Simple Structure Detection Through Bayesian Exploratory Multidimensional IRT Models

In modern validity theory, a major concern is the construct validity of a test, which is commonly assessed through confirmatory or exploratory factor analysis. In the framework of Bayesian exploratory Multidimensional Item Response Theory (MIRT) models, we discuss two methods aimed at investigating the underlying structure of a test, in order to verify if the latent model adheres to a chosen simple factorial structure. This purpose is achieved without imposing hard constraints on the discrimination parameter matrix to address the rotational indeterminacy. The first approach prescribes a 2-step procedure. The parameter estimates are obtained through an unconstrained MCMC sampler. The simple structure is, then, inspected with a post-processing step based on the Consensus Simple Target Rotation technique. In the second approach, both rotational invariance and simple structure retrieval are addressed within the MCMC sampling scheme, by introducing a sparsity-inducing prior on the discrimination parameters. Through simulation as well as real-world studies, we demonstrate that the proposed methods are able to correctly infer the underlying sparse structure and to retrieve interpretable solutions.     

French Validation of the Competitive Aggressiveness and Anger Scale (FVCAAS)

The aim of this study was to propose a French Validation of the Competitive Aggressiveness and Anger Scale (FVCAAS). The instrument was developed from the original version, which is composed of two subscales (six items by subscales) assessing aggressiveness and anger in competitive athletes (CAAS, Maxwell & Moores, 2007). Four studies have been conducted with 1428 competitors. In the first study, the exploratory factor analysis extracted the two-factor structure from the original version, both with good internal consistency. The second study confirmed that the two-factor structure of the instrument was consistent with the original version and showed its partial invariance across genders. The third study demonstrated the temporal stability of the FVCAAS. In the fourth study, both concurrent and discriminant validities were confirmed, supporting the validity and reliability of the FVCAAS. The contributions of this study and limitations are discussed, together with perspectives for future studies of aggressiveness in competitive sports.     

Central fatigue mechanisms are responsible for decreases in hand proprioceptive acuity following shoulder muscle fatigue

Muscle fatigue is a complex phenomenon, consisting of central and peripheral mechanisms which contribute to local and systemic changes in motor performance. In particular, it has been demonstrated that afferent processing in the fatigued muscle (e.g., shoulder), as well as in surrounding or distal muscles (e.g., hand) can be altered by fatigue. Currently, it is unclear how proximal muscle fatigue affects proprioceptive acuity of the distal limb. The purpose of the present study was to assess the effects of shoulder muscle fatigue on participants’ ability to judge the location of their hand using only proprioceptive cues. Participants’ (N = 16) limbs were moved outwards by a robot manipulandum and they were instructed to estimate the position of their hand relative to one of four visual reference targets (two near, two far). This estimation task was completed before and after a repetitive pointing task was performed to fatigue the shoulder muscles. To assess central versus peripheral effects of fatigue on the distal limb, the right shoulder was fatigued and proprioceptive acuity of the left and right hands were tested. Results showed that there was a significant decrease in the accuracy of proprioceptive estimates for both hands after the right shoulder was fatigued, with no change in the precision of proprioceptive estimates. A control experiment (N = 8), in which participants completed the proprioceptive estimation task before and after a period of quiet sitting, ruled out the possibility that the bilateral changes in proprioceptive accuracy were due to a practice effect. Together, these results indicate that shoulder muscle fatigue decreases proprioceptive acuity in both hands, suggesting that central fatigue mechanisms are primarily responsible for changes in afferent feedback processing of the distal upper limb.     

Position,Preference and Personality: A Microlevel Explanation of Negativity in Day‐To‐Day Politics

While many scholars investigate the determinants of negativity in the political sphere, it remains largely unclear why some politicians are more negative than others. Studies thus far lack explanations at the individual level, and they almost exclusively focus on negativity during electoral races. Surveying national and regional representatives in Belgium (N = 228), this study seeks to explain individual politicians’ willingness to go negative during everyday politics. The results show that negativity is not so much related to institutionally driven differences between representatives but more to politicians’ personal characteristics and preference roles. Negative politics, hence, is not an inevitable result of institutional structures, rules, and norms, but rather depends on the characteristics and motivations of the individual representatives citizens elect.     

Factorial invariance,differential item functioning,and norms of the Orgasm Rating Scale

Background/Objective: Orgasm Rating Scale (ORS) assess the subjective orgasm experience in context of sexual relationship. It is composed of four dimensions attributed to the orgasm (Affective, Sensory, Intimacy, and Rewards). The purpose is to analyse the factorial invariance of the ORS across groups, to examine the metric equivalence across sex, and to present the standard scores. Method: A total of 1,472 Spanish adults (715 men and 757 women) were evaluated. They were distributed across age groups (18-34, 35-49 and 50 years old and older). Factorial invariance across different groups and the differential functioning of the items across sex were analyzed, internal consistency was examined, and the standard scores were developed. Results: The structure of the ORS showed strict measurement invariance across sex, relationship status, sexual orientation and education level. It also reached a scalar measurement invariance across age range and duration of the relationship. Some items showed a differential functioning between sexes. Conclusions: The Spanish version of the ORS is invariant across different groups at a factorial level, and it shows equivalence across sex in most of its items at a metric level. The standard scores allow a more accurate assessment of the subjective orgasm experience in context of sexual relationship.     

