外语焦虑量表(FLCAS)在大学生中的测试报告

本研究通过外语课堂焦虑量表（FLCAS）在我国大学生中初步应用及因素分析,结果发现：（1）中文版FLCAS具有较好的信度和效度,可用于今后的有关研究或实际工作。（2）我国大学生在学习英语过程中产生的焦虑主要包括担心、紧张不安、害怕说英语和害怕课堂提问等四个方面;（3）女大学生的外语焦虑水平显著低于男大学生,这可能女性的语言能力相对较强有关;（4）我国非英语专业大学生的外语学习焦虑水平显著低于国外学习其它外语的大学生,这可能跟他们外语学习的经历较长有关。     

中国人人格量表（QZPS）的编制过程与初步结果

旨在编制能够反映中国人人格结构特点的中国人人格量表（QZPS）。文中首先分析了直接采用或修订西方人格量表的问题和潜在危险,以及目前国内使用的各种人格量表存在的局限;按照人格研究的“词汇学假设”,根据杨国枢和王登峰（1999）以及后来的研究所确定的中国人人格结构的七因素模型,提出了QZPS的编制原则和操作程序。按照人格特质形容词的含义编写测量项目,并根据小因素和大因素的含义对项目进行修改,初步确定了1600多个项目。经2280名被试的评定,初步筛选出409个项目。再经1099名被试评定,确定了215个项目构成QZPS,测量中国人人格的7个维度和18个小因素。文中还报告了对QZPS的项目分析的结果     

Development and validation of a scale of social and moral judgments (ABB scale) and its use in prison settings

IntroductionThe traditional approach to value judgments involves determining the position of an individual on a scale designed to evaluate the underlying mechanisms and dimensions of judgments.ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to develop and validate a scale among a general population and to apply it to individuals particularly affected by, or directly involved in, acts of transgression.MethodThe scale comprises three types of behavior involving an expression of personal values (atypism or idiosyncratic behavior) or a violation of moral or conventional standards. Subjects were asked to assess a range of actions and behaviors on three dimensions (Likert format): seriousness, excusability and rejection of the transgressor.Results and conclusionAs predicted, factor analysis shows a clear hierarchy of values. The results demonstrate the multidimensional nature of the instrument and indicate good reliability. Tolerance and severity indices were developed to understand the underlying dynamics of social and moral judgments. The study found that inmates’ judgments of violations and transgressions differed in some respects from the judgments made by the general population. The influence of context and the role of group membership as an explanatory factor are examined from the point of view of the identity strategies used.     

Longitudinal study of quality of life in acquired brain injury: A self- and proxy-report evaluation

Background/ObjectiveAfter an acquired brain injury (ABI), the person remains with several impairments and disabilities that cause a decrease in his/her quality of life (QoL), which could change over time. The objective of the study was to analyse the evolution patterns of QoL in a sample of persons with ABI for one-year as well as the differences in proxy- and self-report versions of a QoL instrument. Method: The sample comprised 402 persons with ABI with ages ranging between 18 and 91 years, whom 36.20% had had the accident recently (i.e., three years or less). Patients, professionals and relatives responded at three evaluation points to the CAVIDACE scale, an ABI-specific QoL tool. Results: ANOVAs showed an improvement in QoL in the two follow-ups; the improvement was especially significant in the period between baseline and six months. The respondent factor did not interact with the evaluation time, but significant differences were found between respondents, with scores of patients higher than that for proxies. Finally, the QoL’s evolution interacts with the time elapsed since injury, showing significant improvements in the most recent group (i.e., three years or less). Conclusions: QoL must be considered from the earliest moments after ABI to obtain more significant improvements.     

