factor structure and psychometric properties of the Children's Automatic Thoughts Scale (CATS). The CATS is a self-report measure designed to assess a wide range of negative self-statements in children and adolescents. The results of confirmatory factor analyses supported four distinct but strongly correlated factors relating to automatic thoughts on physical threat, social threat, personal failure and hostility. The internal consistency of the total score and subscales was high and test-retest reliability at 1 and 3 months was acceptable. The CATS effectively discriminated between control children and adolescents, and clinically anxious, depressed, or behavior disorder children and adolescents, and showed good discriminant validity across clinical subgroups on the subscales. Results suggest that the CATS is a promising instrument in the assessment of a range of negative automatic thoughts across both internalizing and externalizing problems in young people.     

Development and validation of the masculine behavior scale: A measure of behaviors stereotypically attributed to males vs. females

The purpose of the present investigation was to develop and validate the Masculine Behavior Scale (MBS), an objective self-report instrument designed to measure four behavioral tendencies stereotypically imputed more to males vs. females: restrictive emotionality, inhibited affection, success dedication, and exaggerated self-reliance. Psychometric analyses confirmed the factorial structure and reliabilities of the subscales on the MBS, and other results provided evidence for the validity of the four MBS subscales. Specifically, it was found that the behavioral measures of success dedication and exaggerated self-reliance were positively correlated with instrumental personality attributes, while restrictive emotionality and inhibited affection behavioral tendencies were negatively correlated with expressive personality attributes. Additional findings indicated that both male and female subjects attributed restrictive emotionality, inhibited affection, success dedication, and exaggerated self-reliance more to males vs. females. However, when males and females were asked to describe themselves, no gender differences emerged for behaviors associated with success dedication and exaggerated self-reliance; females did, however, report engaging in fewer emotionally restricted and affectively inhibited behaviors than did males. The discussion focuses on the distinction between gender-related behavioral tendencies and both gender-related role tendencies and gender-related personality tendencies.     

Infant Movement Motivation Questionnaire: Development of a measure evaluating infant characteristics relating to motor development in the first year of life

This paper highlights the development and testing of the Infant Movement Motivation Questionnaire (IMMQ), an instrument designed to evaluate qualities of infant characteristics that relate specifically to early motor development. The measurement development process included three phases: item generation, pilot testing and evaluation of acceptability and feasibility for parents and exploratory factor analysis. The resultant 27-item questionnaire is designed for completion by parents and contains four factors including Activity, Exploration, Motivation and Adaptability. Overall, the internal consistency of the IMMQ is 0.89 (Cronbach's alpha), with test–retest reliability measured at 0.92 (ICC, with 95% CI 0.83–0.96). Further work could be done to strengthen the individual factors; however it is adequate for use in its full form. The IMMQ can be used for clinical or research purposes, as well as an educational tool for parents.     

Development of a reaction inventory to measure guilt.

The Reaction Inventory-Guilt was developed to isolate, in individuals, the specific stimulus situations which result in guilt. The 50-item inventory was administered to 96 subjects. The estimate of the internal consistency coefficient was .94. The inter-item correlations were factor analyzed by the principle axis method, and rotation to oblique simple structure was accomplished by the Promax method. Four oblique factors were obtained: intentional behavior disrupting interpersonal relations; self-destructive behavior; behavior contrary to moral or ethical principles; and unintentional behavior disrupting interpersonal relationships.     

The Indian superstition scale: creating a measure to assess Indian superstitions

Despite humans’ capacity for rational thought, they are not immune to superstitions. Superstitions are strongly tied to cultural practices, especially in India. Although 17% of the world’s population resides in India, Indian culture is understudied, and there have not been sufficient attempts to understand Indian superstitions in a scientific manner from a psychometric standpoint. By creating a proper superstition measurement for the Indian population, we can better understand how Indians think and behave. The goal of the present research is to create a superstition measure specific to Indian culture. The results reveal 18 items reflecting Indian superstitions that can be generalised across contemporary India.     

The relational self-concept scale: a context-specific self-report measure for adolescents.

This paper describes an alternative approach to measuring the self that directly accounts for the way individuals ruminate on their external actions in order to inform and maintain their self-image. This was achieved by designing the Relational Self-Concept Scale (RSCS), a measure that explores the role and impact that different social encounters within and around the school context have upon self-concept formation. Analysis of responses to this context-specific self-report measure, obtained from a large sample of adolescents (N = 978), confirmed that the scale is multidimensional, possesses appropriate psychometric properties, and contains a high degree of ecological validity.