Development and validation of an altruism scale for adults

A new self-report scale, the Altruism Scale for Adults, of 28 items was developed. 14 items were from the Altruism subscale of Wrightsman's Philosophies of Human Nature Scale, and the other 14 items were newly constructed. The scale, anchored by 1: true or 2: false, was administered to 592 Korean men and women in eight subgroups. Cronbach alpha internal consistency was .89, and test-retest reliabilities (n = 52) over 1 and 5 wk. were .90 and .80, respectively. Campbell and Fiske's 1959 multitrait-multimethod analysis showed satisfactory convergent and discriminant validities. Overall results were promising for use of the scale in research and for practical purposes.     

The Oswald Clergy Burnout Scale: Reliability, Factor Structure and Preliminary Application Among Australian Clergy

This study assesses the Oswald Clergy Burnout Scale (OCBI), the psychometric properties of which have not been previously described. Analysis of responses from a large number (N?=?3,012) of ministers in charge of Australian congregations showed that the scale’s internal reliability was satisfactory, and that the scale could be represented by two factors, identified, respectively, as the personal and social aspects of burnout. This structure was supported by confirmatory factor analysis. Several demographic and job-related variables that might relate to burnout were regressed on the total, personal and social factor scores. Age is the predominant (negative) predictor of burnout as measured by the total scale and the personal factor scores. All variables predict burnout as measured by the social factor. However, in all models, the predictor variables account for no more than 5% of the total variance. These findings suggest that demographic factors and working conditions are poor predictors of burnout among clergy.     

Comparative relationships of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale—Revised (WAIS-R) and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) to the Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS)

This study investigated whether the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale — Revised (WAIS-R) and Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) demonstrate similar patterns of relationship with the Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS). Sixty VA patients were administered the WAIS-R and WMS and 60 completed the WAIS and WMS. The groups were comparable in terms of demographic variables. Pearson correlations were computed between the subtest and IQ scores from the intelligence scales and the scores from the WMS for each group. Comparison of the resulting correlations for the WAIS-R group with those of the WAIS subjects demonstrated only four significant differences, indicating that the WAIS-R and WAIS variables covary in a similar manner with the WMS scores. Following factor analysis of the test data for both groups, coefficients of congruence indicated a high degree of similarity between the two factor solutions. Essentially the same relationships emerged between intelligence variables and the WMS regardless of which scale was administered.     

大学生社会化辅导的必要性——大学生与社会人员的差异研究

毕业生走向社会,适应与否,会严重影响到大学生的心理健康。而作为其影响因素——人性哲学观的不同会对大学生的社会化尤其是就业产生很大的影响,本文使用Wrighsman的人性哲学量表调查了苏州部分学校的大学生和社会一些参与工作的人员,发现大学生与参加工作的社会人员在独立性、人性的理性与意志力、人性的复杂几个方面存在显著的差异,这可能是我们在大学生走向社会前给其辅导的内容之一。大学教育者在大学生走向社会前应该对其进行社会化方面的辅导,了解作为学生与社会可能存在的差异,提前做好心理准备,以减少其由于社会化不良带来的各种负面影响。     

Psychometric Evaluation of the Spiritual Transcendence Scale in a Chinese Sample: Is There Factorial Invariance Across Gender,Occupation, and Religion?

This study investigated the reliability and validity of the widely used 23-item Spiritual Transcendence Scale and tested whether there was factorial invariance of the scale by demographic variables such as gender, occupation, and religion in a large Chinese sample (n = 1,894). Exploratory factor analysis with a random subsample supported the original 3-factor structure (prayer fulfillment, universality, and connectedness) in a revised 16-item scale. Confirmatory factor analysis suggested that a 15-item model provided a good fit to the data of the remaining subsample. The scale had alpha reliabilities ranging from .64 to .92 in the exploratory factor analysis and .60 to .92 in the confirmatory factor analysis. Subsequent factorial invariance tests indicated that the scale was invariant across gender and occupation but not religion. Evidence of construct validity was equivocal. Additional empirical studies should be conducted to evaluate the psychometric properties of the scale in other culturally and religiously diverse settings.     

