Zuckerman-Kuhlman-Aluja Personality Questionnaire (ZKA-PQ) and Cloninger's Temperament and Character Inventory Revised (TCI-R): a comparative study

The aim of this study was to compare the psychometric properties (normal distribution values, reliabilities and factor structure) of the Zuckerman-Kuhlman-Aluja Personality Questionnaire (ZKA-PQ) and the Temperament and Character Inventory revised (TCI-R). The total sample consisted of 482 subjects (53.1% men and 46.9% women) from diverse age. Results showed somewhat better psychometric properties, like reliability and facet-factor structure, for the ZKA-PQ than the TCI-R. The expected five-factor facet structure of the ZKA-PQ was clear found. However, the seven-factor structure of TCI-R was not clear and it did not show a clear distinction between Temperament and Character factors. When ZKA-PQ and TCI-R variables are analyzed together, the ZKA-PQ factors are related to the Character as well as the Temperament factors. In some cases they represent the opposite poles of ZKA-PQ factors; for example, Neuroticism versus Self-Directiveness and Aggression versus Cooperativeness. Some are directly and highly related to ZKA-PQ factors; for example, Sensation Seeking and Novelty Seeking, Extraversion and Reward Dependence, Neuroticism and Harm Avoidance, and Activity and Persistence.     

Temperament and Character Inventory - Revised (TCI-R) 1 year after the earthquake of L’Aquila (Italy)

The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the impact of L’Aquila earthquake (Italy) on the Temperament and Character Inventory - Revised (TCI-R) administered 1 year after the earthquake to a community sample of 375 subjects exposed to the earthquake and 480 non-exposed. Exposed people showed variations in the adaptive response to stress with higher Persistence (P) and lower Harm Avoidance (HA) dimensions among adult and lower self directedness (SD) and higher Harm Avoidance (HA) in older people. No differences in young adults were seen. Temperament and character dimensions are sensitive to trauma exposure in different ways in different age groups.     

Short Spanish version of Team Climate Inventory (TCI-14): development and psychometric properties

The aim of the present paper was to develop a Spanish adaptation of the reduced, 14-item version of the Team Climate Inventory (TCI-14), a questionnaire developed to evaluate team climate. To this end the English version was adapted and applied to a sample of 360 employees from Castilla-León and Catalonia (44.4% men and 55.6% women). The results indicated that the TCI-14 has the same structure as the original version, and confirmatory factor analysis was used to verify the existence of the factors Vision, Participative Safety, Task Orientation and Support for Innovation. The TCI-14 also presented good reliability coefficients considering the low number of items on each scale (alphas ranged between .75 and .82). The TCI-14 is a potentially useful instrument for evaluating the climate of work teams. It could be used by future research as a screening tool in conjunction with other instruments.     

Temperament and Character Inventory-R (TCI-R) and Big Five Questionnaire (BFQ): convergence and divergence

This study evaluated the correspondence between measures of two competing theories of personality, the five-factor model as measured by the Big Five Questionnaire (BFQ), and Cloninger's psychobiological theory measured by the Temperament and Character Inventory-Revised (TCI-R). A sample of 900 Italian participants, balanced with respect to sex (393 men and 507 women), and representative of the adult population with respect to age (range 18 to 70 years; M = 39.6, SD = 15.7) completed the TCI-R and the Big Five Questionnaire. All TCI-R personality dimensions except Self-Transcendence were moderately correlated with one or more of the Big Five dimensions (from r = .40 to .61), and the two instruments showed areas of convergence. However, the differences outweighed the similarities, indicating that these current conceptualizations and measures of personality are somewhat inconsistent with each other.     

The Swedish version of the parent-rated Junior Temperament and Character Inventory (J-TCI)

To evaluate the psychometric characteristics of the Swedish version of the Junior Temperament and Character Inventory (J-TCI), it was sent to parents of 9- and 12-yr.-old twins in Sweden. The final number of responders was 196 parents who rated 92 female and 104 male twin pairs. The inventory of one twin, randomly chosen from each pair, was included in the analyses. Reward Dependence, Persistence, and Cooperativeness were scored higher in girls; Novelty Seeking was higher in the 9-yr.-olds and Persistence in the 12-yr.-olds. Pearson's correlations showed that some dimensions were not statistically independent from each other, even if the covariance was moderate. Internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) was satisfactory for Harm Avoidance, Novelty Seeking, Self-Directedness, and Cooperativeness (.68-.81), while it was lower in those dimensions that had fewer items. The Swedish parent version of the J-TCI shared about the same psychometric characteristics as found in international samples.     

