Original Measurement Model Research Articles

Validation of Italian students' self-ratings on the SSIS SEL brief scales.

Despite increasing interest in measuring social and emotional learning (SEL), there is a lack of European-validated tools for assessing the efficacy of SEL programs. The aim of this study was to validate an Italian version of the social skills improvement system (SSIS) SEL brief scales-student form. Participants were 1,175 students (mean age: 11.02 years; SD: 2.42; range: 8-16 years; males: 46.8%) recruited at schools in Northern Italy. Initial confirmatory factor analysis encountered a series of challenges, implying non-convergence of the original five-factor measurement model (self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making) based on the Collaborative on Academic Social Emotional Learning (CASEL) competency framework established with students in the United States. Further exploratory and confirmatory analyses supported a four-factor model that remained partially invariant across gender groups. The Italian version of the SSIS SEL brief scales was thus shown to be an efficient measurement tool for estimating social and emotional learning in students. We discuss the implications of findings in relation to selecting valid and reliable instruments for assessing children's and adolescents' SEL competencies, while considering the culturally-situated nature of the constructs under study.

Assessing Antecedents of Behavioral Intention to Use e-LMS: A Case From a Private Institution in the Northern Region of India

Students' and instructors' adoption of “e-learning management systems (e-LMSs)” is critical to their success in a “virtual learning environment”. Students can use “e-learning” to obtain instructional materials to supplement “traditional classroom” instruction. This study intends to highlight important factors of e-learning adoption in higher education institutes. The aim is to determine the factors forming positive intention towards using e-LMS based on “individual characteristics” (“Instructor Quality (IQ)”, “Course Quality (CQ)”, “Learning Value (LV)”, “Social Influence (SI)”, “Facilitating Condition (FC)”, “System Quality (SQ)”, “Perceived Usefulness (PU)”, and “Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU)”). The questionnaire-based survey based on 369 responses from LMS users. The proposed research model was tested using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). Initially, Post Adoption Behavior was required to be investigated. The original measurement model contained eight independent constructs. A modified measurement model was created after the initial model was enhanced using exploratory factor and principal component analysis. The results of this study will help practitioners and policy makers in the effective development and implementation of e-Learning Management Systems in HEI's especially in developing countries like India. From the theoretical point of view, the result of this study will further enrich the IT adoption literature.

Testing the Psychometric Properties of an Arabic Version of the Brunel Mood Scale among Physical Education Students.

In our study, we translated and tested the psychometric properties of an Arabic version of the Brunel Mood Scale (BRUMS), referred to as the Arabic Mood Scale (ARAMS), among physical education university students. A total of 681 participants completed the ARAMS in exploratory and confirmatory phases. Exploratory analyses were conducted on data from 253 students between the ages of 19 and 25 years (M = 21.14 ± 1.65 years) of whom 132 were women (52.2%) and 121 were men (47.8%). Confirmatory analyses were conducted on data from 428 students between the ages of 19 and 25 years (M = 20.93 ± 1.55 years) of whom 203 were women (52.6%) and 225 were men (47.4%). The measurement model of the ARAMS was initially evaluated using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and was subsequently tested via confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). EFA identified a 24-item, 6-factor structure that aligned with the original BRUMS measurement model, and CFA demonstrated congruence between the two models. Internal consistency of the six subscales exceeded adequacy levels with good Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's Omega values respectively for anger (0.811; 0.812), confusion (0.830; 0.830), depression (0.858; 0.859), fatigue (0.823; 0.825), and tension (0.824; 0.825), and an acceptable value for vigor (0.749; 0.748). Findings support the factorial validity and internal consistency of the ARAMS, which appears to be a suitable measure for use in Arabic physical education contexts. Further validation studies are required before the ARAMS is used in other Arabic-language contexts.

