Measuring Religious Commitment Among Catholics and Protestants: A New Approach

Researchers using survey data to study religious commitment often create additive indices in which respondents receive a "point" on the scale for each behavior in which they engage, implicitly assuming that each activity is equally normative in each religious tradition. This has led some scholars to suggest that these scales can be "biased" in favor of evangelicals. In this paper, we introduce a unique series of survey questions asking respondents how important various activities are "for people of your religion". We use these new measures to generate tradition-specific weights for each component of a religious commitment scale according to the activity's perceived importance. We then present a method for constructing scales when such "importance" items are not available, using the frequency of behavior within each religious tradition as a surrogate for importance. We find that constructing religious commitment scales that take into account the normative differences across religious traditions produces statistically significant differences in the levels of commitment by religious tradition, especially among Roman Catholics. However, the substantive significance is less evident. When various measures of religious commitment are included as independent variables in multivariate models of political attitudes, their performance is remarkably similar. It appears that the standard additive indices of religious commitment commonly utilized by scholars of religion and politics are adequate for most analyses of social and political attitudes.     

Investigating the influence of social desirability on personality factor structure

This study provides a comprehensive investigation into whether social desirability alters the factor structure of personality measures. The study brought together 4 large data sets wherein different organizational samples responded to different personality measures. This facilitated conducting 4 separate yet parallel investigations. Within each data set, individuals identified through a social desirability scale as responding in an honest manner were grouped together, and individuals identified as responding in a highly socially desirable manner were grouped together. Using various analyses, the fit of higher order factor structure models was compared across the 2 groups. Results were the same for each data set. Social desirability had little influence on the higher order factor structures that characterized the relationships among the scales of the personality measures.     

教师组织承诺结构的验证性因素分析

通过文献回顾、半结构访谈、问卷调查及理论分析,提出了教师组织承诺的结构。对278名教师进行测查以考察教师组织承诺的因素结构,验证了教师组织承诺的结构,发现教师组织承诺包含四个维度,即感情承诺、规范承诺、理想承诺和投入承诺。     

The Three‐Component Model of Organisational Commitment: An Application to South Korea

We conducted two studies to determine whether the three‐component model of organisational commitment (Meyer & Allen, 1991) is generalisable to a non‐Western culture using data from South Korea. In Study 1, we found that when the 6‐item versions of the scales (Meyer, Allen, & Smith, 1993) were translated into Korean, the psychometric properties of the Affective Commitment Scale were similar to those found in North America, but problems were identified in the Continuance and Normative Commitment Scales. In Study 2, we found that these problems could be overcome by adopting a revised set of items written in North America. The new scales demonstrated good psychometric properties in terms of factorial validity, internal consistency, and criterion‐related validity with respect to turnover intention. We concluded that the three commitment constructs are likely to generalise to non‐Western cultures, but that there might be a need to refine the measures for cross‐cultural research.     

Do Religious Affirmations,Religious Commitments,or General Commitments Mitigate the Negative Effects of Exposure to Thin Ideals?

Western pressures for thinness tell women that having a thin body makes a person worthy. Two factors that may provide alternative means of self‐worth are religion and general commitment to a meaningful goal. This study experimentally tested whether religious‐affirming statements buffered against exposure to thin models for everyone, or only for women with strong religious commitment. It also examined the relationships among religious commitment, general commitment, and body satisfaction. One hundred eleven women at a religious‐affiliated college completed the commitment scales and baseline body measures. They were later randomly assigned to read one set of affirming statements, after which they then completed body measures again. Results showed that religious commitment buffered against exposure to ultrathin models. Women who were strongly religiously committed and who read religious statements that affirmed the body showed higher body esteem. Correlation results showed that general commitment was positively related to body esteem, body satisfaction, and healthy dieting. Religious commitment was positively related to body esteem and body satisfaction. Results are discussed in relation to schemas and depth of processing. Practical implications are discussed.     

Factor structure of work commitment for Japanese employees

The factor structure of the Japanese translation of five work commitment measures, i.e., the Work Involvement Questionnaire, the Career Commitment Scale, the Job Involvement Questionnaire, the Organizational Commitment Questionnaire, and the Work Group Attachment Scale, was examined in 496 Japanese employees. Exploratory factor analysis clearly identified five factors which reflected commitment toward the job, organization, work group, career, and work itself. The items composing each factor were consistent with the items included in each of the five measures used.     

Confirmatory factor analyses of seven locus of control measures

Confirmatory factor analyses with congeneric models were used to examine whether seven common locus of control instruments were measuring the same single construct. The subjects were 191 adolescents, and the analyses were based on the intercorrelations among the scales as reported by Furnham (1987). In addition to the one-factor congeneric model, other first- and second-order factor models were posited to reflect the effects due to target subject (adult vs. child), dimensionality (uni- vs. multidimension), and scaling method (yes/no, forced-choice, 7-point). A recently developed strategy in multitrait-multimethod analyses was also adopted in the analyses. In general, results of this study did not substantiate the claim that all scales were measuring the same construct. Even among the more strongly correlated unidimensional measures for children, the support for a one-factor model was still rather weak. Furthermore, results did not justify the categorization of the measures by their target subject, dimensionality, and scaling method.     

