Confirming the Factor Structure of the 41-Item Version of the Schutte Emotional Intelligence Scale

The main aim of this study was to investigate the factor structure of the 41-item version of the Schutte Emotional Intelligence Scale within a South African nursing environment. An availability non-probability sample (N =290) of nurses from hospitals in the North-West and Gauteng Provinces of South Africa were taken. Participants completed the Schutte Emotional Intelligence Scale (SEIS). The data were analysed by employing Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) via AMOS. The data fitted the original model of Emotional Intelligence of Salovey and Mayer (1990), best explaining 58.52% of the variance. The results supported a five-factor structure of the SEIS. The five factors were named: Emotion Utilisation; Emotion Management; Emotion Awareness; Emotion Perceiving and Emotion Integration.     

Conceptual and measurement issues of the complementarity dimension of the coach–athlete relationship across cultures

ObjectivesGrounded in the 3Cs model of the coach–athlete relationship, this multi-study outlined the development of two scales that measure coaches' dominant behaviors and athletes' submissive behaviors.Method & resultsIn study 1, a pool of items was generated based on relevant literatures and interviews. The item pool was then assessed by an expert panel including academics, athletes and coaches. In Study 2 and Study 3, construct and criterion validity, as wells as internal reliability of the refined items were tested with a sample of elite coaches and athletes. Analyses revealed that Coach Dominant Behavior Scale (CDB-S) and Athlete Submissive Behavior Scale (ASB-S) possessed sound psychometric properties. In Study 4, the measurement invariance of the 10-item ASB-S was assessed across gender and five countries: Britain, China, Greece, Spain, and Sweden. Results supported the full structural invariance of the ASB-S.ConclusionOverall, the items of both CDB-S and ASB-S were found to be psychometrically sound. The discussion highlights the contributions these findings make on both conceptual and measurement levels as well as the opportunities it opens up for research with practical relevance.     

Development of the Couples Resource Map Scales

Abstract

This article describes the initial phases of development of the Couples Resource Map Scales (CRMS). These scales are designed to assess the degree of support couples receive from various personal, relationship, and contextual resources. The first phase involved the initial item development and an expert review of an extended list of potential items. The second phase involved a survey of university seniors (n = 397) involved in monogamous, intimate relationships to test the psychometric properties of the instrument. The third phase involved an analysis of variance in CRMS scores based on participants' self-reported level of satisfaction with their relationship. The results provide preliminary support for the reliability and validity of the CRMS.     

Validating the Media,Morals, and Youth Questionnaire (MMaYQue): A Scale to Assess Media Preference and Moral Judgement of Antisocial Media Content

The aim of this study was to test the psychometric quality of a scale to measure adolescents' preferences and moral judgements of media portraying antisocial, risky and norm-crossing behaviours, titled the Media, Morality, and Youth Questionnaire (MMaYQue). We applied confirmatory factor analyses with two independent samples of adolescents (N = 666 and 780). A model with method effects and two correlated constructs (i.e., media preferences and moral judgements), fitted the data best and measurement invariance was confirmed. In addition, the MMaYQue successfully discriminates between groups and significantly correlates with relevant personality traits and related measures, supporting good discriminant, convergent and criterion validity of the MMaYQue. Findings provide evidence for the validity and applicability of the MMaYQue in various research designs, including experiments, to incorporate media use in research regarding youth and adolescent development.     

The Facilitation of Children's Social Interaction by a Picture-Cue Training Program

A social-interaction training procedure employing picture cues (photographs of play materials in their settings), prompts, and reinforcement was investigated to determine its effcct on subject-peer and subject-teacher interaction. The picture cues were designed to facilitate social interaction between three socially deficient language-delayed 4- to 6-year-old children and their respective classroom peers. One target child was deaf, one was unusually aggressive, and one was an elective mute. The picture-cue technique was designed to minimize reacher involvement: it allowed onc child to invite another to interact by displaying a picture of the interaction desired. Despite the children's differences, appropriate social interaction increased dramatically over each child's bascline rate during the Picture-Cue Conditions, required less tcacher time than traditionaI prompting procedures, and increased the functional aspect of naturally maintaining contingencies. This result may have been influenced by prompting procedures used in earlier conditions. The results indicate that picture cues facilitate communication and allow independent social interaction, and thus are functional and efficient mediating devices.     