Novel frequency of arrival‐based emitter localisation methods based on multiple moving observers

It is well known that the Doppler frequency shift contains the emitter location information. The problem of emitter location based on frequency of arrival (FOA) measurements of multiple moving observers is focussed. In contrast to most relevant works, the newly proposed positioning methods consider the influence of signal frequency deviation due to source instability and present two mathematical models of the frequency deviation. The first model assumes that the frequency offset is a small random parameter. A two-stage closed-form location method (called method a) is proposed. In stage 1, a set of pseudo-linear equations are established according to the geometric relationship between the observers and emitter, so as to obtain an intermediate estimate of source position. Stage 2 returns to the original FOA measurement model and uses the estimation result in stage 1 to construct the second set of pseudo-linear equations, yielding the final positioning result. The second model assumes that the signal frequency deviation is a large deterministic parameter. We propose an alternative two-stage localisation method (called method b). In stage 1, a decoupling optimisation algorithm is developed based on the pseudo-linear equations derived in stage 1 of method a, and intermediate estimates of the source position and frequency deviation are obtained successively. Stage 2 returns to the original FOA measurement model again and forms the second set of pseudo-linear equations, yielding the final closed-form solutions of emitter position and frequency offset. Both methods are proved analytically to achieve the Cramér–Rao bound (CRB) under the moderate noise level. Simulation results demonstrate the superior performance of the new methods.

Measurement Model for Medical Image Feature Matrix Similarity Based on CNN

The original similarity measurement model is easy to ignore the processing of image details, resulting in poor accuracy of similarity measurement. In the paper, we propose a similarity measurement model for the medical image feature matrix based on the convolutional neural network (CNN). First, the Gaussian convolution kernel is used to obtain the global and local feature data of medical images, and the corresponding data set is formed. Second, the convolution layer of CNN is introduced, and the image feature matrix is obtained by the convolution layer. Finally, the similarity measurement model of the medical image feature matrix is constructed. The results show that the image similarity measurement effect of this model is better when the test process is divided into three parts: global, local, and detail. The highest error rate of the proposed algorithm is only about 0.21, which takes less time, and the overall fitting degree can reach about 91%. Compared with traditional methods, the accuracy of image similarity measurement is higher and the use effect is better.

Validating military culture: The factor analysis of a military-related adaptation of acculturation in veterans.

Differences between military and civilian culture can impact a veteran's ability to effectively navigate the transition to the civilian setting after separating from military service. However, systems providing psychological services to veterans lack reliable and valid methods of identifying the extent to which the dissonance between military and civilian cultures is associated with postseparation adjustment (e.g., ability to integrate profound deployment experiences into civilian life) and psychological outcomes. Utilization of a theory-driven, acculturation framework to assess military and civilian cultural affiliation may address this gap. While several quantitative measures exist for evaluating acculturation in reference to different ethnocultural experiences and that evaluate military culture-related adjustment or reintegration, there are no existing validated measures rooted in cultural theory that explicitly assess military-related acculturation. The aim of the present study was to develop and examine the psychometric properties of theoretically grounded, military-related adaptations of validated acculturation measures. Data from 364 veterans were collected with an online survey including four military-related adaptations of acculturation measures. Results suggest that the proposed adaptation of the original ethnocultural measurement model was not a good fit to the data, χ² = 2396.99, p < .001, TLI = .73. An evaluation of localized areas of strain in the confirmatory model and results from an exploratory factor analysis suggest support for the continued development of a military-related model of acculturation after considering further measure restructuring and validation. Opportunities for future research and measure validation are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Validation of the Italian version of the 25-item Hikikomori Questionnaire (HQ-25-I).

The present studyaimed to adapt the 25-item Hikikomori Questionnaire to the Italian context (HQ-25-I) and to test its psychometric properties in two samples, particularly a sample of residents with psychiatric conditions (n = 117) and a sample of individuals from the community (n = 209). We tested the fit of the original three-factor structure (Socialization, Isolation, and Emotional Support) and measurement invariance across the two groups, and the reliability, convergent, and criterion (concurrent) validity of the HQ-25-I. The results showed that the original measurement model fitted the data well and that it was invariant across the two groups. The measure was reliable and positively correlated with some maladaptive personality trait domains (PID-5-BF), Depression (BDI-II), and Hopelessness (BHS) in both groups, with higher scores observed in the clinical sample. However, low correlations were found between the HQ-25-I and the PID-5-BF Detachment and Negative Affectivity. The results from the study showed that the HQ-25-Iisreliable, but further examination of its validity is warranted. Implications for theory and future research are discussed.

Psychometric Analysis of the Dating Anxiety Scale for Adolescents in Samples of Polish and U.S. Young Adults: Examining the Factor Structure, Measurement Invariance, Item Functioning, and Convergent Validity.

