Original Photo adapted from Hansueli Kramer / CC BY
Original Photo adapted from Hansueli Kramer / CC BY
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Session Overview |
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PO2: Poster Session 2 (Including Coffee Break)
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Construction of the Computerized Adaptive Career Aptitude Test for junior high school students 1National Taiwan Normal University, Republic of China (Taiwan); 2National Cheng Kung University, Republic of China (Taiwan); sungtc@ntnu.edu.twsungtc@ntnu.edu.tw
A qualified career test could play an important role in providing information for students’ self-understanding and career decision-making. However, there are limitations and problems within the existing career aptitude tests. This study integrates psychological testing, adaptive techniques of psychometrics, and multimedia technology to establish a Computerized Adaptive Career Aptitude Test, the CACAT - J. It consists of brand new subject matters, dimensions and test items. Not only is the test more relevant with increased prediction power, but it also provides beneficial career counseling for students and teachers. The CACAT - J consisted of eight sub-tests: Verbal, Numerical, Spatial, Logical Reasoning, Scientific Reasoning, Observation, Aesthetics, and Creativity. There were 1243 participants in the present study. Reliability for the findings in this study ranged from .69 to .83. In terms of validity, the aptitude test scores were significantly correlated with junior high school students’ basic competence tests and ranged from .28 to .67. Through this test, students were able to understand their aptitudes on different skills that would enhance their career exploration and their capacity for effective career decision-making and planning.
Psychometrical properties of Portuguese and Brazilian versions of the Parental Demandingness and Responsiveness Scale: An intercultural study 1Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil; 2University of Lisbon, Portugal; marucia.bardagi@gmail.commarucia.bardagi@gmail.com
This study compares the psychometric properties of the Parental Demandingness and Responsiveness Scale in adolescents from different cultural contexts. This instrument of 24 items was originally constructed in Brazil based on Baumrind's Parenting Styles Theory. Parenting styles are defined as the attitudes, practices, and emotions that characterize parent-child relationships in different situations, leading to different consequences in child’s future performance and psychological adjustment. The four styles, that reflect combined amounts of responsiveness and demandingness provided by parents, are authoritative (high demandingness and responsiveness), authoritarian (high demandingness and low responsiveness), indulgent (low demandingness and high responsiveness) and neglectful (low demandingness and responsiveness). Data from Brazil (n = 550) identified in factor analysis with varimax rotation two clear and distinguished factors, corresponding to dimensions of demandingness and responsiveness. The alpha coefficients were between 0.78 and 0.92. The Portuguese version of the instrument was administrated to sample (n = 280), and the same factor analysis show four factors corresponding to four scales. The alfa coefficients are between .81 to .95. This study encourages crosscultural projects that aim to compare adolescent's vision of family education practices and outcomes. Gender differences and differences in perceived mother's and father's parenting style are also discussed.
The development of Thinking-Experiencing Affective Events Checklist for senior high school students 1Fu Jen Catholic University, Republic of China (Taiwan); 2National Taiwan Normal University, Republic of China (Taiwan); 056384@mail.fju.edu.tw056384@mail.fju.edu.tw
This study aimed to develop the Thinking-Experiencing Affective Events Checklist for senior high school students. This checklist consisted of 10 items originated from Multiple-Event Checklist (Yang, 2014) and 2 common events for Chinese students. Participants were asked to rate how often they think and experience all this 12 events on a 7-point Likert scale. Pilot study based on 317 senior high school participants excluded 2 affective events from item analysis, and EFA showed the remained 10 events could form positive and negative factors. In formal study, 324 senior high school students finished this checklist, the Beck Self Concept Inventory for Youth, and the Beck Anxiety Inventory for Youth and found following results: (1) this checklist had acceptable internal consistent reliability and CFA validity. (2) Female participants thought and experienced affective events more frequently than the males did. Moreover, the reported frequency of thinking and experiencing were similar on positive events, while the reported frequency of thinking was greater than that of experiencing on negative events. (3) Participants’ self-concept positively correlated to thinking and experiencing frequency of positive affective events. On the other hand, Participants’ anxiety negatively correlated to experiencing frequency of positive affective events, but positively correlated to thinking and experiencing frequency of negative events.
The Situationism Scale: Validation of five new language versions and investigation of regional differences within Europe 1University of Zurich, Switzerland; 2The Ohio State University, USA; 3University of Maribor, Slovenia; 4Semmelweis University, Hungary; 5VU University, The Netherlands; 6Donders Graduate School for Cognitive Neuroscience, The Netherlands; 7Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands; l.wagner@psychologie.uzh.chl.wagner@psychologie.uzh.ch
Situationism describes the belief that the environment influences one’s behavior. In the present study, we tested the validity of the recently developed Situationism Scale (Roberts et al., 2014) that measures individual differences in situationism and investigated whether young adults in Eastern and Western European countries differ in their levels of situationism. The English version of the Situationism Scale was translated into Dutch, German, Hungarian, Italian, and Slovenian. Young adults (n = 1,106) across Europe responded to one of the language versions of the scale. The survey included measures of self-control and of locus of control for examining discriminant validity and measures of situation-control strategies concerning eating and drinking behavior for examining predictive utility. Results indicated that overall: (1) the new language versions had satisfactory psychometric properties (internal consistency, factorial and discriminant validity); (2) situationism and the use of situation-control strategies for eating/drinking behavior were positively related; and (3) situationism was higher for individuals from relatively more interdependent regions (Eastern Europe), compared to individuals from relatively less interdependent regions (Western Europe). These findings suggest that individual differences in situationism can be assessed reliably and validly across European countries, and that group-based differences may be related to cultural background.
Rasch rating scale modeling of the Sociopolitical Control Scale Korea University, South Korea; soyoungkim.ems@gmail.comsoyoungkim.ems@gmail.com
The purpose of this study is to examine the psychometric properties of the Korean version of Sociopolitical Control Scale in terms of dimensionality, using response category, sample appropriateness, and reliability. The 2009 Cross Sectional Survey data was used which was surveyed by the National Youth Policy Institute. Subjects were 3350 middle school students in South Korea. Rasch analysis was applied separately on each sub-construct which were ‘Leadership competence’ and ‘Policy control’. Unidimensionality assumption was evaluated by principal component analysis. The scale was evaluated considering category characteristic curve, average measure, step difficulty, and outfit statistics, difficulty measures, item map, and separation reliability. The results showed that the Sociopolitical Control Scale is not unidimensional, so it was reasonable to apply Rasch model on each sub construct. The original number of rating scale was acceptable. The shape of Wright-map was not uniformly distributed, indicating that the level of item difficulty did not match with the level of person ability. For these reasons, it is recommended to develop more items to cover all the person location.
Psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Anxiety Sensitivity Index for Children (ASIC) University of Malaga, Spain; godoy@uma.esgodoy@uma.es
This study examined the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Anxiety Sensitivity Index for Children (ASIC; Laurent, Schmidt, Catanzaro, Joiner, & Kelley, 1998), one of the few scales assessing Anxiety Sensitivity (AS) in young people. The ASIC is a 12-item scale with four-response options (e.g. 0=not true, 3=true). A sample of 1350 students 10-18 years old participated. Confirmatory factor analyses showed that two correlated factors (fears of physical arousal and fears of mental catastrophe) fit the data better than a single factor. This two-factor structure showed metric invariance in boys and girls; and in children and adolescents. Reliability is excellent for ASIC total score and both subscales (alphas = .82 - .92. Test-retest reliability was also high (intra-class correlations .62 - .75)). Correlations with STAIC ranged from .44 to .52. Correlations with anxiety symptoms (assessed by SCAS total score) ranged from .50 to .56. ASIC scores explained a unique portion of variance of panic attack/agoraphobia scores, beyond that explained by trait anxiety (STAIC) and depression (CDI). The relationships of ASIC scores with depression (CDI) were low. ASIC total and subscale scores showed a strong bifactorial structure, excellent reliability, and adequate convergent and divergent validity.
Assessment of functioning and disability: A validity study of the BECAD battery 1Universitat Jaume I, Spain; 2Hospital La Magdalena. Spain; moro@psb.uji.esmoro@psb.uji.es
The International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) provides a useful theoretical framework for the rehabilitation of chronic diseases. However, the ICF is not an assessment tool. Since its publication in 2001, a number of assessment measures have been developed but until now, none has been comprehensive enough to cover all the constructs described in the Activities and Participation chapter of the ICF. The BECAD is a set of scales based on ICF for treatment planning and outcome assessment in rehabilitation facilities. Since the first structural studies published in 2013, additional validity analyses were carried on and are presented in this study. Participants were distributed in two clinical samples: severe mental disorder (mainly schizophrenia and bipolar disorder) (n= 110) and brain injury or stroke (n=50) and a group with participants without disability nor chronic diseases (n=60). Validity analyses consisted in comparison with other measures of disability and a battery of neuropsychological tests. The utility of the BECAD was proved in three subsamples that had received a cognitive remediation treatment. Besides, reliability analyses were performed (internal consistency).
Psychometric properties of the German validation of the Toronto Mindfulness Scale University of Zurich, Switzerland; d.pang@psychologie.uzh.chd.pang@psychologie.uzh.ch
In recent years there has been a growing interest in mindfulness “[…] to pay attention in a particular way – on purpose, to the present moment, nonjudgmentally” (Kabat-Zinn, 1994, p. 4). Despite several mindfulness scales, the Toronto Mindfulness Scale (Lau et al., 2006) is the only self-report measure, which assesses mindfulness as a state. The present study aims to investigate the psychometric properties and explore the factor structure of the German version of the TMS in a non-clinical sample. The scale was translated into German using a back-translation procedure. The sample consists of 203 participants ranging from 17 to 77 years (M = 35.4, SD = 14.3; 106 male, 97 female), who completed the questionnaire online. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with an oblique rotation (oblimin) of the 13 items was computed. The results suggested a two-factor model (curiosity and decentering), which is consistent with the initial version of the scale. Both subscales (α = .88 and .75 for curiosity and decentering respectively) and the total score (α = .87) had acceptable to good internal consistency. Findings suggest that the German version of the TMS demonstrates acceptable psychometric properties and warrant its use for assessment of state-mindfulness in future studies.
Merrymaking questionnaire, a Mediterranean conception of enjoyment: Sex-invariance approach Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain; oscar.lecuona@hotmail.comoscar.lecuona@hotmail.com
Is there a specific way to enjoy life in the Mediterranean culture? Does the Mediterranean culture a different way to approach joy? Does this specific way to live life have an effect in others life skills, culture or society? To study this, we created the merrymaking questionnaire (Merry-Q) and we validated it with a Spanish sample (n=231) as a first-step analysis for a future cross-cultural comparison. Participants were 227 women and 94 men (M(age)=24.45, SD=7.441). Each gender group had a age range of around 24 years (M=25.03, SD=7.228) and 25 years (M=26.46, SD=8.23) respectively. A 6-factor structure (informal talk, shared enjoyment, table talk, festive attitude, enjoyment at work, and carpe diem) showed good fit indices and reliability (CFI=.938, TLI=.921, RMSEA=.063, SRMR=.053; Cronbach's alpha=.86, McDonald's omega=.92). We tested the invariance in the 6-factor model, and we can assume that the Merry-Q has invariant psychometrical properties between men and woman (structural invariance). This is a great opportunity to test the Merry-Q making future cross-cultural comparisons.
Associations between cognitive decline and response quality in self-rated personality questionnaires: The PsyCoLaus study 1University of Lausanne, Switzerland; 2Lausanne University Hospital, Switzerland; marc.dupuis@unil.chmarc.dupuis@unil.ch
Our purpose of this study was to examine the associations between cognitive decline and the response quality to personality questionnaires. The study sample consisted of 415 participants aged 65 or older from the PsyCoLaus study in Lausanne who completed the NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI), the Symptom Checklist 90–revised (SCL-90-R), and various neurocognitive tests. Based on Gendre’s functional method, two indices measuring the quality of the entire set of responses were calculated for the NEO-FFI: coherence and reliability. Multiple linear regression analyses were performed to measure how much of the variance of these indices of response quality could be explained by the results of the neurocognitive tests, controlling for sociodemographics and the SCL-90-R factors. Determination coefficients ranging from 17% to 24% were measured, indicating that response quality was explained by the models. Psychiatric symptoms explained a significant proportion of the variance (10%-17%) over and above the effects of cognitive decline. The two main findings are 1) cognitive decline leads to non-negligible decreases in coherence and reliability, and 2) psychiatric symptoms have important effects on response quality in patients over 65 years. Our findings call for further research identifying populations unable to provide sufficiently valid responses to self-rated questionnaires.
The administration of the verbal comprehension subtests of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fifth Edition (WISC-V) among Malaysia Children: The analyses of the reliability and the validity of the test University of Malaya, Malaysia; aishahr@um.edu.myaishahr@um.edu.my
The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC), developed by David Wechsler, is an individually administered intelligence test for children between the ages of 6 and 16. The latest version of the WISC-V was introduced in mid-2014. The basic structure of WISC-V consist of the Verbal Comprehension (Similarities, Vocabulary, Information, and Comprehension), Visual Spatial (Block Design and Visual Puzzles), Fluid Reasoning (Matrix Reasoning, Figure Weights, Picture Concept, and Arithmetic), Working Memory (Digit Span, Picture Span, Letter, and Number Sequencing), and Processing Speed (Coding, Symbol Search, and Cancellation) (Pearson, 2014).This study will only focus on the Verbal Comprehension subscales. Since most of the intelligent test is developed in Western countries such as America, one must be careful when administering it in their own culture. However there is experience in administeing the WISC-IV, it was found that WISC-V is appropriate to be administered among Malaysian children. The instuctions of the subtest will be translated verbally in Malay when administering the subtests to the children. Thus, the study will test the reliability and the validity of the WISC-V and administering the test directly to the Malaysian children.
