Evidence Of Divergent Validity Research Articles

The Hip Sports Activity Scale (HSAS) for Patients with Femoroacetabular Impingement

To develop and validate a sports activity scale for patients with a diagnosis of femoroacetabular impingement (FAI). A nine level Hip Sports Activity Scale (HSAS) was constructed both in German and English languages. Fifty-nine consecutive patients undergoing surgical treatment for FAI at two centers in Switzerland and in the US completed a questionnaire set consisting of the HSAS, the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) activity scale and different hip joint-specific and generic outcome tools. For reliability assessment, the HSAS was completed twice about nine days apart. Evidence of reliability, validity and responsiveness was investigated by classical psychometric analyses. Reliability was excellent for both the German and the English versions with intraclass correlation coefficients of 0.94 and 0.96, respectively. Evidence of convergent validity was supported by moderate to high correlations with the UCLA activity scale and with the joint-specific measures used. Evidence of divergent validity was supported by low correlations with the SF-12 Mental Component Scale and the WOMAC stiffness subscale. The standardised response mean was 0.69. The HSAS is a reliable and valid tool to determine sports levels in patients suffering from FAI. Its use in future studies investigating outcomes in young patients with hip disease can be recommended. Level III, Diagnostic Studies - An independent, masked comparison with an appropriate population of patients, but reference standard not applied to all study patients.

Emotion in Teaching and Learning: Development and Validation of the Classroom Emotions Scale

Although scholars from across the field of communication have highlighted the importance of emotion in interpersonal relationships, persuasive messages, and organizations, the topic has yet to receive systematic attention from scholars who study classroom communication. Using interdisciplinary literature from communication and other fields as a foundation, the Classroom Emotions Scale (CES) was created to assess students' perceptions of emotional experiences in classes. Study 1 situates the scale within theory connecting emotions with classroom communication. The study reports initial evidence on scale dimensionality and connections between classroom emotions and three teacher communication variables: nonverbal immediacy, clarity, and communication competence. Study 2 extends those results by reporting a confirmatory factor analysis testing dimensionality of the scale; criterion and divergent validity evidence is also presented. Results of the two studies provide reliability and validity evidence for the CES, show that teachers' communication behaviors are related to students' reports of emotional experiences in classes, and document relationships between students' emotional experiences and various indicators of their motivation, affective, and cognitive learning. Findings are discussed as they relate to previous emotional response theory as well as philosophical works seeking to reduce binaries between emotion and reason.

Construct Validity of the Physical Function Scale of the Swiss Spinal Stenosis Questionnaire for the Measurement of Walking Capacity

Measurement (validity) study using data from a prospective longitudinal study of lumbar spinal stenosis. Provide convergent and divergent validity evidence for the use of the Physical Function Scale of the Swiss Spinal Stenosis Questionnaire for the measurement of walking capacity in persons with lumbar spinal stenosis. We were also interested in the association between the Physical Function Scale and the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). The Physical Function Scale has been used to assess walking capacity in persons with lumbar spinal stenosis; however, there have been limited studies investigating its psychometric properties. No validity studies have compared the Physical Function Scale and the ODI head to head. The Physical Function Scale was correlated with the ODI, Health Utilities Index, Centres for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, Medical Outcomes Survey Social Support Scale, and an additional item from the Oxford Claudication Score. As hypothesized, the Physical Function Scale was correlated highly with those instruments and items intended to measure walking capacity and minimally with those instruments intended to measure different constructs. The correlation between the Physical Function Scale and the ODI was r = 0.719. Results support construct validity of the Physical Function Scale for the measurement of walking in an lumbar spinal stenosis population. However, it cannot be ascertained from the current study that the construct being measured is, indeed, walking capacity. Further research is warranted to investigate criterion validity evidence for the use of the Physical Function Scale in the measurement of walking capacity in lumbar spinal stenosis, by examining the relationships between self-report and observational measures of walking.

What Does the Wonderlic Personnel Test Measure?