神经质人格迫选量表的开发及其抗作假效果研究

传统的迫选量表得分是自模式数据,最近提出的Thurstone IRT模型建构了被试对迫选量表反应的数学模型,能够更精确地度量被试的特质水平.研究自编了神经质人格迫选量表,与常用的测量神经质的Likert量表一起,在无压力、模拟应聘和实际应聘三种情境下进行施测.结果发现,迫选量表的实测数据能够较好地拟合Thurstone IRT模型,该模型估计的特质得分不具有自模式数据的性质,比传统计分更能够抵抗作假.无论采用哪种计分方式,迫选量表都比Likert量表更能够抵抗作假.     

女大学生中共情对自我中心和利他行为关系的调节作用

目的：考察在女大学生中特质与状态共情对个体自我中心特质与利他行为之间的关系。方法：研究一采用问卷调查考察特质共情对自我中心特质与利他行为倾向的调节作用; 研究二采用行为实验 (自我中心特质高或低的女大学生) 来考察启动的状态共情对真实利他行为的影响。结果：共情特质/状态会与自我中心特质交互作用来影响个体的利他行为/倾向。结论：高共情状态/特质的被试其自我中心会降低利他行为/倾向, 而低共情状态或特质的被试无此倾向。     

Relationship between Eysenck's measure of psychoticism and scores on the environmental deprivation scale with convicted felons

23 parolees and 8 probationers were administered the Environmental Deprivation Scale interview and the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised. Scores on each scale, different in method and design, have been correlated with anti-social behavior. The scores on both measures were compared and a significant correlation of .51 found between the scores on the Environmental Deprivation Scale and the Psychoticism scale on Eysenck's questionnaire. Also, a negative correlation of .34 was found between scores on the Environmental Deprivation Scale and the Extraversion scale on Eysenck's questionnaire, but none for either scale and time spent in prison. A stronger assessment of clients for guiding intervention seems needed. Limitations include lack of control for education, age, and ethnicity.     

Psychometric properties of the reassurance-seeking scale in a Turkish sample

This study examined the psychometric properties of the Reassurance-Seeking Scale in a sample of 102 Turkish undergraduate students. High internal consistency reliability was found for the Reassurance-Seeking Scale (alpha=.86). Factor analysis of the scale identified a single component that accounted for 71% of the total variance. The scale was significantly positively correlated with the Beck Depression Inventory and Beck Anxiety Inventory and had a significantly negative correlation with the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale. Partial correlations of Reassurance-seeking with Depression scores as controlled by Anxiety scores and with Anxiety scores as controlled by Depression scores indicated that Reassurance-seeking scores maintained association with Depression but not with Anxiety. All these findings were in line with expectations.     

Is the relationship between religiosity and personality ‘contaminated’ by social desirability as assessed by the Lie Scale? A methodological reply to Michael W. Eysenck (1998)

Abstract

Eysenck (Mental Health, Religion and Culture, 1, 11–19, 1998) raised a number of important theoretical and methodological issues in his review of the literature related to religion and the Eysenckian model of personality. The present aim is to methodologically address one such issue: Is the relationship between religiosity and personality ‘contaminated’ by social desirability as assessed by the Lie Scale? Data from two studies employing the Francis Scale of Attitude towards Christianity, alongside measures of Eysenckian Personality and Obsessionality among Northern Irish students are presented. In study one, using a survey design, significant associations were found between high scores on the religiosity scale and high scores on the Obsessional Trait Scale and low scores on the Psychoticism Scale. These findings remained significant even after the Lie Scale scores were statistically partialled out. In study two, using a repeated measures experimental design, respondents completed the questionnaires two weeks apart. However, on the second occasion they were connected to a ‘bogus pipeline’. No significant differences were found between scores on the two administrations. In addition, significant associations were found between high scores on the religiosity scale and high scores on the Obsessional Symptom Scale and low scores on the Psychoticism Scale. It is argued that the present studies provide further support that the association between religiosity and the personality traits of obsessionality and psychoticism are not simply a function of social desirability.     