What has been done in reliability and validity generalization research? A systematic review 1ZPID - Leibniz Institute for Psychology Information, Germany; 2University of Trier, Germany; schroth@zpid.deschroth@zpid.de
Irrespective of other important factors, the continuous examination of validity and reliability is one essential ingredient to the high quality of psychological testing and assessment (see the guidelines of the International Test Commission, ITC, 2001). However, the vast number of validity studies and the intransparency of reliability data may provide an unclear picture of "true" test quality. The meta-analytical aggregation of validity and/or reliability studies provides one way to gain a substantial overview of existing data. Though researchers have been applying validity generalization (VG) since the late 1970s (Schmidt & Hunter, 1977), reliability generalization (RG) is a more recent methodological development (Vacha-Haase, 1998). Since to date, no paper has been published that summarizes studies in VG and RG research, we present a comprehensive overview of investigated instruments. Therefore we conducted a systematic literature search using PsycINFO, PSYNDEX, MEDLINE, Eric and Web of Science. All papers using meta-analytic techniques, measuring psychological aspects and published in German, English or Spanish were included. For RG this resulted in 78, for VG in 92 instruments. The results reveal differences in analyzed instruments between VG and RG, as well as a substantial lack of German-authored research in both research fields.
Validation of the German version of the Strengths Use Scale 1Medical University of Innsbruck, Austria; 2Leopold Franzens University Innsbruck, Austria; 3University of Western Australia, Australia; 4Health and Life Sciences University, Austria; alexandra.huber@i-med.ac.atalexandra.huber@i-med.ac.at
Theoretical perspectives in positive psychology have focused equally on possessing and using human strengths. However, due to the lack of appropriate psychometric scales in measuring the use of strengths, most studies simply concentrate on having them. Therefore, this study aims to determine the psychometric properties of the German version of the Strengths Use Scale in two distinct samples (n1 = 97; 63 females, 34 males; mean age 34.0±16.4; n2 = 265; 191 females, 74 males ;mean age 25.4±7.2). Factorial validity confirmed a single-factor structure with high internal consistency (study 1: exploratory, 55.5% variance explained, factor loadings from .59 to .85, Cronbachs Alpha = .94; study 2: confirmatory, 61.2% variance explained, factor loadings from .63 to .88, Cronbachs Alpha = .96). Preliminary expected relationships were found between strengths use and positive affect (r = .56), self-esteem (r = .75), vitality (r = .70), and perceived stress (r = -.67) indicating a good convergent validity. The German version of the Strengths Use Scale presents a valid and reliable representation of the original English language version, allowing an extension to new cultural settings.
The use of implicit measures to study the dissociation of cognitive and affective Theory of Mind in oppositional defiant preschoolers. Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Spain; nuria.delaosa@uab.catnuria.delaosa@uab.cat
Assessing preschoolers is a challenging task. The goal of the present study was to examine affective-cognitive dissociation in Theory of Mind (ToM) in a community sample of preschool children, and more specifically in a sample of preschool children diagnosed with Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) by means of a computerized implicit measure. Data was collected from a sample of 538 five-year-old children, forty of who were diagnosed with DSM-IV Oppositional Defiant Disorder. Structured diagnostic interviews and dimensional measures of psychopathology, impairment, and unemotional traits were further used to establish clinical state. An implicit and intuitive measure of ToM, based on eye-gaze (YONI) was used to assess cognitive and affective ToM. Mixed analysis of variance (ANOVA) compared the mean cognitive versus affective scale scores obtained through (YONI), and the between-subjects factor ODD (present vs. absent). Partial correlations evaluated the association between YONI-scores and the other clinical measures. Results indicate that YONI is a useful measure to detect ODD children differential reaction times when performing the affective metalizing condition. Furthermore, correlation analysis indicated that distinct impaired ToM aspects correlated with different clinical indicators. These results highlight the possibility of highlighting very young children in the assessment process. This allows for getting specific information to design appropriate interventions.
Intelligence and personality traits as predictors of correctional officers’ performance in The Estonian Academy of Security Sciences 1Estonian Academy of Security Sciences, Estonia; 2University of Tartu, Estonia; aire.mill@sisekaitse.eeaire.mill@sisekaitse.ee
The nature and demands of correctional work require the tolerance of higher psychological strain and work-related stress. The main goal of this study was to examine the predictive validity of intelligence and personality traits in predicting performance of correctional officer cadets in The Estonian Academy of Security Sciences. The sample consisted of 273 cadets (74 females, 199 males), who completed two measures during admission procedure: the Personality Inventory NEO-TRI consisting of five personality domains (Emotional Stability, Extraversion, Openness, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and 15 subscales) and the Mental Abilities Scale VVS to measure verbal, numerical and visuo-spatial abilities, both measures are developed by Tripod. The academic success was defined by the grade point average during the studies and the success of final examination. Also, the age, gender, and grade points obtained at college were taken into account. The results demonstrated that the spatial ability and conscientiousness together with higher grade point average in college, higher age, and female gender are important predictors of academic success among correctional officer cadets. In addition, as there are broad spectrum of subjects during correctional studies (juridical as well as practical skills), the links of intelligence and personality traits with academic success tend to be more subject-specific.
Spillover processes between work and family 1University of Fribourg, Switzerland; 2Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany; sebastian.siegler@unifr.chsebastian.siegler@unifr.ch
Affective spillover from work to family is established from earlier studies, but less is known about the spillover from family to work. According to research on work-family boundary dynamics (see Allen, Cho, & Meier, 2013), the two life domains are differentially permeable, implying that the spillover effect is more pronounced in one direction than the other. We analyzed these competing spillover effects between work and family with a bivariate model. Since organizational scholars have increasingly emphasized the role of time in building theory (e.g., Shipp & Cole, 2014), we additionally examined the temporal dynamics (e.g., duration, peak of effect size) of these spillover effects. Using data from a time-sampling study with dual-earner parents (n = 56 couples) who rated their momentary affect seven times a day for seven days, we studied spillover effects by means of continuous time structural equation modeling. As expected, the affective spillover from work to family was stronger than from family to work, both for men and women. We conclude that the permeability of the two life domains differs and identify the family domain as being more susceptible in terms of affective spillover.
Internal consistency of biosignals induced by emotions over stimuli and times 1Electronics and Telecommunication Research Institute, South Korea; 2Chungnam National University, South Korea; shk1028@etri.re.krshk1028@etri.re.kr
In Human-Computer Interaction. HCI, many studies have done acquisition of biosignals for emotion recognition, but biosignals by various emotions are stable remains unknown. In this study, we examined reliability of biosignals induced by emotional stimuli (provoking happiness, sadness, anger, fear, disgust, and surprise) over 10 experimental sessions. For emotion induction during 10 sessions, we measured twelve participants’ biosignals before the presentation of stimuli as baseline and during, as they watched sixty different emotional stimuli (6 emotions * 10 sessions), which are selected by pilot study as emotional condition. The measured signals were skin conductance level (SCL), mean skin temperature (SKT), heart rate (HR), and mean photoplethysmograph (PPG). Participants rated their experienced emotions on self-report scale. Result by internal consistency showed that biosignals induced by emotional stimuli were reliable over the 10 sessions. In particular, we identified that biosignals such as SCL, HR, and PPG are very reliable. We suggest that biosignals induced by six emotions are reliable regardless various stimuli and time. This means that biosignals are the reliable and useful tool for emotion recognition. These results can be useful in developing an emotion theory, or profiling emotion-specific autonomic responses, as well as establishing the basis for emotion recognition system in HCI.
