Alternative Three-factor Model Research Articles

Prisoners\u2019 academic motivation, viewed from the perspective of self-determination theory: Evidence from a population of Norwegian prisoners

The study presented in this article explores prisoners’ academic motivation structure from the theoretical perspective of self-determination theory, using the Academic Motivation Scale (AMS). Analysing survey responses from 529 (29 female, 500 male) prisoners with Norwegian citizenship who participated in education while being incarcerated, the authors investigate how prison students’ motivation might be “reduced” or summarised using a smaller set of factors or components than extant studies. A confirmatory factor analysis suggested that a five-factor model, including intrinsic motivation, three types of extrinsic motivation (namely identified regulation, introjected regulation, and external regulation) and amotivation, yielded the best fit with the data provided by the prisoners. An alternative three-factor model created by collapsing the three extrinsic dimensions into a single dimension was found to fit the data poorly. The structural model revealed that younger prisoners displayed more controlled academic motivations than older ones, who displayed more autonomous motivations. Contrary to the authors’ expectations, prisoners with a higher level of education did not display more autonomous academic motivations than those with a lower level.

The 21-item Barratt Impulsiveness Scale Revised (BIS-R-21): An alternative three-factor model.

Background and aimsDue to its important role in both healthy groups and those with physical, mental and behavioral disorders, impulsivity is a widely researched construct. Among various self-report questionnaires of impulsivity, the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale is arguably the most frequently used measure. Despite its international use, inconsistencies in the suggested factor structure of its latest version, the BIS-11, have been observed repeatedly in different samples. The goal of the present study was therefore to test the factor structure of the BIS-11 in several samples.MethodsExploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted on two representative samples of Hungarian adults (N = 2,457; N = 2,040) and a college sample (N = 765).ResultsAnalyses did not confirm the original model of the measure in any of the samples. Based on explorative factor analyses, an alternative three-factor model (cognitive impulsivity; behavioral impulsivity; and impatience/restlessness) of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale is suggested. The pattern of the associations between the three factors and aggression, exercise, smoking, alcohol use, and psychological distress supports the construct validity of this new model.DiscussionThe new measurement model of impulsivity was confirmed in two independent samples. However, it requires further cross-cultural validation to clarify the content of self-reported impulsivity in both clinical and nonclinical samples.

Investigation of the factorial structure and psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 in patients with psychiatric disorders

The aims of this study were to assess the factor structure, validity, and reliability of the Persian translation of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 (TAS-20) and to examine different models of the TAS-20 in Iranian patients with various psychiatric disorders. Participants were 839 patients with psychiatric disorders, including obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) (n = 80), schizophrenia (n = 82), bipolar disorder (BD) (n = 100), alcohol dependence (n = 81), major depressive disorder (MDD) (n = 95), psychosomatic disorders (n = 92), anxiety disorders (n = 85), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (n = 90), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (n = 55), and suicide attempts (n = 79). Results indicated that the three-factor TAS-16 fit the data well, after removing four items from the externally-oriented thinking (EOT) subscale. In addition, the total score and subscales had strong internal consistency and concurrent validity. An alternative three-factor model and a four-factor model, which both allow the reverse-coded EOT items to load on a separate factor, also had an acceptable fit. The results suggest that after deleting four items from the EOT subscale, the 16-item TAS is a reliable scale among Iranian psychiatric patients. Moreover, the alternative three-factor and four-factor structures may be appropriate to apply among Iranian patients.

The Alternative Three-Factor Model: Evidence from the German Stock Market

This article applies the alternative three-factor model introduced by Chen/Novy-Marx/Zhang (2010) to the German stock market for the sample period of 2004 through 2015. We construct two new factors INV (“investment”) and ROA (“return on assets”) for companies listed on the highest segment of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, and examine whether they can explain various stock market anomalies using linear time series regressions. Our results reveal that the theoretical assumptions of the model are valid for the German stock market. Firms with higher investments generally exhibit lower returns, while more profitable firms exhibit higher returns. However, we find that the alternative three-factor model does not explain capital market anomalies in the German market better than the factors of the traditional Fama/French (1993) three-factor model.

Brief Report: Factor Analysis of the Brazilian Version of the Adult Autism Spectrum Quotient.

This study examined the factor structure of the Brazilian version of the Autism-Spectrum Quotient. This is a self-report questionnaire for continuous and quantitative assessment of autistic spectrum traits in adults. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed on the five-factor model (social skill, attention switching, attention to detail, communication and imagination) proposed by the original authors, support not being found for this model in our sample. An exploratory factor analysis was then performed that resulted in an alternative three-factor model (social skills, details/patterns and imagination). Confirmatory factor analysis of the latter model revealed adequate psychometric indexes. The Brazilian version of the AQ was shown to be an adequate instrument for the evaluation of signs compatible with the autism spectrum in adults.

Asset Pricing and Momentum: A South African Perspective

ABSTRACTBoth the capital asset pricing model and Fama and French’s (1993) three-factor model have consistently failed to explain momentum in stock returns, with only Carhart’s (1997) four-factor model having some success in this regard. This study examines whether an alternative three-factor model proposed by Chen, Novy-Marx, and Zhang (2011) and a five-factor model forwarded by Fama and French (2015), which both include profitability and investment as pricing factors, can explain momentum on the South African market. Consistent with international evidence, the pricing errors from these two models are lower and although these errors remain significant, the results reveal that profitability and, to a lesser extent, investment are important risk-based factors that must be considered in explaining the short-term continuation in stock returns.