The present investigation examined the concurrent validity of the Wonderlic Personnel Test and Woodcock-Johnson-Revised Tests of Cognitive Ability which were administered to 37 college students, 27 women and 10 men, who ranged in age from 18 to 54 years (M=27.1, SD=8.7). Analysis yielded significant correlation coefficients between the Wonderlic Total score and the score for the WJ-R Broad Cognitive Ability Standard Battery (r = .55) and the Comprehensive Knowledge score (r= .34). Performance on the Wonderlic was not significantly correlated with fluid reasoning skills (r=.26) but was most strongly associated with overall intellectual functioning, as measured by the Woodcock-Johnson Standard Battery IQ score. While scores on the Wonderlic were more strongly associated with crystallized than fluid reasoning abilities, the Wonderlic test scores did not clearly show convergent and divergent validity evidence across these two broad domains of cognitive ability.

Construct Validity of the Physical Function Scale of the Swiss Spinal Stenosis Questionnaire for the Measurement of Walking

The Physical Function (PF) Scale of the Swiss Spinal Stenosis Questionnaire has been used to assess walking in persons with lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS). However, there are limited studies investigating the validity of the PF scale for the evaluation of walking in this population. PURPOSE: The purpose of the present study was to provide convergent and divergent validity evidence for the use of the PF Scale in the assessment of walking in persons with LSS, by correlating it with measures intended to assess similar and different constructs. METHODS: All subjects were >50 years of age, and part of a multi-centre prospective longitudinal study of prognostic factors and outcomes of LSS being conducted in Alberta. Subjects had been referred to any of four imaging facilities in the Calgary Health Region for lumbar spine imaging, with suspected LSS. All had LSS confirmed on imaging, as well as through a subsequent visit to a spine surgeon (n=72). Data acquisition: Baseline data were collected by telephone interview. Instruments intended to measure constructs similar to the PF scale included the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), the Health Utilities Index Mark 3 (HUI), and items addressing walking from the ODI, the HUI, and the Oxford Claudication Score (OCS). Instruments intended to measure unrelated constructs included the Centres for Disease Control Depression Scale (CES-D) and the Medical Outcomes Social Support Survey (MOS). Data analysis: Spearman correlation coefficients were used to determine the associations between the PF scale and other instruments. RESULTS: The PF Scale was correlated significantly (p<0.01) with the following measures, providing convergent validity evidence: ODI total (r=0.719), ODI walking specific item (r=0.797), OCS walking item (r=0.601), HUI total (r=−0.605) and walking specific item (r=−0.616). The PF Scale correlated less so with the CES-D (r=0.273) and the MOS (r=−0.059), providing divergent validity evidence. CONCLUSION: The results of the present study provide convergent and divergent validity evidence for the use of the PF Scale in assessment of walking in patients with LSS.

A TEST OF ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES: NEED ANALYSIS, DESIGN, AND EVALUATION

The current study aimed at constructing a test of Language for Specific Purposes (LSP) as a substitution for the English proficiency test of Postgraduate TEFL Admission examination (PTA) of Islamic Azad University. To this end, the study was instigated with a thorough needs analysis, by means of questionnaires, interviews, and observations, to determine the requirements of the postgraduate TEFL course. Overall, 294 subjects participated in this study. Seventy four postgraduate TEFL students and twenty university professors participated in the needs analysis phase of the study. Subsequent to the analysis and interpretation of the obtained data, the Test of English for Specific Purposes (TESP) was constructed based on the requirements of the program. TESP was put into trial by 200 subjects in three different pilot studies, each of which led to modification of the form and the content of the test. The scores obtained on the final edition of TESP proved to be highly reliable and both a priori and a posteriori evidence were gathered regarding the validity of TESP in addition to the convergent and divergent validity evidence that were provided for the questionnaires of the needs analysis. Following this process of standardization, TESP was compared with the English proficiency test of PTA in predicting the Grade Point Average (GPA) scores of postgraduate TEFL students. Multiple regression models were drawn for the English proficiency test of PTA and TESP as the predictor variables and GPA as the predicted variable. The results indicated that TESP was a significant predictor of postgraduate TEFL students’ GPA scores, whereas PTA was excluded from the regression model.