Factor structure of the Spanish adaptation of Tarrant's Group Identification Scale

In this study, the factor structure of the Spanish version of Tarrant's Group Identification Scale is analyzed. This scale is based on the social identity theory and measures cognitive, evaluative, and affective aspects of group identification. Although this scale has been considered unidimensionally with adolescents, it is based on previous group identification scales considered multidimensionally. From confirmatory analysis, some factor models were tested in two independent samples of adolescents: Spanish (N= 1,795) and Mexican (N= 1,494). The three-factor model (self-categorization, group evaluation, and commitment to the group) produced the best fit in both samples. Results are compatible with the multidimensional structure hypothesis of group identification.     

Are All Hostility Scales Alike? Factor Structure and Covariation Among Measures of Hostility1

Few studies have examined the correlational and structural relationships between measures of hostility that may predict coronary heart disease. Using data from a population-based study (N= 2,682), we examined the factor structure among the five subscales from Siegel's (1986) Multi-dimensional Anger Inventory, the three subscales from Spielberger et al.'s (1985) anger expression scales, a Cook-Medley (Cook & Madley, 1954) hostility subscale that measures cynicism, and items measuring hostility from four scales that assess Type A behavior. Eight separate factors were identified: hostile anger expression, perceived control over the expression of one's anger, frequency of anger, ease of anger provocation, brooding, hostile outlook, cynicism, and sullenness. These results suggest that the structure of hostility measures is more complex than previous factor analyses have suggested. Our findings point to the dangers in assuming that a factor structure can be generalized beyond the data on which it is based to provide theoretical statements about psychological structure. The new scales appear to be valid because they correlate with demographic variables and indicators of social support in the expected directions.     

Factor Structure of the Burden Interview

Zarit's Burden Interview is the most commonly used measure of burden among family caregivers for demented older adults, but has been criticized for its diverse item content and lack of correspondence to theoretically based multidimensional burden scales. The factor structure of this measure of burden was examined in a sample of 220 family caregivers of demented elderly. The implied 1-factor model and a 2-factor model proposed in the literature were not good fits to the data. Fourteen of the 21 nonglobal items were found to tap three underlying factors of Embarrassment/Anger, Patient's Dependency, and Self-criticism. This factor structure was replicated in a second sample of 108 caregivers. The relationship of these factors to latent factors identified in other multifactorial burden scales suggests a greater degree of convergence across measures than has been assumed.     

Validity Evidence for Measures of Procedural/Distributive Justice and Pay/Benefit Satisfaction

A brief review reveals confusion regarding relationships among constructs of pay and benefits satisfaction and distributive and procedural justice. Nonetheless, the literature yields measures for each of these variables that show promise for future theoretical development. A validation study for four of these scales involved 154 working adults across a variety of organizations and industries.Data were analyzed via interitem and interscale correlations and confirmatory factor analysis. Analytical products provide evidence of scale reliability, homogeneity, and convergent and discriminant validity. Correlations were also calculated between the satisfaction and justice variables, income, and other attitudinal constructs, including organizational commitment, job satisfaction, propensity to resign, and work effort. The resulting pattern of relationships not only provides evidence of construct validity, but also suggests that the reward satisfaction and fairness variables, although related, contribute uniquely to several aspects of organizational life.     

Distinguishing among nondirect forms of aggression

This study explored the relationships and differences among two measures of indirect aggression [Bjorkqvist et al., 1994; Richardson and Green, 1997] and one of relational aggression [Crick and Grotpeter, 1995]. Over 300 students (mean age 22.8 years; 61.5% female) from two colleges in the Southeastern United States completed measures of indirect and relational aggression and related constructs (e.g., empathy, anger expression, direct aggression). Although there were subtle differences among the three measures with regard to their relationships with associated variables, overall the patterns of relationships were similar as well as distinct from the pattern for direct aggression. Factor analysis of scores for measures of aggression revealed that the indirect and relational measures composed a single factor of nondirect aggression, separate from direct aggression. Further factor analysis of all unique items from the nondirect scales found the overall construct of nondirect aggression to comprise six distinct factors. Implications for applications and further research are discussed.     

