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The objective of this study was the validation of the Colombian version of The Quantitative Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (Q-CHAT) by means of the Rasch Rating Scale Model. The Q-CHAT was applied to parents of 100 typically developing toddlers and 40 toddlers and preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The Q-CHAT scores showed some limitations. The questionnaire did not meet the condition of unidimensionality. Two dimensions were detected. The first dimension, with 13 items and 4 response categories (13i-4c), showed good psychometric properties: the items fit the Rasch Rating Scale model, the reliability of persons and items was appropriate, and scores adequately discriminate between children with and without ASD. The second dimension is a measure of traits that are usually associated with ASD, but that have shown validity problems. Thus, it is proposed that dimension 1 of the Q-CHAT (13i-4c) be used as the screening tool for ASD in Colombia., Author(s): Karol Gutiérrez-Ruiz [sup.1] , Ana R. Delgado [sup.2] , Gerardo Prieto [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (Aff1) grid.441684.b, Programa de Psicología, Parque industrial y tecnológico Carlos Vélez Pombo, Universidad Tecnológica de [...]

Current research on emotion knowledge and competence emphasises the role of language. Emotion vocabulary is one of the indicators of emotion knowledge that can be objectively measured; however, the metric properties of the scores obtained in tests and tasks to measure it have seldom been adequate. In this study we designed and validated a Spanish emotion vocabulary test (MOVE) employing a corpus approach to construct cloze multiple‐choice items, administered the test to a Spanish‐speaking sample from two countries, Spain and Argentina, and analysed structural validity of the test items with the Rasch model measurement approach. Eighty‐eight items showed adequate fit. Overall, a substantial percentage of variance was explained by a latent variable. Reliability indexes at the test, item, and person level were also adequate. As a vocabulary test, the MOVE can be used in psychological and neurological investigation, as well as in language learning research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stereotype threat has been invoked to explain underperformance on a variety of groups for whom the stereotypes allege inferior cognitive abilities. In math testing, stereotype threat has been used to explain sex differences in test performance. This paper describes an experimental study on a large sample (n = 313), in which the role of anxiety and mental rotation on math sex-related differences under stereotype threat has been analyzed in the tradition of Aptitude-Treatment-Interaction (ATI) designs. Results show that the manipulation effects are evident only in interaction with anxiety, which suggests that the construct validity of stereotype threat is itself seriously threatened. The analogy with the validity threat known as "reactivity to the experimental situation" is elaborated, and a more promising approach (the study of threat-related attentional bias in anxious and non-anxious individuals) suggested. (Contains 1 figure and 4 tables.)

Sex-related differential studies on mathematical abilities have hardly taken into account the mediator role of the verbal factor, which contrasts with the interest shown in the mediator role of visuospatial aptitude. We predicted that if sex-related differences were found, mental rotation would mediate mathematical abilities typically favoring males (geometry and verbal problems) and lexical access would mediate the one favoring females (arithmetic). Data from 455 participants with a median age of 13 were analyzed, showing that sex-related effect sizes in mathematical criteria were small, ranging from d = -0.16 to 0.18 (corrected by attenuation), as expected for unselected samples. Lexical access scores were consistent predictors for every mathematical subdomain, and mental rotation added to the prediction only for geometry and word problems.

Two psychometric tests measuring mental rotation (MR) and visualization (VZ) were administered to 209 male and 390 female high school seniors. Results clearly indicate that MR is a plausible mediator variable for sex differences in VZ when such differences do exist. Theoretical, methodological, and practical consequences of these results are discussed. (SLD)

The hypothesis that the Berlin and Kay (1969) colour sequence would be replicated in Spanish colour-word usage has been corroborated on 131,028 colour words from a representative corpus (N = 188,975,000). The observed sequence of white, black, red, green, blue, yellow, grey and brown is highly consistent diachronically (through current and contemporary Spanish), synchronically (through various countries) and with the expected order. Considering the divergence of Spanish vocabularies among geographical areas in the last centuries, the almost total agreement did not have a high prior probability under hypotheses of culturally arbitrary colour vocabularies. It is difficult to see how linguistic relativity could adequately account for such a robust result. The use of ordinal statistics and non-reactive measures to study cultural products constrained by epigenetic rules, such as colour vocabularies, is presented as an exercise of methodological consilience., The cultural patterns that people create and consume may reveal as much as or more about human psychology than the most carefully planned psychological experiments (Buss, 1999). This assumption is [...]

This study examines the effects of item feedback on multiple-choice test responses. In the first experiment, a positive effect was predicted under instructions advising a penalty for errors; a larger beneficial effect on female scores was expected, given the (presumed) tendency of female participants toward omission when uncertain. Feedback effects were either negligible or negative, and the expected interaction effect with gender was not found. The second experiment was a high-powered replication of the feedback effect on errors, controlling for participants' ability. The discussion takes into account other evidence to state that recommendations of providing item feedback in the context of testing are neither theoretically nor empirically founded., Feedback can be defined as knowledge of one's performance provided by an external agent (Ammons, 1956; Annet, 1969; Kluger & DeNisi, 1996). This definition includes the restricted definition of knowledge [...]