Cognitive Reserve and the Relationship Between Depressive Symptoms and Awareness of Deficits in Dementia

Cognitive Reserve and the Relationship Between Depressive Symptoms and Awareness of Deficits in Dementia

Construct validity of physical activity and sedentary behaviors staging measures for adolescents

To evaluate the construct validity of physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviors (SB) staging measures for adolescents that incorporate the current national recommendations. The Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run, Actigraph accelerometer, and self-reported hours of TV viewing served as criterion measures. Participants were 878 adolescents (M age = 12.74, 53.6% girls, 39.9% non-White). The PA staging measure had mixed evidence of convergent validity and strong evidence of divergent validity. The SB staging measure had strong and generalized evidence of convergent validity but weak evidence of divergent validity, which could be related to inaccurate assumptions about the relation of SB to PA and fitness. Results were generally in the expected direction and provide preliminary evidence for the construct validity and generalizability of both staging measures. However, more research is warranted to validate the staging measures with Actigraph-measured PA and sedentary time. Effect sizes (eta(2) values) ranged from small to large (.02-.63). PA and SB stage-of-change measures that are congruent with current national recommendations and appropriate for use among adolescents were partially supported for their construct validity.

The development of a measure of subjective computer experience

The present study examined the psychometric properties of a recently developed measure of subjective computer experience using a sample of 179 first year psychology students. The Subjective Computer Experience Scale (SCES) was developed to measure the construct of subjective computer experience, defined for present purposes, as a private psychological state reflecting the thoughts and feelings a person ascribes to some previous or existing computing event. Factor analysis revealed five factors that were labelled, Frustration–Anxiety, Autonomy–Assistance, Training–Education, Enjoyment–Usefulness and Negative Performance Appraisal, respectively. Acceptable internal-consistency estimates of the five subscales were obtained. Convergent validity was evidenced by significant correlations between the SCES and measures of computer attitude and objective computer experience. Evidence for divergent validity was obtained with scores on four of the five subscales of the SCES being unrelated to dispositional coping style. In sum, the SCES was found to have promise as a psychometrically sound instrument for measuring subjective computer experience.

A psychometric evaluation of the parent report form of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children—Trait Version

We examined the psychometric characteristics of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children–Parent Report—Trait Version (STAIC-P-T) [Strauss, C. (1987). Modification of trait portion of State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children–Parent Form. Gainesville, FL: University of Florida], a brief, parent report paper-and-pencil measure of child chronic anxiety, in a large clinic-referred sample. Internal consistency coefficients were high and retest reliability coefficients were in the moderate range. Convergent validity evidence was mixed in its support for the measure, with evidence most supportive within reporter and within parental dyad. Divergent validity evidence provided less support for the measure, but was largely consistent with past research. Regression analyses indicated that parent reports on the STAIC-P-T were not significantly related to a parent’s own level of symptomatology. Overall, the study provides mixed support for the psychometrics of the STAIC-P-T.

Do advanced moral reasoners also show wisdom? Linking moral reasoning and wisdom-related knowledge and judgement

Wisdom and morality are both discussed as developmental ideals. They are often associated in theoretical contexts but the nature of their empirical relation is still an open question. We hypothesised that moral reasoning (one facet of morality), would be related to wisdom-related knowledge and judgement, but that the two represent different facets of high level psychological functioning. A sample of 220 adults ranging in age from 20 to 87 years completed measures of wisdom-related performance, moral reasoning, and a battery of cognitive and personality measures. As predicted, moral reasoning was positively associated with wisdom-related performance, although we also found evidence for divergent validity of these two constructs. This association was mediated by person characteristics (e.g., personality, intelligence, and additional measures). In addition, as predicted by a threshold model, very high levels of wisdom-related performance were unlikely among those with very low moral reasoning performance. In line with neo-Piagetian conceptions, exploratory analyses suggested that higher age was associated with higher levels of wisdom-related knowledge and judgement only for those with high levels of moral reasoning. Results are discussed in terms of a lifespan model of wisdom-related knowledge and judgement.