The assessment of axiological factor opens to change in values’ becoming: Cross-cultural comparison Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Ukraine; rslv2002@mail.rurslv2002@mail.ru
This study makes use of PVQ (Schwartz, 1994; 2001) to examine psychometric properties of Openness to Change (OC) factor in large student sample from Romania (n = 183) and Ukraine (n = 200). An additional purpose is to examine value differences across cultures by applying one-factor model focused on OC as salient process of values becoming. Results support for the generalizability of the one-factor model on OC values in Ukraine and Romania. Two separate models were tested in the Romanian and Ukrainian groups, respectively. Models showed a very good fit. The CFA model estimated via SEM and was analyzed for the Romanian data set χ²(14, n = 382) = 26.03, p = .026, CFI = .939, RMSEA = .069) and for the Ukraine data set χ²(13, n = 382) = 25.91, p = .017, CFI = .929, RMSEA = .07 1) separately. The associations of self-direction and stimulation item loadings within both groups were all statistically significant. The results showed a consistent relation between factor loadings for OC one-factor model. The results support the path models for both samples testing two separate models in the Romanian and Ukrainian groups, respectively. The results of the models fit statistics were largely satisfactory, CFA model showed the item loadings of self-direction and stimulation within both groups were all statistically significant.
Tests of strategy knowledge: Theoretical problems and need for further research University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany; florian.buchwald@uni-due.deflorian.buchwald@uni-due.de
Tests of strategy knowledge are used with increasing frequency in educational psychology and science education (e.g. Artelt, Beinicke, Schlagmüller, & Schneider, 2009; Artelt, Neuenhaus, Lingel, & Schneider, 2012; Lingel, Götz, Artelt, & Schneider, 2014; Scherer & Tiemann, 2012; Schlagmüller & Schneider, 2007; Schlagmüller, Visé, & Schneider, 2001; Shahat, Ohle, Treagust, & Fischer, 2013; Thillmann, 2007). However, potential problems concerning the validity, the test construction, or the scoring methods are seldom reported or investigated. The tests of strategy knowledge that are discussed consist of a short scenario description followed by a limited number of action possibilities (strategies) that are rated on a Likert Scale. The theoretical poster will sketch the typical construction process of tests of strategy knowledge, illustrate some potential problematic measurement aspects (concerning, among others, expert ratings, equivalence of strategies, scoring in case of non-serious answering, little differentiation of the answer quality between test takers, testlet effects), and give a short outlook on possible ways to study these potential problems empirically.
Professional Profile 2: A personality at work questionnaire developed using IRT 1Central Test, France; 2Université de Paris 8, France; 3People Portfolio Measurement Ltd., UK; celine.jouffray@centraltest.comceline.jouffray@centraltest.com
The personality questionnaire, Professional Profile 2, is a 112 forced-choice questionnaire that analyzes a candidate's preferences and motivations at work on 14 fundamental opposing dimensions of the human character (e.g. introversion - extraversion). The aim of this poster is to present its development. Despite the distorted construct validity and relative rather than absolute scores resulting from the classical scoring of forced-choice questionnaire, this format is appreciated in psychological assessment industry as it allows to reduce the impact of social desirability in recruitment context. To overcome these limitations, we used the Thurstonian IRT model, developed by Brown, & Maydeu-Olivares (2013) to solve the problem of ipsativity in forced-choice questionnaire. Throughout several pretests, the structure of the scale as well as the power of items were analysed. Items were retained if their R2 and factor loading were significant. Non-significant items were modified until at least one indicator was significant and the goodness of fit indicator showed a good convergence of the model. The final validation study was done with 345 American, 378 English and 849 French professionals for the English and French version, respectively.
Screening for personality disorders among Albanian and Kosovo students 1Mental Health Center Prizren, Kosovo; 2European University of Tirana, Albania; 3European Center for Vocational Education “QEAP-Heimerer”, Kosovo; naimfanaj@gmail.comnaimfanaj@gmail.com
Brief screening instruments for personality disorders (PD)s could potentially have great value in community settings. Self-reports continue to be the most widely used in the assessment of PDs, although they are prone to criticism because they grossly over-diagnose. Research on personality disorders in Kosovo and Albania is quite scarce. This is a correlational study assessing relationships between demographic characteristics (age, gender) and PD . Participants were 317 randomly selected students between 18 and 44 years old (M=24.01; SD=5.10); 154 from Kosovo and 163 from Albania;there were 188 girls and 129 boys. Participants filled out the IIP-PD-25 questionnaire (Pilkonis et al.; 1996). Results indicated that 57.1% (Albania) and 54.6% (Kosovo) of participants resulted with Personality Disorder definite score. Age (youngest) showed significant positive correlation only for the Albanian sample students (r=.192, p<.01). Mann-Whitney U test did not find statistically significant differences on the PD screen index based on gender in the both samples; also there were no differences in PD index in Albanian and Kosovo samples. Personality disorders often cause problems for others and pose a great social cost; early screening, identification and treatment represents a highly valued public health topic to be addressed.
Assessment of depression in patients with Diabetes Mellitus (DM): Impact in glycemic control, distress, adherence to treatment and complications associated with diabetes 1Universidad de Málaga, Spain; 2Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), Spain; 3Hospital Regional Universitario de Málaga, Spain; 4Spanish Biomedical Research Centre in Diabetes and Associated Metabolic Disorders, Spain; anarte@uma.esanarte@uma.es
The prevalence of depression is higher in people with diabetes mellitus (DM) than without it. Depression has negative effects on the health of these patients. The objectives of this study were as follows: To study the effects of depression in patients with DM in glycemic control, complications associated with diabetes, diabetes-related emotional distress, and adherence. The sample consisted of 375 patients (DM1= 259; DM2= 116) of the Diabetes Unit, Department of Endocrinology and Nutrition, University Regional Hospital of Malaga (Spain), and the Diabetic Association “La Sierra”, Córdoba (Spain). Parametric and nonparametric tests were used. Patients with type 1 diabetes and depression had significantly higher HbA1c levels than patients without depression. On the other hand, patients with diabetes (type 1 and type 2) who suffered complications had higher depressive symptoms than those who did not suffer complications. Patients with diabetes (type 1 or 2) and depression had higher distress than patients without depression. Finally, adherence to treatment was lower in patients with diabetes and depression. These data highlight the importance of depression in DM, and show that it is necessary to conduct a program that includes the diagnosis and treatment of depression in patients with DM.
