Researchers often study dynamic processes of latent variables in everyday life, such as the interplay of positive and negative affect over time. An intuitive approach is to first estimate the measurement model of the latent variables, then compute factor scores, and finally use these factor scores as observed scores in vector autoregressive…

Research on factors that may promote engagement is hampered by the absence of a measure of classroom-level engagement. Literature has suggested that engagement may have 3 dimensions--affective, behavioral, and cognitive. No existing engagement scales measure all 3 dimensions at the classroom level. The Classroom Engagement Inventory (CEI) was…

Although studies investigating the validity of positive affectivity and negative affectivity in children have been supportive, investigations of changes in the structure of affect across childhood have demonstrated mixed results. The current study used confirmatory factor analytic techniques to test one-factor, two-factor correlated, and…

Measurement of affective states in everyday life is of fundamental importance in many types of quality of life, health, and psychological research. Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) is the recognized method of choice, but the respondent burden can be high. The day reconstruction method (DRM) was developed by Kahneman and colleagues ("Science,"…

While the potentials of virtual worlds to support experiential learning in medical education are well documented, assessment of student learning within these environments is relatively scarce and often incongruent. In this article, a conceptual framework is proposed for formatively assessing dispositional behaviours in scenario-based learning…

The primary aim of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the scores on a version for children of the Carver and White Behavioral Inhibition and Activation scales (the BIS-BAS scales). This involved administering the BIS-BAS scales, the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, the Junior Eysenck Personality Questionnaire…

The construct of "empathy" embodies a number of characteristics necessary for psychological health in children. Surprisingly, most research has been based solely on children and adolescent report and observational measures despite evidence that multi-informant assessment is fundamental to the accurate measurement of such constructs. We present…

A meta-analysis of published studies that reported correlations between self-ratings and informant ratings of well-being (life-satisfaction, happiness, positive affect, negative affect) was performed. The average self-informant correlation based on 44 independent samples and 81 correlations for a total of 8,897 participants was r = 0.42 [99%…

Using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, the aims were (a) to obtain, describe, and compare different solutions of three, five, and six first-order factors raised in the previous literature about the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI); (b) analyze the number and nature of the second-order factors; (c) test which model best reproduces…

This study further investigates the validity of the McMillan Affective Relationship Scale (MARS) by (1) examining its relationship to other commonly used scales; (2) determining whether it was sensitive to change over time for encounter group participants; and (3) attempting to determine whether pretesting on MARS was a possible source of…

Over forty articles dealing with studies of affective variables were analyzed in this report of the Elementary School Subcommittee of the National Council on Measurement in Education's Task Force on Measurement of Affective Outcomes. The measurement problems were of both a theoretical and practical nature. The greatest practical problem is…

Strong associations between civilian posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) scales and measures of general psychological distress suggest that the scales are nonspecific to PTSD. Three common PTSD scales were administered to 122 undergraduates who had experienced an emotionally salient, nontraumatic event: a college examination. Results indicated…

A measure of positive affect using content analysis of verbal samples was devised and found to have satisfactory interjudge reliability. Normative data from five groups showed an association of positive affect levels with the situations subjects were undergoing. (Author)

Explores the pedagogical role of perceived teacher confirmation in the college classroom. Finds: (1) support for confirmation as a crucial communication variable; (2) a need for further research to clarify the issue of defining "disconfirmation"; (3) support for earlier research establishing confirmation as a receiver-based variable; and…

Assesses the temporal stability and convergent validity of the Behavioral Assessment System for Children (BASC). Teachers and parents rated kindergarten and first-grade students using BASC. Teachers were more stable in rating children's externalizing behaviors and attention problems. Discusses results in terms of the accuracy of information…