Various traditions have investigated the relationship between emotion and language. For the basic emotions view, emotional prototypes are lexically sedimented in language, evidenced in cultural convergence in emotional recognition and expression tasks. For constructionist theories, conceptual knowledge supported by language is at the core of emotions. Understanding emotion words is embedded in various interrelated constructs such as emotional intelligence, emotion knowledge or emotion differentiation, and is related to, but different from, general vocabulary. A clear advantage of Emotion Vocabulary over most emotion-related constructs is that it can be measured objectively. In two successive corpus-based studies, we tested the predictions of concordance and absolute agreement on the frequency of use of a total of 100 Spanish emotion labels in the eight main Spanish-speaking areas: Spain, Mexico-Central America, River Plate, Continental Caribbean, Andean, Antilles, Chilean, and the United States. In both studies, the intraclass correlation coefficient was statistically different from the null and very large, over.95, as was the Kendall's concordance coefficient, indicating broad consensus among the Spanish linguistic areas. From an applied perspective, our results provide supporting evidence for the similarity in frequency, and therefore cross-cultural generalizability regarding familiarity of the 100 emotion labels as item stems or as experimental stimuli without going through a process of additional adaptation. On a broader scope, these results add evidence on the role of language for emotion theories. In this regard, countries and regions compared here share the same Spanish language, but differ in several aspects in history, culture, and socio-economic structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The assessment of emotion regulation requires not only knowledge of the construct and the tests that evaluate it, but also of the quality of those instruments. The objective of this article is to analyze, using the Revised Test Evaluation Questionnaire, the psychometric properties of the two most commonly used tests in the evaluation of emotion regulation, the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) and the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ). We analyzed 653 articles describing studies in which these tests were used. Evidence of criterion validity differs between the two both qualitatively and quantitatively. The reliability expressed as internal consistency coefficients was positively evaluated in both tests. Given that most of the investigations used a methodology based on classical test theory, it is recommended to consider the study of the properties of these tests based on advanced psychometric models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to provide normative data for the 5 Objects Test in a large Spanish community sample, as well as some validity evidence. METHODS: The sample was composed of 427 participants (of which 220 females, age 15 to 95 years old; educational level range: 2–17 years). Normative data are provided, as well as correlations with test scores from Benton Visual Retention test, Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure and Mini Mental State Examination. RESULTS: No association was found between delayed recall score and level of education, age or gender. Immediate recall score was correlated with age. Both immediate and delayed recall significantly correlated with the criteria, evidencing concurrent validity. CONCLUSIONS: It is recommended that the 5 Objects Test be used for assessing persons in primary care, including those from different linguistic backgrounds or with limited language use. Delayed recall scores are especially recommended given the lack of association with demographic variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Differential item functioning (DIF) is of the utmost importance in order to corroborate the generalized validity of test scores in different groups. DIF indicates that an item does not function equally in different groups such as age, gender or cultural ones. Our objective was to contrast the generalized validity of the Emotion Knowledge (EK) test scores in a heterogeneous Argentinian sample composed of 100 females and 100 males (age range: 18–65). Data from the original validation sample (200 Spanish participants, half of them males) were conjointly analyzed (total n = 400). Results of the Rasch Model (RM) analysis indicated that both fit to the RM and reliability (ISR = .97, PSR = .80) were adequate. Item logit measures ranged from -3.89 to 3.68, and person logit measures ranged from -1.12 to 5.09, with a mean value of 2.36. DIF was tested for gender, age, educational level and country, with a few item contrasts found to be statistically significant. Even though small significant differences in EK scores were associated with educational level (d = .25) and country (d = -.25), they became non-significant after removing the seven country-related DIF affected items. We can conclude that there is enough evidence for the generalized validity of EK test scores in Argentina. Given that recent theories of human emotion consider conceptual knowledge supported by language as constitutive of emotions, the EK test can be used in academic or applied settings where individual differences in emotional competence might be relevant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This paper presents an exploratory and sequential mixed methods approach in validating measures of knowledge of the moral emotions of contempt, anger and disgust. Method: The sample comprised 60 participants in the qualitative phase when a measurement instrument was designed. Item stems, response options and correction keys were planned following the results obtained in a descriptive phenomenological analysis of the interviews. In the quantitative phase, the scale was used with a sample of 102 Spanish participants, and the results were analysed with the Rasch model. Results: In the qualitative phase, salient themes included reasons, objects and action tendencies. In the quantitative phase, good psychometric properties were obtained. The model fi t was adequate. However, some changes had to be made to the scale in order to improve the proportion of variance explained. Conclusions: Substantive and methodological implications of this mixed-methods study are discussed. Had the study used a single re-search method in isolation, aspects of the global understanding of contempt, anger and disgust would have been