A re-evaluation of the psychometric properties of the Basic Character Inventory

The aim of this study was to re-evaluate the psychometric properties of the Basic Character Inventory (BCI). In a rather large sample of 503 subjects (323 women and 180 men, 88 non-psychotic psychiatric inpatients and 415 non-patients) factor analysis resulted in three factors with personality traits almost identical with the BCI Oral, Obsessive and Hysterical scales. BCI seems to be a fruitful and reliable assessment instrument for personality traits and character types as outlined in psychoanalytic theory. However, some of the trait subscales ought to be scrutinized in future psychometric re-evaluative studies of BCI on new, large samples. Another factor analysis showed that the BCI Oral scale, together with all the ten subscales of the psychiatric Symptom Check-list 90 (SCL-90), loaded on the first factor, and the BCI Obsessive and Hysterical scales loaded on the second factor, but with different signs. Orality seems to be related to psychopathology.     

A psychometric evaluation of the Temperament in Middle Childhood Questionnaire (TMCQ) in a Swedish sample

Personality is generally considered to be biologically founded in temperament, and temperamental qualities have proven to be relatively stable across childhood and into adulthood (Caspi, Roberts & Shiner, 2005 ). Temperament predicts important developmental outcomes such as academic performance (Muris, 2006 ), and social functioning (Eisenberg, Fabes, Guthrie & Reiser, 2000 ), and it has also been found to be strongly related to the etiology and maintenance of internalizing and externalizing psychopathology in children (Muris, Meesters & Blijlevens, 2007 ; Nigg, 2006 ). To allow for the possibility of making early interventions, identification of potential risk factors (such as temperamental dispositions) is of great importance (Rettew & McKee, 2005 ). As temperament is multidimensional and has many different manifestations, parents and teachers are valuable sources in providing information about children's temperament (Rothbart & Bates, 2006 ; Tackett, Slobodskaya, Mar et al., 2012 ), and caregiver questionnaires are frequently used in child personality research. However, such questionnaires are only useful if their reliability and validity have been established. The aim of the present study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Temperament in Middle Childhood Questionnaire (TMCQ; Simonds, Kieras, Rueda & Rothbart, 2007 ), which focuses specifically on the ages between 7 and 11 years. The TMCQ is the least validated of the Rothbart measures, and although reliability data have been presented, together with some validity data, for a computerized self‐report version of the questionnaire (Simonds & Rothbart, 2004 ), information about the reliability and validity for the caregiver version is scant. In the present paper, we report such data for a Swedish sample.     

A convergent validity study of Cloninger's Temperament and Character Inventory with the Coolidge Axis II Inventory.

This study examined the convergent validity of the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI), a measure of four biosocial temperaments and three character dimensions with the Coolidge Axis II Inventory (CATI), a measure of 14 personality disorders. A nonclinical sample of 163 college students was given both measures, and the data were analyzed with bivariate and multivariate statistics. Hypotheses generated from the findings of Svrakic, Whitehead, Przybeck, and Cloninger (1993, Archives of General Psychiatry, 50, 991-999) were confirmed for a majority of the relationships between the two measures. The preliminary results provide qualified support for the TCI and Cloninger's biosocial theory in the assessment of personality disorders.     

Measuring the core features of personality disorders in substance abusers using the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI)

Personality disorders (PDs) are still classified through categorical taxonomies that are at odds with current research findings. Dimensional models provide a suitable alternative for measuring individual differences. However, as they have traditionally lacked a clear definition of the "disorder" construct, the clinical utility of these models has been limited. This study tests whether Cloninger's dimensional model is able to capture two domains: the features that differentiate PD subtypes from each other and the common core features underlying all PDs. Seventy-four drug dependent patients were independently assessed using the SCID-II and Cloninger's TCI. There was a slight relationship between TCI temperament dimensions and the DSM personality disorder subtypes, but the association was not specific enough to allow differential diagnosis. The character dimension Self-Directedness was strongly associated with the presence and severity of all PDs, irrespective of subtype, correctly classifying 77% of subjects. Character dimensions are a reliable, valid and low-cost tool for detecting PDs in drug abusers and may help to provide an operational definition of the common core features underlying all PDs.     