Chinese Short Form of the Personal Attributes Questionnaire: Construct and Concurrent Validity

This paper evaluated the construct and concurrent validity of a Chinese short form of the Personal Attributes Questionnaire, which measures instrumentality and expressivity as independent traits. In Study 1, 293 Hong Kong Chinese undergraduates completed the scale. Factor analysis revealed two independent factors, instrumentality and expressivity. In Study 2, 269 Hong Kong Chinese undergraduates completed the scale together with the dominance and nurturance scales of the Personality Research Form and Gudykunst’s Self-Construal Scale. Exploratory factor analysis replicated the bidimensional structure of the scale. Instrumentality correlated with independent self-construal and dominance, whereas expressivity correlated with interdependent self-construal and nurturance. Gender differences in item scores overall conformed to theoretical expectations. The findings indicate that the scale produces valid and reliable scores.     

Depression and decision-making among intravenous drug users

Two short scales, the TCU Depression Scale and the TCU Decision-making Scale, were psychometrically evaluated in a sample of 145 intravenous drug users. Coefficient alpha reliabilities were .78 for the 6-item TCU Depression Scale and .77 for the 9-item TCU Decision-making Scale. Concurrent validity of the former scale was assessed by correlating scores with those on the Beck Depression Inventory, r = .75. Based on the Beck Depression Inventory Clinical cutoff scores, 83% of the sample showed some depression, with 23% severely depressed, 39% moderately depressed, and 21% mildly depressed. Individuals scoring higher on depression on both tests tended to score lower on decision-making. Significant demographic associations of age, gender, education, and race-ethnicity were found for the depression and decision-making scales. More depression was noted for women, those younger, white, and having less education. Older and more educated intravenous drug users tended to score higher on decision-making. Validity for the depression and decision-making scales was assessed by examining correlations with behaviors. Significant positive correlations were found between depression scores and intravenous use of cocaine only, heroin and cocaine combined, and heroin only. Also, intravenous use of cocaine only and of cocaine and heroin combined were negatively related to decision-making. AIDS sex-risky behavior was positively correlated with depression and negatively correlated with decision-making.     

Personality attributes of ultramarathoners

The Self-Motivation Inventory (SMI) and four subscales from the Philosophies of Human Nature were given to 50 male ultramarathoners who were matched for age and sex with runners who had never raced any distance longer than 10 miles, and with a group of nonrunners. No significant personality differences were obtained among the three groups. Experienced ultramarathoners were Significantly. more skeptical about the goodness of human nature than inexperienced ones.     

Development of a Facebook Addiction Scale

The Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale (BFAS), initially a pool of 18 items, three reflecting each of the six core elements of addiction (salience, mood modification, tolerance, withdrawal, conflict, and relapse), was constructed and administered to 423 students together with several other standardized self-report scales (Addictive Tendencies Scale, Online Sociability Scale, Facebook Attitude Scale, NEO-FFI, BIS/BAS scales, and Sleep questions). That item within each of the six addiction elements with the highest corrected item-total correlation was retained in the final scale. The factor structure of the scale was good (RMSEA = .046, CFI = .99) and coefficient alpha was .83. The 3-week test-retest reliability coefficient was .82. The scores converged with scores for other scales of Facebook activity. Also, they were positively related to Neuroticism and Extraversion, and negatively related to Conscientiousness. High scores on the new scale were associated with delayed bedtimes and rising times.     

The Perceived Stress Scale: Factor structure and relation to depression symptoms in a psychiatric sample

The present study sought to examine the factor structure and psychometric properties of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) when administered to psychiatric patients. We also examined predictive validity of the PSS by assessing the association between the Perceived Stress Scale and the Beck Depression Inventory. A heterogeneous sample of 96 psychiatric patients (48 men, 48 women) completed the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and the Beck Depression Inventory. Factor analysis of the PSS established that the scale consisted of two factors. The first factor was comprised primarily of items reflecting adaptational symptoms. In contrast, the second factor consisted of items reflecting coping ability. Both factors had an adequate degree of internal consistency. Finally, a series of regression analyses predicting depression found that both factors accounted for unique variance in depression scores in women, but only the first factor accounted for unique variance in men. It is concluded that the PSS is a multidimensional and internally consistent measure of perceived stress.This research was supported by Grant 410-91-1690 from the social sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada as well as by grants from the Research and Program Evaluation Committee Brockville Psychiatric Hospital.     