Mating Behavior in the Japanese Beetle,Popillia Japonica Newm

The Investment Model (IM; Rusbult, 1980, 1983) has been widely used to study the development and maintenance of romantic relationships. Its components—satisfaction, quality of alternatives, investment size and commitment—are operationalized in the Investment Model Scale (IMS; Rusbult, Martz, &; Agnew, 1998). Given its importance for personal relationships literature, this article presents the adaptation and validation of the IMS to Portugal, and the development and validation of a shorter version, the IMS-S. A confirmatory factor analysis replicates the IMS's original four factors structure. A similar structure was found for the IMS-S. For both versions, results show the instruments to have validity and good reliability. Results are discussed considering the scales’ importance for studying romantic relationships.     

The assessment of type a behaviour: A critique

Abstract

The validity of type A behaviour (TAB) as a precursor to heart disease is now increasingly subject to debate. This review examines some issues in the assessment of TAB that may have confused rather than clarified such debate. The status and interrelations between four widely used measures of TAB (Jenkins Activity Survey, Framingham Type A Scale, Bortner Rating Scale, and Structured Interview) are described, and a number of problems in their use discussed, including: differing conceptualisations of TAB, drifting criteria of assessment, failure to obtain accurate self-report of TAB, and difficulties associated with the measurement of TAB in populations other than male non-manual workers. Future research should attempt to obviate such difficulties, while elucidating pathogenic behaviours and attitudes, and how these interact with other variables to increase the risk of heart disease. Finally, the value of a state measure of TAB is discussed.     

Do ADHD and Executive Dysfunctions,Measured by the Hebrew Version of Behavioral Rating Inventory of Executive Functions (BRIEF), Completely Overlap?

The centrality of executive function deficits (EFD) in attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is well accepted albeit EFD is not synonymous with ADHD. The purpose of the present study was to examine the extent to which ADHD and EF overlap and to validate the Hebrew version of the Behavioral Rating Inventory of Executive Functions (BRIEF). Parents of 178 children with and without ADHD completed the BRIEF and the ADHD-Rating Scale. Significant differences were found between groups on each scale even after controlling for the other scale. Internal consistency analysis supported the reliability of the Hebrew version of the BRIEF. We conclude that ADHD and Executive Dysfunctions do not completely overlap.     

The Relationship Between Measures of Cognitive Attention and Behavioral Ratings of Attention in Typically Developing Children

In the present study, we explored the relation between performance on cognitive measures of attention (selection, sustained, and control) and behavioral ratings of inattention and hyperactivity in a sample of typically developing children aged 3 to 7 years. We also examined the influence of chronological age and IQ on both task performance and behavior ratings. Four well-documented attention paradigms were employed, the Visearch (single-target search) task as a measure of selective attention, the Continuous Performance Test (CPT) as a measure of sustained attention, the Day-Night task as a measure of response inhibition, and the Visearch (dual-target search) task as a measure of inhibitory control. The Conners' Rating Scales (Cognitive/Inattention and Hyperactivity subscales) were used to allow for a finer tuned comparison of cognitive performance as related to inattentive behaviors versus hyperactive behaviors. Findings indicate that accuracy and speed in the Visearch dual search task were the most sensitive measures relating respectively to inattentive and hyperactive rated behaviors.     

On childhood stuttering and the theory of clinging

In the treatment of stuttering I use the same therapeutic approach as with any other neurotic condition. I do not attempt to deal directly with the symptom, but try to make use of the child’s repetitive play to bring the damaging experience to the surface and to understand the underlying connections. This may, in part, be interpreted to the child. Difficulties to do with the need for an object (‘clinging’) are central. These are generally resolved spontaneously in a therapeutic relationship which offers security. Other problems, which manifest themselves in the negative transference, can be interpreted. Where the stuttering is long established and convulsive, it is not enough to understand the underlying dynamics. The child needs also to have repeated experience of spontaneous relaxation, e.g. in the course of joyful manual activity which can become a behaviour pattern (internalized). An important part of the therapeutic task is to deal with and relieve the anxiety of the mother. When the child has been stuttering for a time, a vicious circle can develop where the child’s stuttering induces anxiety in the mother and mother’s anxiety increases the child’s tendency to stutter. Case histories are used to illustrate the theme.