Socially Desirable Responding in Close Relationships: A Dual-Component Approach and Measure

Five studies were conducted to develop and validate a brief measure of socially desirable responding (SDR) for use in close relationships research, the Inventory of Desirable Responding in Relationships (IDRR). Specifically, a two-component measure of SDR was created to assess individuals' tendencies to: (i) deceive themselves, and (ii) deceive others regarding negative aspects of their close relationship. Study 1 employed exploratory factor analyses to isolate items that loaded on two factors, labeled Relationship Self-Deception (REL-SD) and Relationship Impression Management (REL-IM). Study 2 confirmed the factor structure obtained in Study 1 and provided evidence for a two-factor versus one-factor model of relationship SDR. Consistent with the hypotheses, Study 3 demonstrated that REL-IM scores are higher when generated in a public condition relative to an anonymous condition, whereas REL-SD scores remain unaffected by this manipulation. Consistent with the literature on the role of illusions in mental health, Study 4 demonstrated that REL-SD is associated with multiple indices of relationship health. Study 5 validated the scale on a sample of married adults and provided evidence of divergent validity. Limitations and future research directions are discussed.

Willingness to Pay for Agricultural Research and Extension Programs

AbstractThe North Carolina Agriculture Survey was designed to estimate the willingness to pay for agricultural research and extension programs. We find that North Carolina households are willing to pay between $218 and $401 million for food production programs and between $251 and $698 million for water quality programs annually. We find evidence of divergent validity and differences in the willingness to pay estimates from the single-bound and multiple-bound data.

Assessing older adults with generalized anxiety: a replication and extension

Anxiety is a major health problem for older adults. The cornerstone for further work in this area is research that establishes the psychometric utility of standardized measurement strategies to characterize anxiety in older adults. The goals of the current study were to replicate and extend prior research addressing the psychometric properties of five self-report measures of anxiety in a sample of 57 older adults with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Data addressed the descriptive characteristics, internal consistency, test–retest reliability, interrelation of subscales, and convergent and divergent validity of the Penn state worry questionnaire (PSWQ), worry scale (WS), Spielberger state-trait anxiety inventory — Form Y (STAI), and two versions of the fear questionnaire (FQ). Descriptive data generally replicated prior findings, with some increased state and trait anxiety in the current sample. Measures were internally consistent, with evidence that a revised version of the FQ that focuses on severity of fear irrespective of associated avoidance demonstrated greater internal consistency than the original version. Measures of content-specific fears and worries (WS, FQ) were stable over time and demonstrated convergent validity. Evidence of convergent validity also was evident for measures of worry and general anxiety (WS, PSWQ, STAI-Trait), but two of these measures (PSWQ, STAI) were not reliable over time. Only the PSWQ showed evidence of divergent validity with respect to self-report measures of depression.

Assessing Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men: The Modern Homophobia Scale

The authors developed the Modern Homophobia Scale (MHS), a scale that includes measures of attitudes toward lesbians (MHS-L) and attitudes toward gay men (MHS-G). An initial pool of 97 items was generated by the authors based on a review of the literature on homophobia and feedback from several focus groups. Responses to the initial pool of items were factor analyzed. The final versions of the MHS-L and the MHS-G included items reflecting the following factors: Personal Discomfort with lesbians/gay men, Institutional Homophobia toward lesbians/gay men, and the Deviance/Changeability of female/male homosexuality. Although the Personal Discomfort, Institutional, and Deviance/Changeability factors were separable, they were highly correlated and showed little evidence of divergent validity. Reactions to gay, lesbian, and heterosexual characters in written vignettes provided initial support for the validity of the MHS. Both the MHS-L and MHS-G were significantly correlated with the Index of Homophobia and the Attitudes Toward Women Scale. A greater degree of homophobia on the MHS-L and MHS-G was associated with a greater degree of socially desirable responding as measured by the Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding. Lower levels of homophobia on the MHS-L and MHS-G were associated with having lesbian and gay acquaintances and friends. On the MHS-L, men and women did not differ in their overall level of homophobia toward lesbians, but significant gender differences on MHS-L factor scores were present. Compared to men, women were more supportive of gay men on all three factors of the MHS-G.

