因子分析的元分析技术及其应用

因子分析的元分析指对采用因子分析的原始研究进行分析, 是知识生产和更新的重要一环, 但尚未引起研究者的注意。主要有5种主要技术, 即因子配对旋转法、多组验证性因子分析、基于汇总相关矩阵的因子分析、基于估计的总体相关矩阵的验证性因子分析、基于显著负荷共生矩阵的探索性因子分析等。每种技术的介绍都包括其基本思想、适用范围、优缺点以及典型应用等。因子分析的元分析可分成7个基本步骤; 资料整理、数据合成和数据分析三步与其它类型的元分析有所不同。未来研究应注意因子分析的元分析在方法发展和应用方面的一系列问题。     

Correlation between general factors for personality and cognitive skills in the National Merit twin sample

General factors of personality (based on the California Psychological Inventory) and cognitive skill (the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test selection score) were correlated .284 in a sample of 490 monozygotic and 317 dizygotic twin pairs. The correlation was partitioned into genetic, and shared and unshared environmental sources: approximately 39%, 50% and 11%, respectively. The results offered some support to a theory that such a correlation may reflect evolutionary trends, although questions remained about the role of nonadditive genetic variance and the nature of the selection involved.     

Modeling trait and state variation using multilevel factor analysis with PANAS daily diary data

This study used daily diary data to model trait and state Positive Affect (PA) and Negative Affect (NA) using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS; Watson, Clark, & Tellegen, 1988). Data were collected from 364 college students over five days. Intraclass correlation coefficients suggested approximately equal amounts of variability at the trait and state levels. Multilevel factor analysis revealed that the model specifying two correlated factors (PA, NA) and correlated uniqueness terms among redundant items provided the best fit. Trait and state PA and NA were generally associated with stress, anxiety, depression, and three types of self-esteem (performance, academic, social). The coefficients describing these relationships differed somewhat, suggesting that trait and state measurement may have different predictive utility.     

The general factor of personality: Evaluating the evidence from meta-analysis, confirmatory factor analysis and evolutionary theory

It has been argued that a general factor of personality exists and has resulted from evolutionary selection. This is based to a large extent on the results of confirmatory factor analyses on data produced from meta-analyses of correlations between Big Five factors. In this brief report, the results of Rushton and Irwing (2008) are re-examined and their conclusions are criticised. It is shown that it would be unwise to rely on the data from their meta-analysis and that there is no statistical reason to assume that there is a general factor of personality. It is also argued that evolutionary theory does not justify the search for a general factor of personality.     

The psychometric properties of the Quality of Life Inventory in an Australian community sample

The Quality of Life Inventory (QOLI, Frisch) is an importance‐weighted measure of life satisfaction that has been found to possess adequate psychometric properties in US and clinically‐based samples. The current study aimed to investigate the normative distribution, factor structure and key psychometric properties of the QOLI in an Australian general community sample. Results indicated that the Australian sample (n = 259) reported slightly better quality of life than the US‐based standardisation sample. Confirmatory factor analyses showed that a three‐factor model provided the best fit for the data. Psychometric properties were all generally found to be adequate and close to Frisch's reported levels. In conclusion, this study indicated that the QOLI may be used in the Australian context with confidence. Future research could examine the clinical utility of the three‐factor model.     

Conceptions of Creativity and Relations with Judges' Intelligence and Personality

The aim of this study is to describe naïve conceptions of creativity and offer some explanation for their variability. Two methods are used to analyze conceptions of creativity. The first one consists of analyzing adjectives that are associated by naïve judges with the notion of creativity of an advertisement. The second one consists of predicting the evaluation of creative level of advertisements by naïve judges, through the assessment of dimensions such as the originality of these advertisements or the quality of their design. Results show that with both methods, originality is always the most characteristic dimension of creativity. Moreover, the results show that the variability of the importance given to the dimensions of creativity is linked to certain characteristics of judges. In particular, factor g is positively related to the weight given to originality in creativity. A personality trait, preference for novelty, is also positively associated with greater weight for originality in creativity judgments.     

The structure of acute stress disorder among Chinese adults exposed to an earthquake: Is dysphoric arousal a unique construct of acute posttraumatic responses?

Wang, R., Wang, L., Zhang, J., Liu, Z. & Wu, K. (2012). The structure of acute stress disorder among Chinese adults exposed to an earthquake: Is dysphoric arousal a unique construct of acute posttraumatic responses? Scandinavian Journal of Psychology 53, 430–436. As a diagnosis organized mainly on the basis of theoretical conceptualization, acute stress disorder (ASD) has been widely criticized for lack of empirical support since it was introduced into the DSM system. To address this issue, the present study investigated the latent structure of ASD symptoms measured by the Acute Stress Disorder Scale (ASDS). A total of 350 adults with a mean age of 32.9 years (SD = 14.0, range: 16–85) took part in this study 12 to 15 days after an earthquake. The results of confirmatory factor analyses showed that a five‐factor intercorrelated model (dissociation, reexperiencing, avoidance, dysphoric arousal, and anxious arousal) demonstrated the best data fit. The findings provide preliminary empirical evidence in favor of a new reconceptualization of ASD symptoms, and are informative for the impending DSM‐5.