This study explored whether the Dating Anxiety Scale for Adolescents (DAS-A), which was originally developed in the United States to assess dating anxiety in adolescents, is appropriate for use in samples of young adults from Poland and the United States. The factor structure, measurement invariance across country, gender and relationship status, degree of precision across latent levels of the DAS and the functioning of individual items, and convergent validity were examined in a sample of 309 Polish and 405 U.S. young adults. The confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) supported the original three-factor measurement model of the DAS. Invariance tests revealed factor loadings and item thresholds that differed across subgroups, supporting partial metric and partial scalar invariance. The MIRT analysis showed that all items adequately discriminated participants with low and high anxiety. Dating anxiety latent factor correlations with mental health and interpersonal competence were significant in the expected negative directions. The results call for careful interpretation of research involving the DAS in cultural, gender, and relationship status groups, particularly when the primary goal is to compare mean levels of dating anxiety. Further development of the scale is recommended before it can be used across country, gender, and relationship status groups.

Adaptation and psychometric validation of Diabetes Health Profile (DHP-18) in patients with type 2 diabetes in Quito, Ecuador: a cross-sectional study

IntroductionThe Diabetes Health Profile (DHP‐18), structured in three dimensions (psychological distress (PD), barriers to activity (BA) and disinhibited eating (DE)), assesses the psychological and behavioural burden of living with type 2 diabetes. The objectives were to adapt the DHP‐18 linguistically and culturally for use with patients with type 2 DM in Ecuador, and to evaluate its psychometric properties.MethodsParticipants were recruited using purposive sampling through patient clubs at primary health centres in Quito, Ecuador. The DHP-18 validation consisted in the linguistic validation made by two Ecuadorian doctors and eight patient interviews. And in the psychometric validation, where participants provided clinical and sociodemographic data and responded to the SF-12v2 health survey and the linguistically and culturally adapted version of the DHP-18. The original measurement model was evaluated with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Reliability was assessed through internal consistency using Cronbach’s alpha and test–retest reproducibility by administering DHP-18 in a random subgroup of the participants two weeks after (n = 75) using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Convergent validity was assessed by establishing previous hypotheses of the expected correlations with the SF12v2 using Spearman’s coefficient.ResultsFirstly, the DHP-18 was linguistically and culturally adapted. Secondly, in the psychometric validation, we included 146 participants, 58.2% female, the mean age was 56.8 and 31% had diabetes complications. The CFA indicated a good fit to the original three factor model (χ2 (132) = 162.738, p < 0.001; CFI = 0.990; TLI = 0.989; SRMR = 0.086 and RMSEA = 0.040. The BA dimension showed the lowest standardized factorial loads (λ) (ranging from 0.21 to 0.77), while λ ranged from 0.57 to 0.89 and from 0.46 to 0.73, for the PD and DE dimensions respectively. Cronbach’s alphas were 0.81, 0.63 and 0.74 and ICCs 0.70, 0.57 and 0.62 for PD, BA and DE, respectively. Regarding convergent validity, we observed weaker correlations than expected between DHP-18 dimensions and SF-12v2 dimensions (r > −0.40 in two of three hypotheses).ConclusionsThe original three factor model showed good fit to the data. Although reliability parameters were adequate for PD and DE dimensions, the BA presented lower internal consistency and future analysis should verify the applicability and cultural equivalence of some of the items of this dimension to Ecuador.

Psychometric models of individual differences in reading comprehension: A reanalysis of Freed, Hamilton, and Long (2017)

• Advocate network models complement latent variable models of individual differences. • Reviews best practices for data cleaning and diagnostics for psychometric modeling. • Reanalysis of Freed et al. (2017) reveals problematic measurement model. • Measures of reading comprehension and language experience load on one latent factor. • Network models corroborate findings and alternative conclusions are proposed. Individual differences in reading comprehension have often been explored using latent variable modeling (LVM), to assess the relative contribution of domain-general and domain-specific cognitive abilities. However, LVM is based on the assumption that the observed covariance among indicators of a construct is due to a common cause (i.e., a latent variable; Pearl, 2000). This is a questionable assumption when the indicator variables are measures of performance on complex cognitive tasks. According to Process Overlap Theory (POT; Kovacs & Conway, 2016), multiple processes are involved in cognitive task performance and the covariance among tasks is due to the overlap of processes across tasks. Instead of a single latent common cause, there are thought to be multiple dynamic manifest causes, consistent with an emerging view in psychometrics called network theory (Barabási, 2012; Borsboom & Cramer, 2013). In the current study, we reanalyzed data from Freed et al. (2017) and compared two modeling approaches: LVM (Study 1) and psychometric network modeling (Study 2). In Study 1, two exploratory LVMs demonstrated problems with the original measurement model proposed by Freed et al. Specifically, the model failed to achieve discriminant and convergent validity with respect to reading comprehension, language experience, and reasoning. In Study 2, two network models confirmed the problems found in Study 1, and also served as an example of how network modeling techniques can be used to study individual differences. In conclusion, more research, and a more informed approach to psychometric modeling, is needed to better understand individual differences in reading comprehension.