Power analysis of structural equation modeling in testing measurement invariance National Cheng Kung University, Republic of China (Taiwan); cpcheng.psy@gmail.comcpcheng.psy@gmail.com
Testing measurement invariance plays a crucial role in developing a valid and fair instrument. Typically, in a study to test measurement invariance, if we fail to find significant result, we conclude the scale is measurement invariant. However, if the power to test measurement invariance is low, it may be invalid to achieve such conclusion due to type II error. In the study, we proposed a power analysis procedure for testing measurement invariance. Based on Satorra (1999), given sample size, if values of parameters under alternative hypotheses are known, non-central parameter can be obtained and then the power of likelihood ratio test can be determined approximately. The procedure can be also applied to determine adequate sample size in a study to test measurement invariance with desired power. The above procedure is demonstrated using a large dataset consisting of 5051 junior high school students’ responses on the center for epidemiologic studies depression scale. Additonally, we re-sample several samples with different combination of sample sizes of male and female students are drawn from the above dataset so that empirical powers are estimated. Empirical powers and the powers calculated by the proposed procedure are then compared to validate the procedure.
The usability of the model of experience processing in personality organisation assessment Adam Mickiewicz University, Poland; soroko@amu.edu.plsoroko@amu.edu.pl
General model of emotional experience processing presented by Baker and co-workers refers to the manifestations of processing and encompasses (1) an event leading to the emotional arousal, (2) full emotional experience and (3) its expression together with regulatory strategies. The possible supplement of this model consists in the referral to the deeper processing mechanisms, namely structure of the emotional-relational representation and processes connected with it. Two different approaches of the intrapsychic aspects of processing are offered here: the psychoanalytic model of the referential cycles (authored by Bucci), and the narrative experience processing (Angus and colleagues). Both approaches indicate important manifestations of the emotional experience processing in patient’s speech as well as underlaying stages and mechanisms, as the activation of mental representations, articulation of emotional experience, reflection or emotional regulation. The broadened model of emotional experience processing is discussed in the context of the Kernberg’s model of personality organisation and supported by the authors’ own and other empirical studies. The regularities and disruptions of experience processing are depicted and reviewed and some practical remarks about usability of the model in borderline personality organisation diagnosis are made.
Adaptation of Troyer Level of Consciousness Inventory (TLOCI) in Poland Adam Mickiewicz University, Poland; aslysz@amu.edu.plaslysz@amu.edu.pl
The Troyer Level of Consciousness Inventory (TLOCI) (Troyer, 2008) is an introspective, subjective, self-report instrument that falls within the Higher-order thought theory (HOT). Psychometric properties of the TLOCI were analysed on a Polish sample of 158 subjects. The TLOCI was first translated into Polish, and then its psychometric properties were examined. The obtained results suggest that this version of the scale is a reliable measure of the level of consciousness although the Polish version has lower Cronbach’s alphas than the original version. The construct validity of the TLOCI was tested using a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The Polish version of the questionnaire consisting of 23 items and 5 subscales (Meta Self-Awareness, Reflection, Openness, and Helping Others) was prepared for future research.
The scale development of Taiwanese workplace bullying 1Fu Jen Catholic University, Republic of China (Taiwan); 2National Defense University, Republic of China (Taiwan); 3National Taiwan Normal University, Republic of China (Taiwan); yaonan1208@livemail.twyaonan1208@livemail.tw
“Workplace bullying” refers to situations where an employee is persistently exposed to negative behaviors or attitudes in the workplace, with the effect of being humiliated, intimidated, frightened, or punished. Workplace bullying behaviors always make negative organizational atmosphere and low productivity. However, there are few studies discussing the above issues. Furthermore, because of the culture differences, the definitions and perceptions of workplace bullying are not consistent in both Western and Asian organizations. According to the above descriptions, the purpose of this study is to build the Taiwanese workplace bullying scale. A series of interviews and quantitative analysis were used to find the dimensions of Taiwanese workplace bullying behaviors. Depending on the exploratory factor analysis, and item-to-response ratio, and correlation analysis, a 24-item scale was developed. It consists of the following four dimensions: personal bullying, physical bullying, interpersonal relationship bullying, and job content bullying. The Cronbach's α of the scale is .93, and subscale ranges from .76 to .90. After the confirmatory factor analysis, the results showed the above scale has stable construct validity. Also, it has appropriate convergent and discriminate validity. Finally, this study found that there is cultural differences in the concepts of workplace bullying behaviors.
Development and psychometric validation of the Resilience to Bipolar Disorder (RBD) questionnaire 1University of Deusto, Spain; 2Santiago Apostol Hospital, Spain; 3Lancaster University, England; a.echezarraga@deusto.esa.echezarraga@deusto.es
The study aims to describe the development of the Resilience to Bipolar Disorder (RBD) questionnaire and to test its preliminary psychometric properties. These properties - Cronbach's α, convergent validity and sensitivity - in a diverse sample consisting of a Bipolar Disorder (BD) sample and a sample from the general population (GP), using the RBD and the Resilience Scale-25 (RS-25; Las Hayas et al., 2014). The content of the RBD was developed after qualitative interviews with BD patients and clinicians. Based on its results, a 41-item RBD questionnaire was developed and completed by 113 participants with BD (69 women and 44 men; mean age = 45.48; SD = 10.65) and by 71 participants from the general population (55 women and 16 men; mean age = 36.46; SD = 11.11). RBD's reliability (Cronbach's α = .93) and convergent validity - with the RS-25 - (r = .65, p < .001) were supported. Both RBD (MBD = 158.34; SD = 23.28 vs. MGP =162.01; SD = 18.60; p < .01) and RS-25 (MBD = 126.75; SD = 28.56 vs MGP = 144.70; SD = 20.60; p ≤ .001) presented lower scores in resilience for BD sample than for the general population sample. RBD is a reliable and valid measure of resilience in BD. Future studies should explore further its psychometric properties.
The 20-item IPIP scale for personality assessment – Factorial structure study 1Constantine the Philospher University, Slovak Republic; 2Bratislava, Slovak Republic; tsollar@ukf.sktsollar@ukf.sk
The aim of this study is to examine/verify factorial structure of the Slovak version of 20-item short personality scale using the Big-Five Factor Markers from the International Personality Item Pool, measuring Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Emotional stability, and Intellect/Imagination. Data from two samples were used and factorial invariance was tested among these subsamples. The first sample consisted of 306 high school students aged 16-19 (145 male, 161 females; M age = 17.2, SD age = 0.85), the second sample consisted of 534 adult patients aged 18-83 with various diagnoses (291 male, 243 female; M age = 56.53, SD age = 15.96). To address the objectives exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis were used. The results for both samples suggest that the scale has a five-factor structure. Factors correlate only weakly. Minor differences among the sample samples are discussed. The results show promising validity of Slovak version of 20-item IPIP scale for quick assessment of personality in various settings.