Tracking Emotional and Behavioral Changes in Childhood: Does the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire Measure the Same Constructs Across Time?

R. Goodman’s Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is widely used to measure emotional and behavioral difficulties in childhood and adolescence. In the present study, we examined whether the SDQ measures the same construct across time, when used for longitudinal research. A nationally representative sample of parents ( N = 3,375) provided data on their children at ages 4, 5, and 6 years. Using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) for ordinal data, two competing models (three-factor model vs. five-factor model) were tested to establish equivalence across time. Results showed that the five-factor model had a superior fit to the data compared with the alternative three-factor model which only achieved an adequate fit at a configural level. Strong longitudinal factorial invariance was established for the five-factor parent version of the SDQ. Our findings support the use of the SDQ in longitudinal studies and provide the important psychometric information required for basing educational, clinical, and policy decisions on outcomes of the SDQ.

Cross-validation of an employee safety climate model in Malaysia

ProblemWhilst substantial research has investigated the nature of safety climate, and its importance as a leading indicator of organisational safety, much of this research has been conducted with Western industrial samples. The current study focuses on the cross-validation of a safety climate model in the non-Western industrial context of Malaysian manufacturing. MethodThe first-order factorial validity of Cheyne et al.’s (1998) [Cheyne, A., Cox, S., Oliver, A., Tomas, J.M., 1998. Modelling safety climate in the prediction of levels of safety activity. Work and Stress, 12(3), 255-271] model was tested, using confirmatory factor analysis, in a Malaysian sample. ResultsResults showed that the model fit indices were below accepted levels, indicating that the original Cheyne et al. (1998) safety climate model was not supported. An alternative three-factor model was developed using exploratory factor analysis. DiscussionAlthough these findings are not consistent with previously reported cross-validation studies, we argue that previous studies have focused on validation across Western samples, and that the current study demonstrates the need to take account of cultural factors in the development of safety climate models intended for use in non-Western contexts. Impact on industryThe results have important implications for the transferability of existing safety climate models across cultures (for example, in global organisations) and highlight the need for future research to examine cross-cultural issues in relation to safety climate.

An alternative three-factor model for international markets: Evidence from the European Monetary Union

In this paper, we construct the three-factor model introduced by Chen et al. (2010) for a European sample covering 10 countries from the European Monetary Union and the period from 1990 to 2006. Two key findings result. First, we show that the properties of the European factors are comparable to those of the US factors. Second, we show that the alternative three-factor model’s explanatory power is either equal or superior to the explanatory power of traditional models when applied to five commonly known stock market anomalies. Our results thus suggest the use of international versions of the Chen et al. (2010) factor model in addition to traditional factor models in international empirical finance research.

Age and gender differences in social anxiety symptoms during adolescence: The Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN) as a measure

The aim of the present study was to examine age and gender differences in social anxiety symptoms during adolescence, and to investigate the psychometrics of the Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN) among adolescents. The SPIN was administered to a large general population sample ( n = 5252) of Finnish adolescents aged 12–16 years. Age and gender trends in scores and internal consistency and factorial composition of the SPIN were examined in this sample. The test–retest reliability of the SPIN was examined in a smaller sample of adolescents ( n = 802). Results showed that girls scored higher than boys on the SPIN full scale and three subscales across the whole age range. Eighth graders (14- to 15-year-olds) scored higher than seventh and ninth graders on the full scale, for boys the differences were significant. Good test–retest reliability ( r = 0.81), and internal consistency (alpha = 0.89) were found for the SPIN. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) performed on a random half ( n = 2625) of the population sample yielded a one-factor model accounting for 38% of the variance between items. This one-factor model, plus an alternative three-factor model, were examined in the holdout half of the population sample ( n = 2627) by means of a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Some support was gained for both factor structures. Our results indicate that symptoms of social phobia may increase in mid-adolescence. The SPIN appears to be a reliable self-report instrument among adolescents.

Use of the Beck Depression Inventory for assessing depression in patients hospitalized with severe burn Disentangling symptoms of depression from injury and treatment factors

The objective of this study was to assess whether scores on the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) are biased by injury severity among hospitalized survivors of burn ( N = 262). A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) model was developed with a general depression factor that loaded on all items and somatic and cognitive factors that were orthogonal to the general factor and to each other. The model fit the data well and substantially better than an alternative three-factor model with correlated factors. Percent total body surface area burned (TBSA) was significantly associated with the general depression factor ( p = .04), but also with the orthogonal somatic factor ( p < .001), suggesting biased measurement due to overlap between somatic symptoms of depression and the severity of the burn injury. Analysis of item communalities, however, suggested that only approximately 2% of total predicted item variance was associated with bias related to injury severity. It was concluded that, despite a small amount of bias, the BDI is a reasonably accurate clinical tool even in the context of severe burn. Appropriate adjustments for bias, however, should be made in research with the BDI among patients with acute burn.