Psychometric Evaluation of a Measure of Cognitive Decline in Elderly People with Mental Retardation

Forty elderly persons with mental retardation were assessed by their care providers on a modified version of the Short Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in The Elderly (IQCODE), an instrument designed to quantify cognitive decline in elderly people in the general population. They were also assessed for IQ, aberrant behavior, and current mental status; test-retest and interrater reliability were evaluated as well. Internal consistency, as assessed by coefficient alpha, was moderately high (α = .86). Test-retest reliability was mediocre and interrater reliability levels did not reach statistical significance. The Short IQCODE was not correlated with a variety of demographic features or with behavior ratings, showing evidence of divergent validity. However, the Short IQCODE was only weakly (nonsignificantly) correlated with a measure of current mental status, which challenges its concurrent validity. The Short IQCODE probably needs to be modified further for satisfactory psychometric performance in people with mental retardation. However, some features of this study may have resulted in suboptimal estimates of the Short IQCODE’s psychometric characteristics.

Validity of three clinical performance assessments of internal medicine clerks.

To analyze the construct validity of three methods to assess the clinical performances of internal medicine clerks. A multitrait-multimethod (MTMM) study was conducted at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine to determine the convergent and divergent validity of a clinical evaluation form (CEF) completed by faculty and residents, an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE), and the medicine subject test of the National Board of Medical Examiners. Three traits were involved in the analysis: clinical skills, knowledge, and personal characteristics. A correlation matrix was computed for 410 third-year students who completed the clerkship between August 1988 and July 1991. There was a significant (p < .01) convergence of the four correlations that assessed the same traits by using different methods. However, the four convergent correlations were of moderate magnitude (ranging from .29 to .47). Divergent validity was assessed by comparing the magnitudes of the convergence correlations with the magnitudes of correlations among unrelated assessments (i.e., different traits by different methods). Seven of nine possible coefficients were smaller than the convergent coefficients, suggesting evidence of divergent validity. A significant CEF method effect was identified. There was convergent validity and some evidence of divergent validity with a significant method effect. The findings were similar for correlations corrected for attenuation. Four conclusions were reached: (1) the reliability of the OSCE must be improved, (2) the CEF ratings must be redesigned to further discriminate among the specific traits assessed, (3) additional methods to assess personal characteristics must be instituted, and (4) several assessment methods should be used to evaluate individual student performances.

Everyday indicators of impaired cognition: Development of a new screening scale

Development of the Everyday Indicators of Impaired Cognition (EIIC) Scale to assess nursing home residents for performance errors in four domains of cognitive functioning is reported. The EIIC had strong content validity, with indices ranging from .7 to 1.0. Factor analyses of data from two independent samples (N = 198, N = 107) confirmed four factors: abstract thinking, judgement, language, and spatial skills. Cronbach's alpha for subscales ranged from .67 to .92; test-retest reliabilities ranged from .49 to .80 with higher reliabilities occurring when time of retest matched time of original testing. Overall EIIC scores correlated to the short Memory-Orientation-Concentration (MOC) test and the Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE) at values supporting convergent validity (r = .67 and -.74, respectively). Evidence for divergent validity is a small, negative, nonsignificant correlations (r = -.15, -.18) of the EIIC at Times 1 and 2 to the Bradburn Affect Balance Scale.

Divergent validity evidence for eckblad and chapman's hypomanic personality scale

Subsequent to final examinations, Eckblad and Chapman's Hypomanic Personality Scale was given to 115 students; the STAI and the Cognitive Interference Questionnaire also were administered. Analysis found that the Hypomanic Personality Scale shows divergence from the measures of anxiety and cognitive interference despite the fact that convergence has been found on other scales of hypomania. In addition, males scored significantly higher than females on the scale. There was no significant relation of the Hypomanic Scale with examination performance.

Fact or artifact? An empirical test of Spearman's Hypothesis

The possibility that Spearman's Hypothesis is a statistical artifact is tested with studies of deaf children's intelligence. Six published and unpublished sources yielded 37 instances in which the magnitude of deaf-hearing differences, and the g loading of the test for deaf children, could be determined on intelligence tests. The magnitude of differences between deaf and normal-hearing children are negatively correlated with g loadings ( r = −.14, NS), and are significantly different from positive correlations reported for black-white differences ( zs > 2.51, ps < .01). Post hoc analyses show the lack of positive relationship between deaf-hearing differences and g loadings is consistent across psychometric and subject samples. The results clearly refute Schonemann's (1985) proposal that the positive relationship between black-white differences and g loadings is a statistical artifact, and the results provide evidence of divergent validity for Spearman's Hypothesis.