lost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our objective was to conduct a validation study of the Portuguese version of the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) by means of the Rasch Rating Scale Model, and then compare it with the most used scales of anxiety in Portugal. The sample consisted of 1,160 adults (427 men and 733 women), aged 18-82 years old (M=33.39; SD=11.85). Instruments were Beck Anxiety Inventory, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale. It was found that Beck Anxiety Inventory's system of four categories, the data-model fi t, and people reliability were adequate. The measure can be considered as unidimensional. Gender and age-related differences were not a threat to the validity. BAI correlated significantly with other anxiety measures. In conclusion, BAI shows good psychometric quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consistent with current emotion theory, we should note that contempt is not a homogeneous category but rather shows intracategorial variability. Previous research on Spanish samples shows a communicative structure in which contempt is felt towards intimate, social or abstract receivers, for reciprocal, altruistic or prejudiced reasons. Our objective was to test, on a large and heterogeneous sample, the previously found structure and variations of the experience of contempt as well as its spontaneous facial expression. Testing the association of contempt varieties with certain subject attributes was a secondary goal. Results from 130 participants from the Spanish general population corroborated the previously found structure and varieties, as well as the associations between contempt receiver and attribution. No relation was found with sex, age or emotion recognition ability. As to spontaneous facial expression, disgust was more often expressed by those who narrated their personal episodes of contempt for reciprocal reasons, and was less often expressed by the people who described prejudiced scenarios. This result indicates that the conventionally considered facial expression of contempt is not the only one, as already stated by Darwin, and should not be considered as such by experimental and psychometric procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parametric statistical methods are typically used for analyzing test scores, even though they are ordinal at best. The Meyers and Meyers' Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure four-category scoring system has been evaluated with the Rasch Rating Scale Model, and disordered thresholds have been found. However, Rasch-modeling dichotomized data led to good fit for both normal (n = 219) and Traumatic Brain Injury (n = 54) samples and generalized validity for these groups, as well as for male and female groups. The logarithmic transformation of the item and person data performed by the model converts the ordinal data to yield interval scaled data. This is desirable not only from a scientific perspective, but also from the point of view of interpretability and communicability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two successive studies probed the psychometric properties of a Math Anxiety questionnaire (in Spanish) by means of the Rasch Rating Scale Model. Participants were 411 and 216 Spanish adolescents. Convergent validity was examined by correlating the scale with both the Fennema and Sherman Attitude Scale and a math achievement test. The results show that the scores are psychometrically appropriate, and replicate those reported in meta-analyses: medium-sized negative correlations with achievement and with attitudes toward mathematics, as well as moderate sex-related differences (with girls presenting higher anxiety levels than boys). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cultural psychology is concerned with the comparative study of the way culture and psyche shape each other: This process is particularly well illustrated in the social construction of some feelings. Although sexual jealousy seems to be universal, people differ in the intensity of their reactions and in the type of stimuli perceived as threatening. Replicating previous research in Britain by Delgado and Bond (1993), a questionnaire research survey was conducted in Spain to determine if lay perception considers jealousy a justification for wife battery. The comparison of results shows striking differences: The harmdoer was seen as more guilty in Britain and the victim was seen as more guilty in Spain. Results demonstrate cultural differences in the perception of jealousy; when jealousy is a motive for assault, there are also cultural differences in judgments of responsibility. Emotions function differently in different cultures regarding perceived causes and justification for conduct. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Psychological constructionist models like the Conceptual Act Theory (CAT) postulate that complex states such as emotions are composed of basic psychological ingredients that are more clearly respected by the brain than basic emotions. The objective of this study was the construction and initial validation of Emotion Knowledge measures from the CAT frame by means of an invariant measurement approach, the Rasch Model (RM). Psychological distance theory was used to inform item generation., Methods: Three EK tests-emotion vocabulary (EV), close emotional situations (CES) and far emotional situations (FES)-were constructed and tested with the RM in a community sample of 100 females and 100 males (age range: 18-65), both separately and conjointly., Results: It was corroborated that data-RM fit was sufficient. Then, the effect of type of test and emotion on Rasch-modelled item difficulty was tested. Significant effects of emotion on EK item difficulty were found, but the only statistically significant difference was that between "happiness" and the remaining emotions; neither type of test, nor interaction effects on EK item difficulty were statistically significant. The testing of gender differences was carried out after corroborating that differential item functioning (DIF) would not be a plausible alternative hypothesis for the results. No statistically significant sex-related differences were found out in EV, CES, FES, or total EK. However, the sign of d indicate that female participants were consistently better than male ones, a result that will be of interest for future meta-analyses., Discussion: The three EK tests are ready to be used as components of a higher-level measurement process., Competing Interests: The authors declare there are no competing interests.