Personality typology: A multi-model and multi-questionnaire study 1Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University, Poland; 2Universität Zürich, Switzerland; n.cybis@uksw.edu.pln.cybis@uksw.edu.pl
In recent years, researchers have adapted the concept of ego resiliency and ego control (Block & Block, 1980) to describe personality types based on Big Five personality traits (eg Asendorpf et al., 2001). A number of studies point to the repeatability of three types: resilient, undercontrolled, and overcontrolled, although some suggest the presence of four (Barbaranelli, 2002) or five types (eg Sava & Popa, 2011). We applied two-step cluster analysis (Ward’s method followed by k-means analysis) with double cross-validation procedure, as proposed by Asendorpf et al. (2001), to identify the number of personality types in four studies conducted on total of over 3,700 participants (aged 16 - 83; M = 30,8; SD = 12,6; 1961 women and 1739 men). Personality questionnaires included in the study are NEO-PI-R (Costa & McCrae, 1992; Polish adaptation: Siuta, 2006) NEO-FFI (Costa & McCrae, 1992; Polish adaptation: Zawadzki et al., 1998), and Polish adaptations of IPIP-BFM-50 (Goldberg, 1999), BFI (John & Srivastava, 1999), IPIP-45AB5C (Goldberg, 1999), FFPI (Hendricks et al., 1999), BFAS (DeYoung et al., 2007), BFQ (Caprara et al., 1993), TIPI (Gosling et al., 2003), and IPIP-HEXACO (Ashton et. al., 2006) by Strus, Cieciuch, & Rowiński (2011-2014). Obtained cluster solutions are compared in this presentation.
Applying semiparametric models to the analysis of parental child care selection University of South Carolina, USA; sherlocp@mailbox.sc.edusherlocp@mailbox.sc.edu
The psychological sciences can benefit from the application of alternative modeling strategies to help understand complex issues such as behavior, selection, and personality. One such model, the semiparametric multinomial logit model, is of particular interest because it can be used to investigate categorical outcomes as a function of smooth effects associated with continuous covariates. These models may be useful in the social sciences because they allow researchers the opportunity to delve deeper into how people’s traits and characteristics influence their behavior beyond what is typically possible with parametric models. This poster will provide the key features of semiparametric multinomial logit models to show how they may benefit psychologists and researchers. To facilitate learning, an empirical example will be presented to illustrate how this model may be used with a study of low-income families’ choices of child care quality. Continuous and categorical covariates that pertain to key factors thought to be associated with access to child care will be investigated. Modeling continuous covariates with penalized splines will provide valuable insight into the non-linear nature of these effects. Semiparametric models will be compared to their parametric counterparts and evaluated based on predictive performance.
Test of Memory Malingering (TOMM): Normative data for the Latin American adult population 1University of Deusto, Spain; 2Servicio Médico Legal, Chile; 3Universidad de Guadalajara, Mexico; 4Universidad Surcolombiana, Colombia; 5Universidad Javeriana, Colombia; 6Virginia Commonwealth University, USA; 7IKERBASQUE. Basque Foundation for Science, Spain; dfriverac@deusto.esdfriverac@deusto.es
The objective of this study was to generate the first and most comprehensive demographic-adjusted norms for the Test of Memory Malingering (TOMM) in Latin-American adult population. The sample consisted of 3376 healthy adult participants from 7 countries in Latin-American representing the demographic distribution of the population. Inclusion criteria were to have a Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score of≥23, have a Patient Health Questionnaire–9 (depression) score of≤4, and have a Barthel Index of≥90. 2053 were women and 1323 were men; the average age was 55.0±19.5 years (range 18-90), and the average duration of education was 10.1±5.1 years. Participants completed the TOMM. Pearson correlation coefficient and coefficient of determination showed significant effect between TOMM scores and MMSE, age, and education (r-squared -0.257 to 0.329; p’s<.001). Multinomial logistic regression yielded main effects for age and education groups on the Test TOMM scores (r-square Cox & Snell>.141, p’s<.001). Consequently, correction tables were created in order to adjust the raw scores based on age and education. The percentiles tables were calculated based on the distribution of adjusted scores. This study is the first to create TOMM norms in the Latin-American population and include appropriate adjustments for age and education. These data represent a critical advancement in the assessment in Latin-American adults.
Nuances of flow in work and cross-cultural adaptation of the Flow State Scale at work among Spanish speakers Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain; egarciasalamanca@gmail.comegarciasalamanca@gmail.com
Flow is defined as a state of optimal experience with a deep creative enjoyment, full concentration, and absorption, and it's associated to personal growth and well-being. The Flow State Scale (FSS) was developed based on Csikszentmihaly’s theory (1990). Nevertheless, recent research has highlighted the need for further understanding of flow, while also taking into account other areas of personal development. The present study aims to provide further information about the flow construct structure as well as adapt and validate the FSS to a work context in cross-cultural settings. The FSS-W was applied in two different Spanish-speaking samples of workers (N(Spain)= 246; N(Mexico)= 217). Confirmatory Factor Analysis indicates that a structure of 9 first-order factors within 2 second-order factors (Precursors of flow and Flow experience) shows a better model fit for both Mexican (NFI = .951; GFI = .960; SRMR = .072) and Spanish samples (NFI = .974; GFI = .978; SRMR = .065). Moreover, invariance tests between both samples indicate no significant differences in measurement, structural weights, and structural covariances (ΔNFI < .010). In conclusion, the present work provides additional support for a new theoretical understanding of flow according to prior discussions and offers the FSS-W as a reliable instrument to assess flow in a work context among Spanish-speaking countries.
The development of insightful Remote Association Test in Chinese version 1Hsuan Chuang University, Republic of China (Taiwan); 2National Taiwan Normal University, Republic of China (Taiwan); 3National Cheng Kung University, Republic of China (Taiwan); chcjyh@ntnu.edu.twchcjyh@ntnu.edu.tw
Creativity, a process of connecting useful, unusual, and original ideas together, is positively associated with an individual’s ability to link different concepts, namely remote association. The Remote Association Test (RAT), developed by Medinick (1962), is the most commonly used creativity measurement. Moreover, prior research on problem-solving has shown that RAT shares the same characteristics with insight problems: encounter impasse and escape fixation. However, there exists no Chinese version of such insightful measurement. The present study aims to develop a Chinese version of RAT. We created 108 items with characteristics of insight problem. For each item, three Chinese words are presented simultaneously. First two words belong to the same sematic category (e.g., “NURSE” and “DOCTOR” are both related with the concept hospital), while the third word (e.g., “ENGINEER”) is far from that concept. An individual needs to come up with one word which is semantically related to the three presented words (in this case, the answer is “OCCUPATION.”). We recruited 184 college students and analyzed their responses for item difficulty and discrimination. Sixty items were selected to be formal testing items. The results suggest that our Chinese version of RAT has good reliability and validity.
