Search

The Section III on Emerging Measures and Models included in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, introduces a hybrid alternative approach, dimensional-categorical, to diagnose personality disorders. The Criterion A establishes the assessment of the impairment in personality functioning in terms of two dimensions: self and interpersonal. The present study was aimed at developing a short scale to measure both dimensions. The sample was composed of 342 adults from Buenos Aires city and its outskirts, with ages ranging from 19 to 82 years old (M = 39.90, SD = 13.75). Data were gathered using the Personality Functioning Scale, developed in this study, as well as the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 Brief Form, the Mental Health Continuum Short Form, and the Symptom Check List-27. A principal components analysis conducted on 28 items found 2 factors, interpersonal and self. Internal consistency, estimated by ordinal Alphas, achieved values between .92 and .86 whilst Cronbach's Alphas were .88 and .87. Significant and positive correlations between the Personality Functioning Scale scores on the one hand, and the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 Brief Form scores and the Symptom Check List-27 score on the other, were found. Negative correlations between PFS scores and the Mental Health Continuum Short Form were calculated. As a result, a short scale with adequate psychometric features, suitable to assess Criterion A in adult Argentinian population has been developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents a review of the Self-Determination Theory (SDT), posed as a macro-theory on the human motivation. This notion is defined as the energy, direction, persistence and purpose of behaviors, including goals and actions. In order to introduce the current approach to motivation, current theories (attributional theories, goal models social-cognitive theory and self-regulation theory) are summarized. STD arises as one of the current and widely used models. Their main notes are highlighted, as well as the sub-theories which compose it. The theory on the basic psychological needs describes how behaviors are energized. The rest of them -causality orientations, cognitive evaluations, organismic integration, and goal contents theories- describe the processes which drive behaviors. The explicative scope of the model allows its application to diverse fields of human activities. Finally, its links with current approaches are discussed and contradictions found in recent research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The Personality Assessment Inventory for Adolescents (pai-a) examines the psychopathological symptomatology and variables related to the design of psychotherapeutic interventions. It is composed of 264 items for use in the clinical assessment of adolescents between 12-18 years old. Validity, clinical, treatment-related, and interpersonal relationship scales are included. Purpose: This paper presents psychometric analyses of the Personality Assessment Inventory for Adolescents. Method: The participants were 1,002 adolescents (50.3% women, 49.7% men, Mage = 14.99, sd = 1.88) living in Buenos Aires (Argentina) and on the outskirts. Cronbach's alphas were calculated to estimate internal consistency, with excellent values for clinical, treatment-related and interpersonal relationship scales, and acceptable values for validity scales and subscales. Results: Dimensionality was examined by principal component analysis with a varimax rotation. A four-factor structure was isolated by including the 22 scales, whereas two factors were obtained when analyzing the 11 clinical scales. Conclusions: We provide evidence of the psychometric quality of the pai-a for use with adolescents from Buenos Aires, filling a gap in local psychological assessment. Further research should extend these psychometric quality analyses, and replicate the procedures in clinical samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents psychometric analyses of the Personality Assessment Inventory in college students (N= 374; 50.4% females, 49.6% males; Mage=23.71, DE=3.28) attending public and private institutions from Buenos Aires and its suburbs. Internal consistency was examined using Cronbach’s Alphas, showing mostly values for the clinical scales related to the treatment and interpersonal relationship, and lower for validity scales and sub-scales. Analyses of principal components were made with Varimax rotation. When including the 22 scales a five dimension structure was isolated. Whereas when considering the 11 clinical scales three factos were detected. Complementary analyses were developed in order to examine the congruence of factorization with that of previous versions, verifying a moderate fit in most calculations. Further investigations will go on analyzing psychometric features of PAI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this research was studying the psychometric properties of the Listado de síntomas breve (short checklist of symptoms; LSB-50) in a sample of 994 Argentinean adults (49.9% females; 50.1% males). Mean age was 40.66 years (standard deviation= 17.01; Min=18; Max=89). This screening test has seven main clinical scales: hypersensitivity, obsessive-compulsive, anxiety, hostility, somatization, depression, and sleep disturbance. Pearson correlations indicated that all scales had positive and mostly moderate associations. The second order confirmatory factor analysis showed a good fit for a hierarchical model where all scales loaded in one major factor. Internal consistency by Cronbach's alpha was adequate. Females scored significantly higher than males in all scales except for the hostility scale, in which no differences were found. Although statistically significant associations with age were found in some scales, correlations were very weak. Obsessive-compulsive, sleep disturbance and depression scales had the highest scores, while anxiety