Donald G. Fischer

Measuring Social Desirability: Short Forms of the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale

A practical difficulty with the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale (SDS) is its length. Preferring a shorter measure of social desirability, researchers have devised a number of short forms of the SDS. The present study used confirmatory factor analysis to establish the adequacy of these subscales in measuring social desirability. Results showed that (a) of the six short forms of SDS considered two models (XI and X2) provide the best measures of social desirability, (b) improved measures of all of the models can be constructed, and (c) improved measures of the dimensions, denial and attribution, thought to measure the latent construct of social approval can also be constructed.

A Hierarchical Model of Participatory Decision-Making, Job Autonomy, and Perceived Control

Participative decision-making and job autonomy have been linked to perceived control, however, there has been some ambiguity in how this relationship has been approached in the literature. Researchers have generally sought to maintain the conceptual distinction among the constructs but have treated measures of the constructs as if they were indicators of a single underlying control dimension or disposition. The present study tests the plausibility that a hypothetical general control factor influences responding on several measures of perceived job autonomy and participative decision-making at work. Hierarchical confirmatory factor analysis in samples of teachers and computer company employees supported a model in which measures of separate job autonomy dimensions, general job autonomy, perceptions of participative climate at work, and perceptions of control at work all were related to a second order control factor. The second order control factor was shown to be distinct from perceptions of ones supervisor and from measures of work-related affect. Implications of a second order control construct for future research are discussed.

A Factor Analytic Study of Two Scales Measuring Dissociation

The present study was designed to investigate the construct validity of dissociation. We administered the PAS and the DES to 507 male (48%) and female (52%) undergraduate students. Factor analysis on each scale separately showed that neither the PAS nor the DES adequately measures the three dimensions hypothesized to underlie dissociative experience. For both scales, a single factor emerged as replicable and reliable. Use of the scales, in their present form, therefore, should be limited to a single dimension representing disturbances in affect-control in the case of the PAS and disturbances in cognition-control if the DES is used at least with normal populations. Analysis of the combined items showed that the scales are measuring conceptually different but statistically correlated dimensions of dissociation. Further development of both scales is desirable, and further research should investigate the effect of different response formats on the internal structure of the scales.

The depression proneness rating scale: Reliability, validity, and factor structure

This study describes the development of the Depression Proneness Rating Scale (DPRS), a brief, self-administered measure of the tendency to experience frequent, long-lasting, and severe depressions, and three investigations into the scale’s reliability, validity, and factor structure. Study 1, using 100 university students, found a stability coefficient of .82 for the DPRS over a test-retest interval of nine weeks. Further, Time 1 (T1) DPRS scores predicted Time 2 (T2) symptoms of depression, even after adjusting for Time 1 symptoms (R2 Change=.03). Study 2, using 440 university students, found the DPRS to be a better predictor of past depressive episodes (r=.41 to .47) than was the Beck Depression Inventory (r=.32). Study 3, using 1101 university students, found that all 13 items of the DPRS loaded .40 or greater on a single factor for both males and females. Overall, results provide substantial evidence for the DPRS as a valid, unidimensional, and practical measure of depression proneness.

Knives as aggression-eliciting stimuli.

An experiment was conducted to explore the cue value of the object “knife” in displaced aggression. Three kinds of knives were used: (1) a switchblade knife (high aggressive cue value), (2) a carving knife (high or low aggressive cue value), and (3) a table knife (low aggressive cue value). It was expected that frustration in the presence of highly aggressive cues (the switchblade knife and possibly the carving knife) would lead to more intense aggression than frustration in the presence of low-aggressive cues (the table knife and the no-object control conditions). Because of differences in roles and social learning males and females would react differently. 64 male and female university students were either frustrated or not frustrated in the presence of either a switchblade knife, carving knife, table knife or no object and then given an opportunity to evaluate an innocent peer on a 12-adjective bipolar scale. Ss were also asked to complete Zuckermans (1960) Multiple Affect Attitude Check List (MAACL). Data indicated that for frustrated males the table knife elicited the most negative evaluations, while for frustrated females none of the “knife” conditions elicited more negative evaluations than the no-object control condition. The MAACL mood data indicated a significant increase in hostility with a nearly significant increase in anxiety and depression for frustrated males in the presence of a switchblade knife. Results were discussed in terms of their importance for understanding aggressive behavior.

Parental Supervision and Delinquency.

A review of the literature suggests that parental supervision over their children is a significant variable in controlling the amount of delinquent behaviour; high supervision is associated with low delinquency. The relationship remains when variables such as mothers affection, parental conflict, parental aggression, mothers self-confidence, fathers deviance, fathers absence, fathers occupation are controlled. And it appears to be effective under extremely adverse conditions such as poverty and authoritarian and repressive methods of child rearing. Training packages providing basic information about processes of child development and emphasizing positive techniques of child management, with parental supervision as an essential ingredient, need to be further developed and evaluated as a means of reducing delinquency.

Psychometric Properties of the Coach's Version of Leadership Scale for Sports

Data from 38 wrestling coaches were used to examine the psychometric properties of Chelladurai and Salehs Leadership Scale for Sports. Internal consistencies for three of the five subscales (training and instruction, democratic behavior, and positive feedback) were quite acceptable; for one subscale (social support) it was marginal; and for one subscale (autocratic behavior) it was unacceptably low. Further research examining test-retest reliability, factorial validity, and the relationship between the scale and social desirability is recommended.

A Measure of Stress and Arousal: Factor Structure of the Stress Adjective Checklist

A 20-item Stress Adjective Checklist (MacKay et al., 1978) was administered to 565 Canadian undergraduate psychology students and factor analyzed. A 4-factor solution was discarded as it could not be replicated. Both the 3-factor and 2-factor solutions were replicable and interpretable. The 3-factor solution comprised one bipolar and two correlated, monopolar factors, whereas the 2-factor solution contained two uncorrelated, bipolar factors. The 2-factor solution (stress and arousal) was chosen because it was felt that two factors better represented the affect domain and that the 3-factor solution (containing monopolar factors) may be an artifact of the methodology, that is, response scale asymmetry, scale imbalance and social desirability. The 2-factor solution was very similar to that found in British and Australian samples (King et al., 1983; MacKay et al., 1978) and supports the view of Russell (1979, 1980) that affect space is bipolar. Results are contrary to the view of Nowlis (1965) and Thayer (1967) and others, who argue in favor of monopolar factors. Suggestions for further research and refinement of the scale are made.

The relationship between agoraphobia, social phobia and blood-injury phobia in phobic and anxious-depressed patients.

This paper reports the results of principal components and stepwise discriminant analyses of anxiety, depression and fear scores for 74 phobic and anxious-depressed psychiatric patients. Factor analysis indicated a coherent agoraphobia factor, with less coherent blood-injury and social phobia factors. Discriminant analysis showed a high degree of correct classification of diagnosed agoraphobic, blood-injury and social phobic patients particularly for agoraphobia. A frequency distribution of the phobia scores indicated an all or nothing quality to agoraphobic fears. The results indicate that agoraphobia is a fairly coherent syndrome, but that more work is needed on the concepts and measurement of blood-injury and social phobias.

Encounter-group experience and personality change.

Participants in 4 separate weekend encounter groups and matched control Ss were administered pre- and posttests of the Adjective Checklist to determine whether the encounter-group experience would result in increased positive self-concept and confidence and improved social skills and attitudes. Checklist scales were grouped into self-concept-related scales and social-skills scales. Combined data over the 4 experimental groups demonstrated improvement on the 2 concepts, while there was no change in the matched controls over the same time period. Limitations of the study are discussed.