Comparability of the Eating Disorder Inventory-2 between women and men

Researchers studying eating disorders in men often use eating-disorder risk and symptom measures that have been validated only on women. Using a sample of 215 college women and 214 college men, this article reports on the validity the Eating Disorder Inventory-2 (EDI-2), one of the best-validated among women and the most widely used risk and symptom measure for women. The EDI-2 had the same, standard eight-factor structure for both genders, and tests of invariance showed that factor loadings, factor variances, and factor intercorrelations were equivalent across gender. The EDI-2 scales correlated with questionnaire measures of bulimic and anorexic symptomatology equivalently across gender. However the EDI-2 scales were generally less reliable for men, leading to slightly lower Pearson-based estimates of correlations among the measures for men.     

Factor structure of the Spanish version of the Object-Spatial Imagery and Verbal Questionnaire

The reliability and factor structure of the Spanish version of the Object-Spatial Imagery and Verbal Questionnaire (OSIVQ) were assessed in a sample of 213 Spanish university graduates. The questionnaire measures three types of processing preferences (verbal, object imagery, and spatial imagery). Principal components analysis with varimax rotation identified three factors, corresponding to the three scales proposed in the original version, explaining 33.1% of the overall variance. Cronbach's alphas were .72, .77, and .81 for the verbal, object imagery, and spatial imagery scales, respectively.     

Side-bet theory and the three-component model of organizational commitment

We tested Becker’s (1960) side-bet conceptualization of commitment within the context of Meyer and Allen’s (1991) three-component model of organizational commitment. Employees (N=202) from various organizations completed a survey including measures of (a) seven categories of side bets (b) affective, normative, and continuance commitment, and (c) turnover intention. The findings provided strong support for Becker’s theory. All seven side-bet categories correlated significantly with a revised measure of high-sacrifice continuance commitment, and structural equation modeling analyses revealed that the relations between the side bets and turnover intention were fully mediated by commitment. The findings also address issues pertaining to the dimensionality and measurement of continuance commitment, and help to explain relations among the three components of commitment.     

Symptom-positively and -negatively worded items in two popular self-report inventories of anxiety and depression.

Substantially higher mean scores on symptom-negatively versus symptom-positively worded items have consistently been reported in the literature for the balanced State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. In this study we aimed to replicate and extend these findings to Dutch trait versions of the inventory and Zung's similarly balanced Self-rating Depression Scale. Analysis indicated significantly higher mean subscale scores for symptom-negative as opposed to symptom-positive items of both measures, across sexes and age groups as well as across different levels of distress in nonclinical (n = 863), subclinical (n = 450), and clinical subject samples (n = 96). Sex and age differences were mainly confirmed to symptom-positive subscales. Scale intercorrelations were lowest between symptom-positively and symptom-negatively worded scales both within and across measures. Factor analyzing the combined measures identified a symptom-negative and a symptom-positive factor, tentatively labeled "absence of positive affect" and "presence of negative affect." Several explanations of the findings among which item-intensity specificity, the response style of social desirability, and the trait model of positive and negative affectivity are discussed.     

Dimensions of perfectionism and goal commitment: A further comparison of two perfectionism measures

Research on perfectionism has suggested that a strong association exists between the setting and striving for excessively high standards. However, the motivational aspects of perfectionism have yet to be empirically identified. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the usefulness and psychometric properties of a new goal commitment scale by assessing commitment to perfection in seven content areas. In addition to identifying individual differences in perfectionism goal commitment, the current research also investigated the association between commitment to perfectionism and trait indices of perfectionism. A sample of 261 students rated degree of commitment to perfectionistic goals and completed two multidimensional perfectionism scales that assess the personal and social aspects of perfectionism. Analyses confirmed the presence of individual differences in perfectionism goal commitment. Correlational tests revealed that the trait perfectionism dimensions were correlated with the goal commitment measure, but the findings varied as a function of the specific perfectionism goal. Overall, the current data are consistent with the view that the perfectionism construct has a salient motivational component. Our findings suggest that the assessment of goal commitment is a useful means of examining specific facets of the perfectionism construct.     

变革型领导与员工工作态度：心理授权的中介作用

研究的主要目的是考察变革型领导与员工满意度、组织承诺之间的关系,以及变革型领导的作用机制,即变革型领导是否会通过心理授权影响员工工作态度。利用14家企业744份调查问卷的结果,采用结构方程模型技术对变革型领导、心理授权、员工满意度、组织承诺之间的关系进行了交叉验证分析。结果表明,愿景激励与德行垂范对组织承诺与员工满意度有显著的影响,而领导魅力与个性化关怀只对员工满意度有显著的影响;心理授权对变革型领导与员工工作态度的关系具有一定的中介作用,愿景激励与德行垂范通过工作意义影响员工满意度与组织承诺;愿景激励通过自我效能影响组织承诺     

A factor-analytic study of measures of Machiavellianism

Three Machiavellian (Mach) scales together with measures of authoritarian personality, the EPQ and the 16PF test were subjected to a rotated factor analysis in order to identify and locate in personality space a Mach factor or factors. One Mach factor was identified independent of the main personality factors.