Eliseo Chico

The construct of sensation seeking as measured by Zuckerman's SSS-V and Arnett's AISS: a structural equation model

The degree of equivalence between the dimension of sensation seeking as measured by Zuckermans SSS form V and Arnetts AISS is assessed using a structural equation model. The structure of the Spanish translation of both instruments is first assessed at the item level using factor analytic procedures. In both cases the structures agree reasonably with those proposed from the theory and, furthermore, the psychometric properties of the Spanish translations are similar to those of the original instruments. Results of the structural equation model suggest that both instruments are essentially measuring the same dimension.

Two SPSS programs for interpreting multiple regression results.

When multiple regression is used in explanation-oriented designs, it is very important to determine both the usefulness of the predictor variables and their relative importance. Standardized regression coefficients are routinely provided by commercial programs. However, they generally function rather poorly as indicators of relative importance, especially in the presence of substantially correlated predictors. We provide two user-friendly SPSS programs that implement currently recommended techniques and recent developments for assessing the relevance of the predictors. The programs also allow the user to take into account the effects of measurement error. The first program, MIMR-Corr.sps, uses a correlation matrix as input, whereas the second program, MIMR-Raw.sps, uses the raw data and computes bootstrap confidence intervals of different statistics. The SPSS syntax, a short manual, and data files related to this article are available as supplemental materials from http:// brm.psychonomic-journals.org/content/supplemental.

Spanish adaptation of Dickman's impulsivity inventory: its relationship to Eysenck's personality questionnaire

Abstract We used exploratory factor analysis to determine the factorial structure of the Spanish adaptation of Dickmans impulsivity inventory in a sample of 355 university students. Our results showed the two impulsivity factors, functional and dysfunctional, described by Dickman (1990). We applied consensus direct oblimin rotation to the Spanish, American and Dutch versions of the inventory and obtained a high congruence between the three factorial solutions which seems to suggest that they are quite stable across languages and populations. Both kinds of impulsivity showed relationships to the extraversion and psychoticism dimensions of the EPQ-R although extraversion was more related to functional impulsivity and psychoticism was more related to dysfunctional impulsivity.

Detecting Dissimulation in Personality Test Scores: A Comparison between Person-Fit Indices and Detection Scales

The present study examined whether an internal procedure for assessing the scalability of the response patterns, based on item response theory (IRT), can detect deliberate dissimulation (faking good) in the Extraversion, Neuroticism, and Psychoticism scale scores of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire Revised. The procedure is compared to the traditional approaches, which use the Lie and the Social Desirability (SD) scales. A data set was analyzed in which participants were either administered the measures in standard conditions or given special instructions to fake good. The results showed that the IRT-based measures were not powerful enough to detect dissimulation, whereas the Lie and SD scales performed much better.

A General Factor-Analytic Procedure for Assessing Response Bias in Questionnaire Measures

This article proposes procedures for simultaneously assessing and controlling acquiescence and social desirability in questionnaire items. The procedures are based on a semirestricted factor-analytic tridimensional model, and can be used with binary, graded-response, or more continuous items. We discuss procedures for fitting the model (item calibration) and for estimating the individual factor scores. We also show how the results can be used and interpreted in applied research. The procedures are illustrated with 2 empirical applications in the personality domain.

Unrestricted Factor Analytic Procedures for Assessing Acquiescent Responding in Balanced, Theoretically Unidimensional Personality Scales

This article describes and proposes an unrestricted factor analytic procedure to: (a) assess the dimensionality and structure of a balanced personality scale taking into account the potential effects of acquiescent responding, and (b) correct the individual trait estimates for acquiescence. The procedure can be considered as an extension of ten Berges (1999) principal component-based approach, and is intended for scales that attempt to measure a single trait. First, the rationale of the procedure is described for the correlation and covariance cases, and the relations with an alternative restricted model are discussed. Next, additional criteria for supporting the proposed unrestricted solution are suggested. The procedure and the additional criteria are illustrated using empirical data. The usefulness of the procedure in applied personality measurement is discussed.

Dimensional analysis of the EPQ-R Lie scale with a Spanish sample : Gender differences and relations to N, E, and P

Abstract A Spanish translation of the 21-item Lie scale included in the EPQ-R was administered to a group of 2026 university undergraduates. The plausibility of the bifactorial structure proposed by Pearson and Francis (Pearson and Francis, Personality and Individual Differences, 10, 1989, 1041–1048) instead of the originally assumed unifactorial structure was assessed using a specific factor analytic model for binary data. Factor structures, as well as total scale scores, were compared for males and females. Relations with N, E, and P dimensions were studied in the male, female and total samples. Results suggest that the unifactorial structure seems more appropriate and that this structure is essentially invariant across gender.

A psychometric evaluation of the revised P scale in delinquent and non-delinquent Spanish samples

Abstract A Spanish translation of the revised P scale was administered to a group of 300 prisoners and to a control group of 300 soldiers. The psychometric properties of the scale were similar to the ones obtained previously in various empirical studies. The scale showed a reasonable unidimensionality in both groups and the factor structure obtained were quite similar. Finally, the distribution and moments of the total scores were sensibly different in the various subgroups in agreement with the theoretical predictions.

Belief in Astrology Inventory: Development and Validation

After the paper by Mayo, White, and Eysenck in 1978, a considerable number of papers studied the so-called sun-sign-effect predicted by astrology: people born with the sun in a positive sign are supposed to be extraverted, and those with the sun in a negative sign are supposed to be introverted. In these papers, researchers used ad hoc questionnaires with a few questions related to belief, knowledge, experience, or attitude toward astrology. However, an appropriate inventory with known psychometric properties has yet to be developed to assess the belief in astrology. In the present paper, the Belief in Astrology Inventory is presented with some psychometric data. The participants were 743 undergraduates studying Psychology and Social Sciences at a university in Spain. Correlation of scores on Belief in Astrology and Extraversion was small but significant (r = .22; r2 = .04) for positive sun-sign participants. This value accounts for negligible common variance. Women had significantly higher scores on the inventory than men.

Assessing extraversion and emotional stability in adolescents: development and validation of a questionnaire.

A reduced version of the Five-factor Personality Inventory, which only considers two of the five original dimensions, was constructed to assess Extraversion and Emotional Stability especially for a sample of 581 adolescents. This used Items 6, 9, 11, 19, 21, 39, 41, 46, 54, 59, 61, 66, 84, 89, 91, and 99. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis showed that the factor structure of the questionnaire is acceptable, and both scales are reliable and correlated with similar measures as The Eysenck Personality Questionnaire–Revised.