R Code for: On the Structure of Affect: A Meta-Analytic Investigation of the Dimensionality and the Cross-National Applicability of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS)

Abstract

The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS; Watson, Clark, & Tellegen, 1988) is a popular self-report questionnaire that is administered all over the world. Though originally developed to measure two independent factors, different models have been proposed in the literature. Comparisons among alternative models as well as analyses concerning their robustness in cross-national research have left an inconclusive picture. Therefore, the present study evaluates the dimensionality of the PANAS and differences between English and translated versions of the PANAS using a meta-analytic structural equation modeling approach. Correlation matrices from 57 independent samples (N = 54,043) were pooled across subsamples. For both English and non-English samples, a correlated twofactor model including correlated uniquenesses provided the best fit. However, measurement invariance analyses indicated differences in factor loadings between subsamples. Thus, crossnational application of the PANAS might only be justified if measurement equivalence was explicitly tested for the countries at hand.