Brief report: How many dimensions in the prosocial behavior scale? Psychometric investigation in French-speaking adolescents

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the factor structure and the reliability of the Prosocial Behavior Scale (PBS). To our knowledge, no factorial validity of the multifactorial structure of PBS has been published to date. The psychometric characteristics of the PBS were examined in several samples of French adolescents (aged 11–19, N1 = 1141, N2 = 1071, and N3 = 1640) using Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA). The original four-factor structure was not confirmed due to lack of discriminant validity. CFA led us to retain a two-factor solution with a good fit and a satisfactory reliability. Furthermore, the results support the convergent validity of the PBS: helping and caring dimensions were positively correlated with empathy. In addition, partial measurement invariance across gender and grade was attested. In conclusion, the results indicate that the French version of the PBS is a useful instrument for the assessment of prosocial behaviors in adolescence.     

Measurement invariance: The case of measuring romantic attachment in Greek and Cypriot adolescents

The experiences in close relationships revised (ECR-R) is widely used to assess romantic attachment dimensions. Investigating cultural limitations in its applicability is imperative. This study aims to examine the instrument’s: (1) factor structure in two large and normative samples of Greek (N = 1706, M _age = 16.16; SD = 2.16; 49.7% male) and Cypriot (N = 1279; M _age = 15.54; SD = 0.65; 44.9% male) adolescents; (2) measurement invariance between these groups, accounting for potential gender and age effects. Results supported the two-factor structure and indicated partial invariance of the constructs between Greek and Cypriot adolescents. Findings support limitations in the use of instruments adapted for Greece in Cyprus.     

Psychometric properties and measurement invariance of the Weight Self-Stigma Questionnaire and Weight Bias Internalization Scale in children and adolescents

Background/ObjectiveGiven the negative consequences of weight bias, including internalized weight stigma, on health outcomes, two instruments—the Weight Self-Stigma Questionnaire (WSSQ) and Weight Bias Internalization Scale (WBIS)—have been developed. However, their psychometric properties are yet to be tested for Asian pediatric populations. Method:Participants aged 8 to 12 years (N = 287; 153 boys) completed the WSSQ and the WBIS, and they were classified into either a group with overweight or a group without overweight based on self-reported weight and height. Results:Both WSSQ and WBIS had their factor structures supported by confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs). The measurement invariance of two-factor structure was further supported for WSSQ across gender and weight status. The measurement invariance of single-factor structure was supported for WBIS across gender but not across weight status. Conclusions:WSSQ and WBIS were both valid to assess the internalization of weight bias. However, the two instruments demonstrated different properties and should be applied in different situations.     

Psychiatry and religion: consensus reached!

ABSTRACT

In December 2015 the Executive Committee of the World Psychiatric Association accepted a position statement on spirituality and religion in psychiatry. In this contribution the author will (briefly) sketch the background of the development of this position statement, and the criteria it needs to fulfil. The aim of the final result will be explained, and some desiderata with regard to its future will be expressed. The full text of the Position Statement as it has been published in World Psychiatry (February 2016) is added as appendix (permission granted by the editor).     

Executive dysfunction affects word list recall performance: Evidence from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and other neurodegenerative diseases

The Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) is widely used in clinical practice to evaluate verbal episodic memory. While there is evidence that RAVLT performance can be influenced by executive dysfunction, the way executive disorders affect the serial position curve (SPC) has not been yet explored. To this aim, we analysed immediate and delayed recall performances of 13 non‐demented amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients with a specific mild executive dysfunction (ALSci) and compared their performances to those of 48 healthy controls (HC) and 13 cognitively normal patients with ALS. Moreover, to control for the impact of a severe dysexecutive syndrome and a genuine episodic memory deficit on the SPC, we enrolled 15 patients with a diagnosis of behavioural variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) and 18 patients with probable Alzheimer's disease (AD). Results documented that, compared to cognitively normal subjects, ALSci patients had a selective mid‐list impairment for immediate recall scores. The bvFTD group obtained low performances with a selectively increased forgetting rate for terminal items, whereas the AD group showed a disproportionately large memory loss on the primary and middle part of the SPC for immediate recall scores and were severely impaired in the delayed recall trial. These results suggested that subtle executive dysfunctions might influence the recall of mid‐list items, possibly reflecting deficiency in control strategies at retrieval of word lists, whereas severer dysexecutive syndrome might also affect the recall of terminal items possibly due to attention deficit or retroactive interference.