Reliability of informant ratings and spouse similarity based on the Temperament and Character Inventory

A cohort of 136 Swedish spouse pairs rated themselves and each other with the Temperament and Character Inventory. The data allowed assessment of the reliability of ratings by knowledgeable informants compared to self-rating for this personality test. The reliability of the informant rating was in the expected range, with an average correlation of .58. Agreement was slightly higher for the Temperament dimensions than for the Character dimensions. Additionally, the design allowed evaluation of the similarity between husbands and wives across the seven dimensions measured by the TCI. Correlations between spouses in self-reports were very low for Temperament, with only Harm Avoidance having a statistically significant correlation (.22, p < .05). On the other hand, all three Character dimensions were significantly correlated. These results support the conceptualization of Temperament and Character as separate components of personality. The results are consistent with previous reports on the personality of spouse pairs.     

The Heterosocial Assessment Inventory for Women: A psychometric and behavioral evaluation

This paper presents a preliminary psychometric and behavioral evaluation of the Heterosocial Assessment Inventory for Women (HAI-W), a novel self-report instrument that evaluates five dimensions that may influence performance in 12 heterosocial situations: likelihood of initiation, anxiety, skillfulness, expectation of outcome, and influence of attractiveness. Study I obtained acceptable reliability and concurrent validity data and described the factor structure of the HAI-W with female college students. Study II found a significant relationship between the HAI-W factors and global ratings of the role-play performances of high- and low-heterosocially competent female college students as rendered by the male confederate, peer judges, and expert judges. The implications of these findings for the multidimensional assessment and facilitation of heterosocial competence are discussed.This study is part of a dissertation submitted to the Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, under the direction of Michael A. Milan. Portions of these data were presented at the Annual Meeting of the Association for Advancement of Behavior Therapy, Los Angeles, 1982.     

Cloninger's Temperament and Character Inventory Correlates with Personality Characteristics of Organ Donation Advocates

Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) and background questionnaire data were collected from a sample of men and women organ donation advocates (N = 362) as part of a national study to investigate their personality characteristics, temperaments, and attitudes about organ donation advocacy. Goals included identifying unique traits for advocates, and response consistency between the TCI and questionnaire. The TCI results included high scores on Cooperativeness and Self-Directedness, and low on Harm Avoidance dimensions. The questionnaire results indicated that most advocates were White, married, college-educated females, who typically spent less than 2 hr with potential donor families, were satisfied with life and job, and believed they would be in a donation position 2 years from the time surveyed. TCI and questionnaire measures were correlated for Self-Transcendence and Spirituality, Helpfulness and Job Satisfaction, and Compassion and Identification variables.     

The Application of the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) in Predicting General Social Adaptation and Specific Social Behaviors in a Dyadic Interaction

The goal of this study was to evaluate the ability of the harm avoidance (HA) and cooperativeness (C) dimensions of the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) to predict general social adaptation as measured by the Social Adaptation Self-Evaluation scale and specific social behaviors during a dyadic social interaction. A sample of 58 healthy volunteers participated in a social interaction with confederates. Social adaptation was negatively associated with HA scores (β= -.49), but positively associated with C scores (β= - .46). Eye-contact patterns were predicted by C scores based on general linear modeling (GLM) analysis. The results suggest that TCI should be included for the evaluation of treatment effects on social functioning.     

Development and psychometric evaluation of the Primary Appraisal of Smoking Cessation Inventory.

