Why Do Regular and Reversed Items Load on Separate Factors? Response Difficulty vs. Item Extremity.

When constructing measurement scales, regular and reversed items are often used (e.g., "I am satisfied with my job"/"I am not satisfied with my job").

Measuring Self-Esteem with Expanded Format in a Fraction of Time: ESE-S and ESE-US.

Despite the ubiquity of Likert format scales, they are not without problems-distorted dimensionality being one of the most serious. Zhang and Savalei proposed an alternative to Likert format called the Expanded format, in which each response option in the Likert scale is replaced with a series of complete statements. In response to their recent call, the purpose of the present study is to develop concise but valid Expanded format scales for the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale.

Testing the Nonlinearity Assumption Underlying the Use of Reverse-Keyed Items: A Logical Response Perspective.

Researchers often assume a strong, linear relationship between regular- and reverse-keyed items, with responses on regular-keyed items (e.g., agree) perfectly mirroring those on reverse-keyed items (e.

Why Do People Agree With Both Regular and Reversed Items? A Logical Response Perspective.

The current research challenges the received view that misresponses to reversed items are the result of participants' irrational behavior. On the contrary, for participants at a midpoint level of a trait, it is perfectly logical to agree and disagree with seemingly equivalent statements (e.g.

Bifactor Model Is Not the Best-Fitting Model for Self-Esteem: Investigation With a Novel Technique.

In the measurement of self-esteem, previous research assumes that all respondents are qualitatively similar. The assumption has not been adequately tested. The current study examines its validity using factor mixture modeling.

Careless Responding Threatens Factorial Analytic Results and Construct Validity of Personality Measure.

The current research investigates the impact of careless responding on factorial analytic results and construct validity with real data. Results showed that inclusion of careless respondents in data analysis distorts factor loading pattern and hinders recovery of theoretical existing factors. Careless respondents also blur the distinction of theoretically distinct factors, resulting in higher inter-factor correlations.

Testing the Assumption of Population Homogeneity in the Measurement of Dispositional Optimism: Factor Mixture Modeling Analysis.

The assumption of population homogeneity in the measurement of dispositional optimism was examined. U.S.

Self-Determination and Personal Identity in University Students: The Mediating Role of Future Orientation.

In this study, we sought to extend the research on self-determination, future orientation, and personal identity construction by integrating the theories on self-determination and future orientation to provide a conceptual framework for understanding the relations between personal identity and the following individual characteristics: Hope, optimism, awareness of self, and perceived choice. 191 university students in China responded surveys in hardcopies on an individual basis. Our SEM results revealed that proximal future orientation influenced the mechanisms through which distal psychological traits affected identity construction.

Novel Insights Into Item Keying/Valence Effect Using Latent Difference (LD) Modeling Analysis.

Responses to positively and negatively worded items are not always consistent, a behavioral pattern known as the item valence method effect. The current research employed latent difference (LD) modeling (Pohl, Steyer, & Kraus, 2008 ) to help determine explanations of the method effect. Respondents were more likely to reject negative characteristics (measured by negatively worded items) than to accept positive ones (measured by positively worded items), and supplementary analysis showed that this tendency was associated with social desirability response style.

Is the Dark Triad Better Studied Using a Variable- or a Person-Centered Approach? An Exploratory Investigation.

Despite Allport's early call to study personality as a coordinated system of traits within individual rather than separate traits, researchers often assume personality variables are largely distinct, independent characteristics. In the current research, we examined the usual assumption that Dark Triad traits (narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism) are best studied using a variable-centered (dimensional), rather than a person-centered (taxonic), approach. Results showed that a variable-centered approach is appropriate in understanding the Dark Triad, and yet individuals scoring high on one Dark Triad dimension also tend to score high on other dimensions.

Further Considerations in Using Items With Diverse Content to Measure Acquiescence.

To measure the response style of acquiescence, researchers recommend the use of at least 15 items with heterogeneous content. Such an approach is consistent with its theoretical definition and is a substantial improvement over traditional methods. Nevertheless, measurement of acquiescence can be enhanced by two additional considerations: first, to ensure that it is not confounded with item valence, equal numbers of positively and negatively phrased items should be used; second, the validity of acquiescence scores can be substantially improved when derived from more than 15 items: about twice that number appears to be the minimum.

Hope and General Self-efficacy: Two Measures of the Same Construct?

The aim of this study was to test the extent to which hope measure is equivalent to general self-efficacy measure. Questionnaire data on these two constructs and other external variables were collected from 199 Chinese college students. The factor analytic results suggested that hope and self-efficacy items measured the same construct.

Implications of Item Keying and Item Valence for the Investigation of Construct Dimensionality.

Factor analysis and nomological network analysis are commonly used as complementary procedures in the investigation of the dimensionality of constructs (e.g., self-esteem, job satisfaction).

Does Acquiescence Affect Individual Items Consistently?

Previous research has found the effects of acquiescence to be generally consistent across item within a single survey (i.e., essential tau-equivalence), but it is unknown whether this phenomenon is consistent at the level.

Adverse effects of psychotropic medications in children: predictive factors.

Objective: Despite limited information related to efficacy in children, psychotropic medications are commonly prescribed as a first-line treatment for a range of psychiatric diagnoses in children in a variety of clinical settings. Usage has increased over the past three decades. Although psychotropic medications are often effective at treating psychiatric symptoms, the risk of adverse effects (AE) in children is unclear.

Predicting length of stay and readmission for psychiatric inpatient youth admitted to adult mental health beds in Ontario, Canada.

Background: The purpose of this study was to examine demographic, background, and psychopathology variables that predict length of stay and readmission among youth with mental health needs.

Method: We analyzed data on 2445 youth who were admitted into adult psychiatric beds in Ontario, Canada. Multiple regression was used to examine length of stay, whereas logistic regression was used to examine the predictors of readmission.

Heritability of acquiescence bias and item keying response style associated with the HEXACO personality scale.

The current research investigates the heritability of two of the most common response styles: acquiescence bias (tendency to agree or disagree with survey items regardless of the items' actual content) and item keying (differential responding related to the use of regular- and reverse-keyed items). We estimated response styles from a common personality measure (HEXACO) and examined the heritability of each with univariate genetics analyses. The results show item keying effect was heritable but acquiescence bias was not.

Emotional reactions of anger and shame to the norm violation characterizing episodes of interpersonal harm.

Norms are the socially shared restraints by which human behaviour is regulated. When applied to events involving interpersonal harm, the perceived level of norm violation by a perpetrator will lead to a target's emotional reactions of both anger and shame, with such processes mediated by the target's judgments of his or her loss of face arising from the episode, the perpetrator's intent to harm, and the blame ascribed to the perpetrator. Structural equation modelling (SEM) confirmed this set of linkages with targets of harm from both Hong Kong and the United States reporting on a harmful exchange in their own life, suggesting the generalizability of this model in disparate cultural contexts.