Python-Based Program for Error Structure Analysis and Regression of Impedance Data

The measurement model described in this presentation is based on a program developed in the 1990s by Prof. Mark Orazem and his group using a Matlab front-end and FORTRAN executables.[1] The objective of the present work was to completely rebuild the original measurement model into a stand-alone program. This program was to have more features, be more user-friendly, and be free of proprietary code in order to enable its distribution. The new code was written from the ground up in Python, although some portions of the backend libraries, such as numpy, use C.The working part of the program has five tabs. The File Tools and Conversion part of the program is used to convert files to a program-usable format. The Measurement Model part of the program is used to fit a Voigt measurement model to the impedance data. The Voigt measurement model is the foundation of the error structure analysis performed by the program. The measurement model can be used to filter replicated measurements to extract the standard deviation of the stochastic part of the error structure.[2] These are presented in the Error File Preparation part of the program. In the Error Analysis part of the program, a simple model can be fit to the standard deviation of the stochastic part of the error structure. The model of the stochastic error structure can be used to weight regressions of the impedance spectra. The measurement model may be used as well to determine the portion of the measurement that satisfies the Kramers-Kronig relations.[3] The approach employing a properly-weighted nonlinear regression has been shown to be more sensitive to failures of causality than the linear Voigt model regression developed by Boukamp and employed by many instrument vendors.[4] The final tab of the working part of the program, Custom Formula Fitting, allows regression of arbitrary functions to impedance data. Rather than employ electrical circuit components such as resistors and capacitors,[5],[6] this part of the program is equation-based. The formula is input as Python code and may make use of imported Python packages. The package numpy is already imported. As in standard Python, the imaginary number can be accessed as 1j. The equation-based approach enables regression of models that include look-up tables for convective diffusion,[7] integral functions for the power-law description of oxide films,[8] and de Levie formulas for porous electrodes.[9] The objective of this effort is to provide a program that can allow the users to access the power of the measurement model concept and to fit custom process models. The program will be distributed as a Windows executable.

The assessment of autistic traits with the Autism Spectrum Quotient: Contribution of the French version to its construct validity

IntroductionThe Autism Spectrum Questionnaire (AQ, Baron-Cohen et al., 2001) is a self-report assessment tool aiming at screening autistic traits in normal intelligence adults. While numerous versions in other languages than English now exist, few factorial evidence do sustain the valid use of this instrument as it was conceived, based upon five distinct dimensions (Social skills, Communication, Attention to detail, Attention switching, Imagination); no such study exists with a French version of the AQ. The aim of our study is therefore to present the French version of the scale and to explore its factorial validity with confirmatory factorial analyses and, possibly, its invariance across men and women. MethodSeveral confirmatory factorial analyses, with the robust WLSMV estimator for categorical response format, were run on the questionnaire data from 788 French-speaking students (17–25 years old) at university faculties or schools for higher education in Belgium. The original five-factor measurement model of the AQ was assessed as well as alternative models. An exploratory factorial analysis was also applied to get more insight as to possible sources of misfit. ResultsNo measurement model – neither the original five-factor one nor any of the six other models tested – did produce statistics or fit indices close to significant values: there was no fit to the data. The internal consistency of the subscales was weak; the exploratory factorial analysis further confirmed that as much as ten factors were needed to explain 45% of the data variance. ConclusionOur results, with a French version of the scale, add to many other ones which suggest that the AQ is a too heterogeneous questionnaire with somewhat ill-defined dimensions and non specific/ambiguous items. The questionnaire should probably be shortened and its content realigned to core features of the autism spectrum.

