Do people have control over the decisions they make? Psychometric properties of the Italian version of the free will and scientific determinism questionnaire (FAD-plus-I)

Emanuele Fino,Paolo Iliceto

doi:10.1007/s12144-021-02268-4

Abstract

The FAD-Plus is a multidimensional measure of lay Beliefs in Free Will, Fatalistic Determinism, Scientific Determinism, and Unpredictability. This study had four aims: First, to test the factor structure of the Italian translation of the FAD-Plus in a sample of adults from the community, using structural equation modeling. Second, to test the reliability of the four scales. Third, to investigate gender invariance in item thresholds and factor loadings. Fourth, to analyze the criterion-related validity of the measure. Participants were 328 adults from the community, specifically 173 females and 155 males aged 18–56 years. Results showed that the proposed bifactor model tested by means of exploratory structural equation modeling fitted the data well (CFI = 1.000, RMSEA = 0.000, SRMR = 0.045), and that all the scales were reliable (Omega = .91–.98). Gender invariance was established, with no significant differences in fit indices between females and males. Beliefs in Free Will correlated positively and lowly to moderately with Aggressiveness (rs = .12), Extraversion (.25), Self- (.40) and Other-Representations of adult attachment (.43). Beliefs in Fatalistic Determinism correlated positively and lowly with Other-Representations (rs = .11), whereas its correlations with Aggressiveness, Extraversion, and Neuroticism were close to zero. In conclusion, these findings provide researchers and practitioners with evidence on a reliable and valid measure of Beliefs in free will and determinism in the Italian context, considered as predictors of individuals’ autonomy, effective coping, and prosocial behavior, of foremost importance for prevention and intervention in the community, particularly in occupational, legal, and clinical settings.

Highlights

Individuals who believe that they have little or no power over the course of their actions are more likely to behave irresponsibly, aggressively, and anti-sociallythan those who believe in free will (Baumeister & Monroe, 2014)
Previous research indicated that measuring Beliefs in Free Will (BFW) and beliefs in determinism is of foremost importance for health prevention and intervention in the community (Rigoni et al, 2016; Vonasch et al, 2017)
We identified 51 observations as being outside the expected range for multivariate normality indicated by the estimated generalized Cook’s Distances (gCDs), and for this reason, we decided to remove them from the final dataset, retaining a total of 277 observations

Summary

Introduction

Individuals who believe that they have little or no power over the course of their actions are more likely to behave irresponsibly, aggressively, and anti-sociallythan those who believe in free will (Baumeister & Monroe, 2014). On the other hand, believing in free will supports individuals in coping with life stressors and enhances their confidence in the ability to adjust to new ways of living, seek treatment when needed, and work towards improving their health and wellbeing (Baumeister, 2017). In this vein, previous research indicated that measuring Beliefs in Free Will (BFW) and beliefs in determinism is of foremost importance for health prevention and intervention in the community (Rigoni et al, 2016; Vonasch et al, 2017).

Results

Discussion

Conclusion