Religiosity and social desirability: impression management and self-deceptive positivity

The first aim of the present study was to replicate previous research, which has investigated the association between scores on the Francis Scale of Attitudes towards Christianity (FSAC) (Francis & Stubbs, 1987) and scores on Eysenck's Personality Questionnaire (EPQ-R Short Scale) (Eysenck & Eysenck, 1991). Further evidence is presented that higher religiosity is associated with lower scores on the psychoticism scale. The main aim of the present study, however, was to investigate the association between social desirability and religiosity. Although no association was found between religiosity and Lie scale scores in the present study, there is debate over what the Lie scale is actually measuring and so we also included, among other measures, the Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding (BIDR: Paulhus, 1988), which consists of two subscales, self deceptive positivity and impression management. It was found that although religiosity was not associated with self-deception it was associated with impression management.     

Trait empathy as a predictor of individual differences in perceived loneliness

Loneliness has been shown to be inversely correlated with empathy in younger adults. The present study extends previous research by investigating the association between empathy and loneliness across the adult lifespan and examining the role of relevant demographic and personality factors. 110 community-dwelling adults (18 to 81 years old) completed the UCLA Loneliness Scale and the Empathy Quotient. Empathy scores were inversely associated with rated loneliness and predicted 8.7% of variance in loneliness scores after accounting for sex, age, relationship status, education, and neuroticism. The Social Skills factor of the Empathy Quotient was the strongest predictor of the association between perceived empathy and loneliness. Previous research is extended by the finding that rated loneliness was inversely associated with empathy scores across the adult lifespan. Underlying this relationship may be negative perceptions of personal social proclivity as a function of difficulty in understanding the mental states of others and high trait neuroticism.     

Personality correlates of Holland's occupational types: A cross cultural study

Recent studies have investigated the personality traits of persons in Holland's six occupational categories. In the present study the generalizability of Holland's characterizations of adults within the occupational categories was investigated in a group of 402 Mexican-Americans. Occupational Scale scores on the Kuder Occupational Interest Survey were used to classify subjects into Holland's occupational types. Multiple discriminant analysis of groups' Guilford-Zimmerman Temperament Survey scale scores resulted in significant overall groups differentiation and two significant discriminant functions for males but no significant results for females. The personality characteristics of the male groups provide strong support for the generalizability of Holland's characterizations to Mexican-American males.     

Empirical testing of the Satisfaction With Life Scale: a South African pilot study

To explore applicability of the Satisfaction With Life Scale in a different racial and cultural context (South Africa), a questionnaire containing items on basic demographic characteristics, the 5-item Satisfaction With Life Scale, and the 10-item Rosenberg Self-esteem scale, was administered to a small convenient sample of 34 Black (13 men and 21 women) and 20 White (9 men and 11 women) South Africans aged between 17 and 70 years. As expected, Black respondents were less likely to have completed high school than White respondents and were more likely to be unemployed. Factor analysis of the Satisfaction With Life Scale (coefficient alpha of .92) yielded a single factor, accounting for 76% of the variance. Mean differences of the two groups were not significant when education and employment status were controlled. As anticipated, Life Satisfaction scores were correlated .86 with rated Self-esteem. Given the very small convenient sample, results are consistent with robust findings in western countries and encourage replication on a larger, representative sample.     

Psychology of computer use: XXIII. Validating a measure of computer-related stress

Prediction of the final grade in a computer course using the Computer Technology Hassles Scale, a measure of computer-related stress, was investigated. A sample of 154 university students enrolled in computer courses completed questionnaires covering demographic data, information on computer use, the Computer Technology Hassles Scale, and somatic complaint items of the Hopkins Symptom Checklist. Pearson correlations indicated scores on the Computer Technology Hassles Scale were significantly associated .27 with somatic complaints, -.24 with computer-course grades, and -.18 with self-rated computer knowledge. Regression analysis indicated that self-rated computer knowledge and scores on the Computer Technology Hassles Scale significantly predicted computer-course grade.