Stephen Powers

Reliability and Construct Validity of the Maslach Burnout Inventory in a Sample of University Students

A sample of 72 university students was administered the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). Item responses were intercorrelated and subjected to a principal factors analysis followed by a varimax rotation of the factors. In each of the rotated factor matrices, empirical support was obtained for the presence of the three hypothesized factors of Emotional Exhaustion, Depersonalization, and Personal Accomplishment.

Differential localization of antigonadotropic and vasotocic activities in bovine and rat pineal.

Abstract Bovine pineal glands were separated into stalk and parenchymal portions and extracted separately for both pineal antigonadotropic and neurohypophysial activities. Bioassay of these extracts localized neurohypophysial hormone activity to the stalk and antigonadotropic activity to the pineal parenchyma. Destalked rat pineals were devoid of neurohypophysial hormone activity at the concentrations employed. Whereas the injection of purified extracts containing pineal antigonadotropin reduced ventral prostate weights in mice, vasotocin was without such actions. these results fail to support pineal (parenchymal) localization of vasotocin and a reproductive role for this neurohypophysial peptide.

The Factorial Validity of the Multidimensional-Multiattributional Causality Scale

A total of 74 academically gifted high school students was administered the Multidimensional-Multiattributional Causality Scale (MMCS). A principal components analysis of the intercorrelation matrix of the 24 item responses revealed seven interpretable factors. The attributions of ability, effort, context, and luck emerged as well as distinctions between attributions related to academic success or failure. Generally, the evidence supported the factorial validity of the MMCS. However, several limitations of the scale are discussed.

The Reliability and Construct Validity of the Multidimensional-Multiattributional Causality Scale

The reliability and factorial validity of the Multidimensional-Multiattributional Causality Scale (MMCS) was examined for 350 community college students in a large, urban, multi-campus system. A principal components analysis of the intercorrelation matrix of the 24 item responses indicated seven interpretable factors. The attributions of ability, effort, context, and luck emerged as well as distinctions between attributions related to academic success or failure. Generally, the evidence supported the factorial validity of the MMCS. Several limitations of the scale are noted.

Attributions for School Achievement of Middle School Students

Attributions for success and failure in school were examined with 601 middle and high school students. Students were administered the Multidimensional-Multiattributional Causality Scale and the Achievement Motivation Scale. Attributions of school failure to bad luck appeared to decline across grades. Males attributed school failure to external factors. Achievement motivation was positively correlated with attributions to internal causes.

Coping patterns of parents of chronically ill children.

This study examined the coping patterns of 107 parents of chronically ill children in Southern Arizona. Coping patterns were measured with the Coping-Health Inventory of Parents. Mothers scored higher than fathers on strengthening the self and understanding the medical situation. Anglo-American parents scored higher than Hispanic-American on strengthening the self. No significant correlations were found between income, education or age with coping patterns of parents.

A Reliability and Validity Investigation of the Mathematics Attribution Scale.

The Mathematics Attribution Scale-Algebra (MAS) was designed to assess attributions to ability, effort, task, and environment for success and failure in algebra. The present study examined the reliability and-validity of the MAS with high ability high school students. The results of this study present a complicated picture of the psychometric properties of the MAS.

Achievement Motivation and Attributions for Success and Failure

The relationships of attributions for success and failure with achievement motivation were investigated in 110 academically talented high school students. Subjects were administered the Mathematics Attribution Scale and measures of self-esteem, anxiety, and achievement motivation. Attributions of success to effort were correlated .42 with achievement motivation, and attributions of failure to lack of effort were correlated -.22 with achievement motivation. First-order partial correlations between attributions and achievement motivation controlling for self-esteem and anxiety did not differ from the zero-order correlations.

Reliability and Validity of the Cooperative Preschool Inventory for English- and Spanish-Speaking Hispanic Children

The internal consistency reliability, concurrent validity, and stability of the Cooperative Preschool Inventory in English and Spanish editions were examined for monolingual-English and monolingual-Spanish Hispanic preschool pupils. The findings supported the reliability, validity, and stability of both editions as well as the comparability of both editions.

Factorial Invariance of the California Achievement Tests Across Race and Sex

The six subtests of the California Achievement Tests were factor analyzed separately for black males, black females, Hispanic males, Hispanic females, white males, and white females in the fifth- and seventh-grades. One factor best described the factor structure of the test of each group. The structures of each group were compared by using coefficients of congruence. The California Achievement Test was found to be essentially invariant with regard to race and sex.