The Portugese versions of the Postpartum Depression Screening Scale- reliability, validity, and screening accuracy at the twelfth month postpartum 1Universitity of Coimbra, Portugal; 2The Catholic University of Portugal, Portugal; apereira@gmail.comapereira@gmail.com
Although perinatal depression includes episodes occurring from pregnancy to the twelfth month postpartum, the Portuguese versions of the Postpartum Depression Screening Scale (PDSS) were only validated to use in pregnancy and until the third month. The aim of this study was to analyse the PDSS psychometric and operative properties at the twelfth month postpartum. Participants were 272 women (mean age=30.52±4.014 years) in the twelfth month post-partum. All women completed PDSS and were interviewed using the Diagnostic Interview for Genetic Studies. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis was applied (using MedCalc) to determine cut-off points and associated conditional probabilities adjusted to the prevalence. PDSS-35, PDSS-21 and PDSS-7 Cronbach alphas were .94, .90 and .78, respectively. The PDSS scores highly and significantly correlated with the Beck Depression Inventory-II (Beck et al., 1996) total score (r=.75; r=.75; r=.76). For major depression (prevalence 2.6%), PDSS-35 cut-off point>60, resulted in sensitivity 100%, specificity 87.45%, positive predictive value (PPV) 17.54% and negative predictive value (NPV) 100%; PDSS-21>35: sensitivity 100%, specificity 87.83%, PPV 17.99% and NPV 100%; PDSS-7>9: sensitivity 100%, specificity 71.86%, PPV 8.66% and NPV 100%. At the twelfth month postpartum all the PDSS versions revealed excellent reliability and concurrent validity and adequate screening ability.
Quality criteria of psychological reports: Development and initial assessment of a checklist University of Zurich, Switzerland; andreas_hausherr@access.uzh.chandreas_hausherr@access.uzh.ch
Writing psychological reports is one of the core competencies of professionals working in practice, it is also an important aspect in the education of future professionals in the field of assessment. Based on numerous sources (i.e. guidelines provided by professional societies or authors of text books data collection and ongoing analysis) we derived a list of 136 quality criteria (divided into 11 content areas) for a psychological report. The list focuses on all aspects of reports starting from the title page to the appendix and also includes criteria on how results from assessments should be reported or more formal aspects such as the correct use of tense in all parts of the report. We provide an overview on the checklist and report initial findings of the application of the checklist in a sample of > 80 reports written by students and > 30 reports written by practitioners . Analyses of the frequency of typical mistakes in all parts of the report, but also comparisons between students and practitioners will be reported. We expect that the checklist can be used for practical purposes to ensure the quality of reports written in practice (as a kind of reference), but also in educational settings in courses on the topic.
Assessment and diagnosis of depression in Spanish primary care services. The psychometric properties of the PHQ-9 using the SCID-I in the PsicAP Project. 1University of Valencia, Spain; 2University of Madrid, Spain; 3Spanish Council of Psychologists, Spain; roger.munoz@uv.esroger.munoz@uv.es
There is a strong demand on Spanish Primary Care (PC) services due to emotional disorders (ED), such as anxiety and mood disorders, which are poorly detected and barely attended with adequate treatment. The PHQ-9 is the module of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) used to diagnose depression based on the DSM-IV criteria for major depressive disorder (MDD). The SCID-I is a structured diagnostic interview based on DSM-IV criteria. Our aim was to study the validity of the PHQ-9 to detect depression, using the SCID-I as a reference standard. 178 patients completed the PHQ-9 and trained psychologists applied the SCID-I to them. Statistical analyses were performed to find out the psychometric properties of the PHQ-9, such as sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, and likelihood ratios. The screening test characteristics using a cut-off of 10 were: sensitivity = .95 and specificity = .67; the diagnostic test characteristics were better, with a sensitivity of .88, and specificity of .80. The PHQ-9 correctly identified the presence of MDD but found a considerable amount of false positives with a cut-off of 10. In turn, the PHQ-9 as a diagnostic tool, showed better psychometric properties. The PHQ-9 is a useful instrument to be used in Spanish PC services to detect depression.
Valid measures for assessing the efficacy of a psychoeducational intervention for first episode psychosis: What and when to assess? 1Clinic Hospital, Valencia, Spain; 2University Hospital of Álava (Santiago Apóstol), Spain; 3CIBERSAM, Spain; esterlorente@hotmail.comesterlorente@hotmail.com
Valid results from psychoeducational interventions in psychosis could be either improvement of functioning and/or symptoms (both positive and negative) and/or prevention of relapses. In this single-blind randomized clinical trial we included 32 patients with first episode psychosis, who were randomly assigned to either a control group with pharmacotherapy and regular sessions with their psychiatrist (treatment as usual) (n = 18) or an intervention group with integrated care including treatment as usual plus a 16 sessions of psychoeducational intervention (n= 14). Patients were evaluated with a battery of tests assessing clinical (Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale), and functional measures (Global Assessment of Functioning Scale, Functioning Assessment Short Test) at baseline and post-treatment. We found no significant differences in positive or negative symptoms, or in functioning between patients who received psychoeducational intervention and those who didn't. We conclude that short term clinical and functional measures could be not sensitive for assessing the efficacy of an individual psychoeducational intervention in first episode psychosis. Medium-long term outcomes, including data on relapse prevention would probably be more appropriated measures.
Assessing orientations to happiness in self- and peer-ratings: Testing relations with coping strategies and perceived work stress 1University of Applied Sciences of Special Needs Education, Switzerland; 2University of Zurich, Switzerland; annette.krauss@hfh.channette.krauss@hfh.ch
In his Authentic Happiness-theory, Seligman (2002) proposes three basic orientations to happiness; a life of pleasure (via hedonism), engagement (via flow-related experiences), and meaning (via eudaimonia). There is broad literature supporting their positive relation with numerous indicators of positive psychological functioning. The main aim of this study was testing (a) the overlap of self- and peer-rated orientations to happiness; (b) their relationship with self- and peer-rated coping strategies with stress; and (c) their relations with self-rated work stress. Using samples of self- (n=373; M=38.8, SD=10.8; 225 female and 148 male) and peer-ratings (n=101; M=39.8, SD=11.2; 62 female and 34 male) we found good convergence between the homologous scales; from r=.33-.48. Furthermore, positive associations between self- and peer-rated orientations to happiness and adaptive coping strategies with stress were found (e.g., r=.32-.37 for the self ratings and coefficients between r=.19-.22 for the peer-ratings). The three orientations explained 21% of the variance of the adaptive coping strategies with stress. In addition, self-rated life of pleasure was related negatively to self-rated work stress (r=-.24). The results indicate that the orientations to happiness are of importance in dealing with and experiencing of work stress.
