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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 [...]

Understanding the meaning of the term psychometrics can be approached from different perspectives, such as the consultation of dictionaries, the point of view of international experts, or the analysis of a linguistic corpus. For this study, an up-to-date Spanish corpus was used as the starting point. The sample consisted of 90 valid documents from which the first text was selected so that the frequencies of the themes came from independent texts. The method used was structured tabular thematic analysis (ST-TA). The results indicate that the most frequent meaning in Spanish is that related to the analysis of the quality of measurements, followed by that referring to evaluation, and finally that of a methodological approach in general. This is consistent with the dictionaries of authorities, but departs from the majority perspective of international experts, who consider that psychometrics does not necessarily have to be linked to psychology. [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 [...]

Metamethod studies describe procedures and examine whether the analyses used are appropriate for an area of research, in this case emotion regulation, which has increased in relevance within the field of psychology in recent years. The objective of this study is to carry out a metamethod analysis of qualitative research on emotion regulation strategies. The analysis was based on the reading of abstracts and full texts from 317 publications. When the inclusion criteria were applied, the final sample consisted of 25 studies. Findings indicated consistency between the methods of analysis employed and the focus of the studies. The semi-structured interview was the most common procedure for data collection and thematic analysis the most used method. Consensus among the investigators was the most widespread quality control. To support methodological integrity, it is recommended that qualitative researchers provide more information on procedures and approaches. [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.

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]

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