The "GRE"® Psychology test is an achievement test that measures core knowledge in 12 content domains that represent the courses commonly offered at the undergraduate level. Currently, a total score and 2 subscores, experimental and social, are reported to test takers as well as graduate institutions. However, the American Psychological…

Data collected from surveys can result in hundreds of variables and thousands of respondents. This implies that time and energy must be devoted to (a) carefully entering the data into a database, (b) running preliminary analyses to identify any problems (e.g., missing data, potential outliers), (c) checking the reliability and validity of the…

Estimation of composite reliability within a hierarchical modeling framework has recently become of particular interest given the growing recognition that the underlying assumptions of coefficient alpha are often untenable. Unfortunately, coefficient alpha remains the prominent estimate of reliability when estimating total scores from a scale with…

Many psychological scales written in the Likert format include reverse worded (RW) items in order to control acquiescence bias. However, studies have shown that RW items often contaminate the factor structure of the scale by creating one or more method factors. The present study examines an alternative scale format, called the Expanded format,…

The study objectives were to develop, trial and evaluate a cross-cultural adaptation of the Adaptive Behavior Assessment System-Second Edition Teacher Form (ABAS-II TF) ages 5-21 for use with Indigenous Australian students ages 5-14. This study introduced a multiphase mixed-method design with semi-structured and informal interviews, school…

The Stirling Children's Well-being Scale (SCWBS) was developed by the Stirling Council Educational Psychology Service (UK) as a holistic, positively worded measure of emotional and psychological well-being in children aged eight to 15 years. Drawing on current theories of well-being and Positive Psychology, the aim was to provide a means of…

Of the several measures of optimism presently available in the literature, the Life Orientation Test (LOT; Scheier & Carver, 1985) has been the most widely used in empirical research. This article explores, confirms, and cross-validates the factor structure of the Chinese version of the LOT with ordinal data by using robust weighted least…

Previous systematic reviews indicate a lack of reporting of reliability and validity evidence in subsets of the medical education literature. Psychology and general education reviews of factor analysis also indicate gaps between current and best practices; yet, a comprehensive review of exploratory factor analysis in instrument development across…

Five studies document the validity of a new 8-item scale designed to measure "positivity," defined as the tendency to view life and experiences with a positive outlook. In the first study (N = 372), the psychometric properties of Positivity Scale (P Scale) were examined in accordance with classical test theory using a large number of…

Study determines that solutions derived by multiple group analysis and item-total correlation analysis were generally most interpretable from a psychological perspective. It was concluded that their application to test construction is preferred over Procrustean or confirmatory maximum likelihood approaches. (RB)

Factor analysis of the Bell Object Relations Inventory items produced four subscales interpreted to be underlying dimensions of object relations. The implications of the subscales, and the potential of the instrument for empirical examination of theoretical assumptions about the object relations ego function and its components, are discussed.…

Examines the dimensions underlying the applied problem-solving process and describes the development of a problem-solving instrument based on factor-analysis results. Delineates initial reliability and validity estimates of the instrument. Discusses future research implications and provides a research instrument easily administered and scored.…

In the development of the Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI) the phrase "more desirable in American society" was used in the final item selection. To clarify whether subjects tended to interpret this phrase normatively or prescriptively, a sample of 432 college men and women used the items of the BSRI to describe either a typical (normative),…

Examines reliability and validity of two versions of Hispanic Stress Inventory (HSI), a new instrument to assess psychosocial stress among Hispanic adults. Subscale scores found to correlate highly with criterion measures of distress. Tests showed internal consistency and supported HSI reliability. Need for further evaluation discussed. (TES)

The inter-rater and test-retest reliabilities of the (DESB) Rating Scale were found to be satisfactory when averaged over two raters. Two separate factor analyses of the eleven subscales revealed three broadband factors: Classroom Management Problem, Self-Reliant Learner, and Seeks Teacher Approval. (Author)