A joint factor analysis of 17 playfulness instruments as a starting point for the development of a new measure? Some problems and considerations University of Zurich, Switzerland; nicole.jehle@uzh.chnicole.jehle@uzh.ch
There is no agreement about the definition of adult playfulness and different operationalizations that exist in literature. Additionally, there is a discussion about the dimensionality of this personality trait. The main aim of this study was testing the structure of adult playfulness using a joint factor analysis of 17 questionnaires and to explore the usefulness of this solution for the development of a new questionnaire. The initial set of 321 items was screened for redundancies and this led to a reduced set of 160 items. These were given to a sample of 237 adults (M = 41.0, SD = 12.9). We conducted a hierarchical factor analysis (as described in Goldberg, 2006) and found best fit of the data for a five-factor solution; i.e., Humorousness; Cheerful-Uninhibitedness; Expressiveness; Intellectuality-Creativity; and Other-directed. When testing the overlap of this solution with the big five personality traits (assessed with the Inventory of Minimal Redundant Scales; Ostendorf, 1990), we found strong overlap of two of the factors (i.e., Cheerfulness–Uninhibitedness and Expressiveness) with mainly extraversion, but also emotional stability. Hence, deriving a new structural model of adult playfulness from this analysis seems problematic, and other strategies seem more preferable.
Testing the relationship between the sense of humour and loneliness of older people in Romania National University of Political Studies and Public Administration, Romania; loredana.ivan@comunicare.roloredana.ivan@comunicare.ro
Previous research has found relevant differences between older and young people in the way the use humor in daily life activities. While several studies found that older people enjoy humor more than younger ones (Greengross, 2013), other studies found that older people laugh more rarely and less easily (Ruch, Proyer, & Weber, 2009) and the show less appreciation for everyday humor (Proyer, Ruch, & Müller, 2009). In the current study we investigate the relationship between the sense of humor and perceived social and emotional loneliness, using a sample (n = 86) of people over 65 years, from Bucharest, Romania. First, we validate the Multidimensional Sense of Humor Scale (Thorson & Powell, 1991) and the Social and Emotional Loneliness Scale for Adults (diTomaso, Brannen, & Best, 2004) on elders (65 years and above) in Romania and then we analyse the relationship between the two concepts on the target group. The results show that self-rated sense of humor, particularly the use of humor in social interactions could be negative related with the feelings of social loneliness. We discuss the results by taking into account the role of humor as a mechanism of coping in social interactions.
Validating a scale to measure career distress in young adults: A Rasch analysis Griffith University, Australia; p.creed@griffith.edu.aup.creed@griffith.edu.au
Career distress reflects negative feelings towards the career decision-making process, including anxiety, depression, avoidance, and procrastination (Larson et al., 1994). Numerous abbreviated versions (8-14 items) of the 21-item Subjective Career Distress and Obstacles Scale (Larson et al., 1994) have been used to assess career distress in young adults, but these brief versions have not been evaluated. We assessed the 12 highest loading items from the factor analysis reported by the scale developers, which were the items that met the “practical significance” criterion (i.e., factor loadings > + .50; Black et al., 1992). We used RUMM 2030 (Andrich et al., 2010) to conduct a Rasch analysis and assess model and item fit, response format, differential item functioning (DIF), and person separation (using 232 young adults: 158 female, 74 males; mean age 20.5 years). One item had significant misfit and was removed. The remaining 11 showed good person separation, little disordering of the thresholds, and no evidence of DIF. Residual analysis supported unidimensionality. Finally, the 11-item scale was associated negatively with positive affect (r = -.37) and positively with negative affect (r = .46), further supporting validity. The results support using these 11 items as a brief measure of subjective career distress.
The subjective quality of environmental conditions in different life domains and satisfaction with these domains: Assessment and malleability University of Zurich, Switzerland; f.gander@psychologie.uzh.chf.gander@psychologie.uzh.ch
Previous studies have confirmed the effectiveness of Internet-based positive psychology interventions for increasing well-being. However most of these studies do not consider different life domains and also do not distinguish between the satisfaction with and the perceived quality of environmental conditions in these domains. We aim at testing the effects of a well-established intervention on the satisfaction with four different life domains (i.e., work, leisure, social life, and health), and a score for general satisfaction; and examining whether the perceived quality of the environmental conditions in these domains is also affected (a sample item is “regardless of your satisfaction with work, how would you rate the environmental conditions at work?”). We randomly assigned 264 participants to an intervention condition (i.e., “Three good things”), or a placebo control condition. Participants conducted the assigned exercise for seven consecutive days. We assessed the satisfaction with, and the perceived quality of the conditions in different domains before the intervention, and after one, three, and six months. Results showed that the intervention lead to an increase in the overall satisfaction and the satisfaction with work, whereas the discrepancy between the satisfaction and perceived quality of conditions decreased. Potential implications and applications are discussed.
The construction and validation of an elementary and secondary Teacher Professional Development Inventory 1New Taipei Municipal Taishan Senior High School, Republic of China (Taiwan); 2Fu Fen Catholic University, Republic of China (Taiwan); ccyang@mail.fju.edu.twccyang@mail.fju.edu.tw
The professional development of teacher is an essential issue for education. This study aim to develop and validate a Teacher Professional Development Scale (TPDS) to help schools understand teachers’ professional development better. Based on school knowledge management framework (Zhao, 2010), our TPDS measures four factors. These factores are the are motivation for professional development, professional enhancement, application of professional development, and enthusiasm for and attitude toward education. 466 teachers from public senior high school and elementary in Taiwan were surveyed in this study. We conducted reliability and validity of TPDS by both exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, cronbach’s alpha test, and correlations. External validity also examined in this study. The chi-square of model is significant that indicated TPDS reliability is stable (chi-square (129) = 492.46, p < .01, NFI = .87, CFI = .90, PCFI = .76, RMR = .07, RMSEA = .08) Cronbach’s alpha of four dimensions are from .73 to .87. TPDS is significantly positive to self-directed learning scale (SPDS). These result show the internal and external validity both are good. TPDS can provide basic and essential information of teacher professional development involvement. Finally, managerial implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.
The development of State-Mood-Trait Affective Questionnaire 1Fu Jen Catholic University, Republic of China (Taiwan); 2National Taiwan Normal University, Republic of China (Taiwan); 056384@mail.fju.edu.tw056384@mail.fju.edu.tw
This study aimed to develop state, mood, and trait affective questionnaire based on 3 affective categories and verify its reliability and validity. The original 17 items were selected from Chinese Emotion-Describing Words Database. Cluster analysis using items valence, arousal, continuance, dominance, frequency rating found 4 clusters: happiness(5 items), sadness-disappointment(4 items), fear-anger(5 items), and surprise-shyness(2 items), however surprise-shyness category was deleted due to low internal-consistence on item analysis of pilot study. Participants were asked to report their affective intensity of items based on now, two weeks, and everyday spans respectively which corresponded to affective state, mood, and trait measurements. 118 undergraduates participated in the research, and finished the State-Mood-Trait Affective Questionnaire, the scale of major depression disorder , State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-Trait, Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale, PhoPhiKat and Humor Style Questionnair. The results revealed that: (1) 3 affective categories had acceptable Cronbach's Alpha (.69~.88), (2) Confirmatory factor analysis satisfied single construct model for every subscale, (3) everyday span affective intensity were greater than now or two-weeks span, (4) happiness intensity positively correlated with self-esteem, while sadness-disappointment, fear-anger scores negatively correlated to self-esteem, and finally, (5) state, mood and trait could successfully predicated PhoPhiKat and HSQ.
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