For this study, we developed and evaluated the psychometric properties of the Primary Appraisal of Smoking Cessation Inventory (PASCI), a self-report measure designed to assess the perceived gains and losses associated with quitting smoking based on the theoretical model of stress described by Lazarus and Folkman (1984). We administered the 26-item PASCI and two other questionnaires to 244 current smokers and to 30 ex-smokers. Item analyses indicated that two items on the PASCI should be deleted due to low item-total correlations. A principal components analysis of the remaining 24 items identified two separate and independent factors, Losses and Gains, and scores on the subscales of both factors were internally consistent and stable over repeated administrations. The validity of the PASCI was established by examining the relationship between smoking status and scores on the PASCI subscales and by finding significant correlations between the PASCI and the Decisional Balance Scale (Velicer, DiClemente, Prochaska, & Brandenburg, 1985), a measure conceptually similar to the construct measured by the PASCI. We concluded that the PASCI is reliable and valid and can be used to investigate the relationship between primary appraisal and smoking cessation.     

A psychometric investigation of the eysenck personality questionnaire (revised) and its relationship to the I.7 impulsiveness questionnaire

The present study investigated the psychometric properties of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised (EPQ-R) and the I.7 Impulsiveness Questionnaire. 307 Ss (215 female, 92 male) completed the EPQ-R and the I.7. Scale means and the standard deviations were calculated, scale reliability tested, scale scores intercorrelated and the resulting matrices were factor-analysed. The items from the EPQ-R and the I.7 were submitted to an item factor analysis. The results of the present study were quite similar to those reported by Eysenck, Eysenck and Barrett (1985) for the EPO-R and those reported by Eysenck, Pearson, Easting and Allsopp (1985) for the I.7. It was concluded that the EPQ-R represents an improvement on the 90-item EPQ and that the I.7 represents an adequate and reliable measure of Impulsiveness, Venturesomeness and Empathy. The relationships between the EPQ-R factors and the I.7 factors are also discussed.     

Separating optimism and pessimism: a robust psychometric analysis of the revised Life Orientation Test (LOT-R)

The internal structure of the revised Life Orientation Test (LOT-R, German version; M. F. Scheier, C. S. Carver, & M. W. Bridges, 1994) was analyzed in a sample of 46,133 participants who ranged in age from 18 years to 103 years. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that dispositional optimism, as measured by the LOT-R, is bidimensional, consisting of an Optimism and a Pessimism factor. Consistent with previous results, there were small to moderate negative correlations between Optimism and Pessimism, but the strength of the association continuously decreased with age. The relative independence of the 2 dimensions occurred in both genders and across different age groups of patients with different medical disorders.     

A validation and short form of the Basic Character Inventory

The Basic Character Inventory (BCI) contains 136 items, 17 lower-order personality factors and three higher-order personality factors derived from psychoanalytic theory: Oral, Obsessive Compulsion, and Hysteria. Previous research that investigated the BCI's psychometric properties examined small, special populations and did not use modern statistical methods to validate the BCI. The present study validates the BCI via confirmatory factor analyses using a large sample of 6,285 Norwegian nursing and teaching students. Reliability, convergent validity, and divergent validity of the BCI were also assessed. Results indicated general support for the original BCI factor structure in a reduced form of the BCI that possesses strong reliability and validity, and is suitable for use in time-limited measurement settings.     

Some psychometric properties of the revised wechsler memory scale

Intercorrelations among and reliabilities of the subtests of the Wechsler Memory Scale (R.P.A.H. version) are reported as well as the factor structure of the Scale and the efficiency of the Scale in identifying subjects with putative memory disorder.     

Development and psychometric evaluation of the Male Body Attitudes Scale (MBAS)

A measure of men's attitudes toward their body (MBAS) was developed and evaluated via three independent samples of college men. In Studies 1 and 2, factor analyses determined and cross-validated the MBAS's underlying structure. Three factors emerged from the items: muscularity, low body fat, and height. Studies 1 and 2 provided construct (i.e., convergent, concurrent, and discriminant) validity evidence for the MBAS total scale and subscales; they were related or not related as expected to drive for muscularity, body esteem, internalization of the muscular ideal, pressures for muscularity, pressures for thinness, self-esteem, body comparison, eating disorder symptomatology, and impression management. Study 3 revealed that the MBAS total score and subscale scores were stable over a 2-week period. The internal consistency reliabilities for the total score and subscale scores were high across all three studies. The MBAS should prove useful for researchers and clinicians interested in men's body image assessment.