presented the lowest score. Based on the psychometric evidence found, the scale seems to be suitable for the local population. Consequently, the availability of such measure may contribute to conduct epidemiological studies of psychopathology in Argentina. Moreover, the scale could be used for the assessment of psychotherapy progress and outcomes of clients, as well as for psychotherapy research. Notwithstanding, more evidence of validity and reliability should be sought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Academic achievement in High School has become an issue of current interest due to low grades and high percentages of desertion. Learning strategies and motivation are analysed as associated factors, linked to this matter. Learning strategies are defined as an amount of propositional operations, organised to process information in learning situations. Motivation is understood as the energy, direction, persistence and purpose of behavior. The aim of this research is to analyze learning strategies, motivation and academic performance in high-schoolers of Buenos Aires. The sample was composed by 376 high-schoolers (35% males, 65% females). Data were gathered by means of the local adaptation of the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory-LASSI- and Academic Motivation Scale -EMA, Echelle de Motivation en Éducation-. A survey of sociodemographic and academic information was also administered. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was carried out, as well as Pearson's r correlations. Results showed a more frequent use of strategies in girls, high-achievement students and students of final courses. As for motivation, a self-determined profile was identified in girls. Low positive r coefficients between strategies and intrinsic motivation scales, and negative r coefficients with the extrinsic one were observed. Findings are analysed considering self-determination theory and previous research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985a) describes diverse types of motivation, situated throughout a theoretical continuum which comprises a decrease in the regulation of behaviors, from highest to lowest. These are intrinsic motivation, identified regulation, introjected regulation, external regulation, and amotivation. These types, their influential factors, mediators and outcomes, integrate a hierarchic model which entails three levels: global, contextual, and situational (Vallerand, 1997). This paper presents the design and analysis of psychometric features of the Academic Motivation Scale-Situational (AMS-S) aimed at the assessment of motivation towards specific academic activities under specific circumstances. It was developed on the grounds of the Self Determination Theory's hypotheses as well as the Hierarchic Model of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation (HMIEM) posed by Vallerand (1997). The sample was composed of 364 colleges students (62.6% females, 37.4% males) between 18 and 35 years old (M = 22.97, SD = 3.00) with different majors at the University of Buenos Aires (Argentine). Items were written up to represent each type of motivation formulated in the model, according to the question which must be borne in mind while responding to the scale: "Why are you at the faculty right now?" The original pool of items was evaluated by five experts in order to analyze content validity evidences. A further pilot study was performed with a small group of students, aiming at the exam of face validity evidences. The preliminary version of 44 items obtained up to then was analyzed on a standardization sample. Polychoric covariance matrices were employed once the univariate normality hypothesis was not verified for the items. The ordinal nature of data demanded such a treatment as well. The statistical package FACTOR (Lorenzo-Siva & Ferrando, 2013) was used to develop an exploratory factor analysis with minimum rank factor analysis (MRFA) extraction method followed by direct Oblimin rotation (KMO = .887; Bartlett's Sphericity Test: = 4525.6 (df = 351; p < .01). A 3-factor model which explained 68.01% of the common variance was isolated retaining 27 items (F1 explained 18.1%, F2, 23.2%, and F3, 26.8%). Regarding the items content, the extracted factors were labeled as extrinsic motivation (F1), amotivation (F2), and intrinsic motivation (F3). Additionally, internal consistency of the scales was estimated by means of ordinal alphas, with adequate coefficients in all cases (F1 = .84, F2 = .95, and F3 = .94). In order to test the self-determination continuum hypothesis entailed in the model, each dimension of the scale was correlated with the rest of them. Significant and positive associations (p < .05) were found between the adjacent scales, and negative between the non-adjacent ones, thus endorsing theoretical statements. Correlations between the scales' scores and the similar ones of Academic Motivation Scale (Academic Motivation Scale-EMA in Spanish-Stover et al., 2012; Vallerand et al., 1989) were calculated to analyze convergent validity evidences. Significant though weak statistical associations (p < .05) were found when comparing equivalent and opposite motivational types in both tests. Finally, statistical norms to be employed with local college population were calculated. Summarizing, up to the moment the scale has achieved adequate results in terms of preliminary validity evidences and reliability, supporting its appropriate psychometric quality to be used with local college students. The main weaknesses of the study rely in the sample size, which restricts wider generalizations, as well as the lack of semi-confirmatory factor analyses and psychometric studies on stability of measures, which must be developed in further steps. The analysis of the link between situational, contextual and global measures of motivation is also strongly suggested, taking into account the reciprocal effects among them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]