Self‐compassion Is Best Measured as a Global Construct and Is Overlapping with but Distinct from Neuroticism: A Response to Pfattheicher,Geiger, Hartung,Weiss, and Schindler (2017)

Pfattheicher and colleagues recently published an article entitled ‘Old Wine in New Bottles? The Case of Self‐compassion and Neuroticism’ that argues the negative items of the Self‐compassion Scale (SCS), which represent reduced uncompassionate self‐responding, are redundant with neuroticism (especially its depression and anxiety facets) and do not evidence incremental validity in predicting life satisfaction. Using potentially problematic methods to examine the factor structure of the SCS (higher‐order confirmatory factor analysis), they suggest a total self‐compassion score should not be used and negative items should be dropped. In Study 1, we present a reanalysis of their data using what we argue are more theoretically appropriate methods (bifactor exploratory structural equation modelling) that support use of a global self‐compassion factor (explaining 94% of item variance) over separate factors representing compassionate and reduced uncompassionate self‐responding. While self‐compassion evidenced a large correlation with neuroticism and depression and a small correlation with anxiety, it explained meaningful incremental validity in life satisfaction compared with neuroticism, depression, and anxiety. Findings were replicated in Study 2, which examined emotion regulation. Study 3 established the incremental validity of negative items with multiple well‐being outcomes. We conclude that although self‐compassion overlaps with neuroticism, the two constructs are distinct. © 2018 European Association of Personality Psychology     

Early motor development and cognitive abilities among Mexican preschoolers

Psychomotricity plays a very important role in children’s development, especially for learning involving reading–writing and mathematical calculations. Evaluate motor development in children 3 years old and its relationship with their cognitive abilities at the age of 5 years. Based on a cohort study, we analyzed the information about motor performance evaluated at 3 years old by Peabody Motor Scale and cognitive abilities at 5 years old. The association was estimated using linear regression models adjusted by mother’s intelligence quotient, sex, Bayley mental development index at 18 months, and quality of the environment at home (HOME scale). 148 children whose motor performance was determined at age 3 and was evaluated later at age 5 to determine their cognitive abilities. Cognitive abilities (verbal, quantitative, and memory) measured by McCarthy Scales. Significant positive associations were observed between stationary balance at age 3 with verbal abilities (β = 0.67, p = .04) and memory (β = 0.81, p = .02) at 5 years. Grasping and visual-motor integration were significant and positively associated with quantitative abilities (β = 0.74, p = .005; β = 0.61, p = .01) and memory (β = 2.11, p = .001; β = 1.74, p = .004). The results suggest that early motor performance contributes to the establishment of cognitive abilities at 5 years. Evaluation and early motor stimulation before the child is faced with formal learning likely helps to create neuronal networks that facilitate the acquisition of academic knowledge.     

What do tertiary level students in the U.S.A. and Northern Ireland (UK) worry about? An exploratory study

The purpose of this study is to determine the personal and social worries of samples of tertiary-level students in the U.S.A. and Northern Ireland (UK) using the Things I Worry About Scale (TIWAS). An online questionnaire, which included the TIWAS, was completed by two samples (U.S.A.?=?71 and Northern Ireland?=?187). Results indicate that students, in both locations, report worrying frequently about a similar broad range of issues, particularly the challenges of academic study and achievement, financial matters and future career possibilities. The needs of individual students who express frequent worrying about experiences ‘sometimes’ worried about by the majority are noted. The overall findings support perceptions that a majority of students are rather anxious, are under considerable pressure and worry very frequently.     

French translation and validation of the Karitane Parenting Confidence Scale

IntroductionPerceived parental self-efficacy (PSE) is thought to play a crucial role in parental well-being, the parent-infant relationship, and other aspects of infant development, particularly in the early postnatal period. The Karitane Parenting Confidence Scale (KPCS) is a 15-item self-report questionnaire designed for parents with infants aged 0–12 months.ObjectiveTo explore the factor structure of a French translation of the KPCS and assess its psychometric qualities.MethodUsing a French-language translation of the KPCS (KPCS-F), 257 parents of children aged 0–12 months were recruited via childcare structures (e.g. nurseries, community centers, mother and child protection centers). Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) were conducted to examine 2- and 3-factor solutions for the KPCS-F scale. Internal reliability and convergent validity were evaluated.ResultsThe best model was a two-factor solution (PSE “infant care” and PSE “parental role”) restricted to 12 items. Sound internal consistency was indicated, with a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.80 and a McDonald's omega coefficient of 0.80. Test-retest reliability was good. KPCS-F score was correlated with social support and psychological well-being scores.ConclusionThe KPCS-F showed substantial validity and reliability for this sample. The translated scale should therefore improve assessment and intervention processes for professionals working with parents of young children.