Bifactor Models of Religious and Spiritual Struggles: Distinct from Religiousness and Distress

The Religious and Spiritual Struggles Scale (RSS) measures important psychological constructs in an underemphasized section of the overlap between religion and well-being. Are religious/spiritual struggles distinct from religiousness, distress, and each other? To test the RSS’ internal discriminant validity, we replicated the original six-factor measurement model across five large samples (N = 5705) and tested the fit of a restricted bifactor model, which supported the mutual viability of multidimensional and unidimensional scoring systems for the RSS. Additionally, we explored a bifactor model with correlated group factors that exhibited optimal fit statistics. This model maintained the correlations among the original factors while extracting a general factor from the RSS. This general factor’s strong correlations with religious participation and belief salience suggested that this factor resembles religiousness itself. Estimating this general factor seemed to improve Demonic and Moral struggles’ independence from religiousness, but did not change any factor’s correlations with neuroticism, depression, anxiety, and stress. These distress factors correlated with most of the independent group factors corresponding to the original dimensions of the RSS, especially Ultimate Meaning and Divine struggles. These analyses demonstrate the discriminant validity of religious/spiritual struggles and the complexity of their relationships with religiousness and distress.

Measuring Social Relationships in Different Social Systems: The Construction and Validation of the Evaluation of Social Systems (EVOS) Scale.

Social interactions have gained increasing importance, both as an outcome and as a possible mediator in psychotherapy research. Still, there is a lack of adequate measures capturing relational aspects in multi-person settings. We present a new measure to assess relevant dimensions of quality of relationships and collective efficacy regarding interpersonal interactions in diverse personal and professional social systems including couple partnerships, families, and working teams: the EVOS. Theoretical dimensions were derived from theories of systemic family therapy and organizational psychology. The study was divided in three parts: In Study 1 (N = 537), a short 9-item scale with two interrelated factors was constructed on the basis of exploratory factor analysis. Quality of relationship and collective efficacy emerged as the most relevant dimensions for the quality of social systems. Study 2 (N = 558) confirmed the measurement model using confirmatory factor analysis and established validity with measures of family functioning, life satisfaction, and working team efficacy. Measurement invariance was assessed to ensure that EVOS captures the same latent construct in all social contexts. In Study 3 (N = 317), an English language adaptation was developed, which again confirmed the original measurement model. The EVOS is a theory-based, economic, reliable, and valid measure that covers important aspects of social relationships, applicable for different social systems. It is the first instrument of its kind and an important addition to existing measures of social relationships and related outcome measures in therapeutic and other counseling settings involving multiple persons.

Desenvolvimento e avaliação das características psicométricas do Questionário de Auto-Percepção de Inteligência Emocional (QIE-AP)

Este estudo pretendeu desenvolver e avaliar as caracteristicas psicometricas de um novo instrumento para avaliar a autopercepcao de capacidades de inteligencia emocional (IE) baseado no modelo de IE de Mayer e Salovey (1997): o Questionario de Auto-Percepcao de Inteligencia Emocional (QIE-AP). Foram desenvolvidos dois estudos transversais. A amostra inclui 401 participantes (n1=191; n2=210) com idades entre 16 e 75 anos. Os dados foram analisados considerando uma analise fatorial exploratoria (AFE), analise fatorial confirmatoria (AFC), analise multigrupos, confiabilidade, e analises de correlacao. Os resultados da analise fatorial exploratoria suportam a retencao de quatro fatores do modelo teorico original: percepcao, avaliacao e expressao emocional, facilitacao emocional do pensamento, compreensao e analise emocional, e regulacao emocional. A analise fatorial confirmatoria demonstrou um bom ajustamento dos dados a estrutura original de quatro fatores, e os fatores revelaram confiabilidade, validade convergente e discriminante. Adicionalmente, as duas analises multigrupos demonstraram que o modelo final e totalmente invariante entre as duas amostras independentes e parcialmente invariantes entre generos. O estudo suporta a validade e confiabilidade inicial do QIE-AP, tornando-o num instrumento util na area da IE.

Compressive sensing reconstruction for compressible signal based on projection replacement

Compressive sensing can reconstruct compressible or sparse signal at the under-sampling rate. However small coefficients of the compressible signal with large number but low energy are hard to be reconstructed, while also infect the accuracy of the big coefficients. In this reason, for the compressive sensing algorithms such as orthogonal match pursuit (OMP) and tree-structed wavelet compressive sensing (TSW-CS), an assumed error is in the measurement model, which makes the reconstructed results not satisfy the original measurement model. Aiming at this problem, we propose the projection replacement (PR) algorithm by building the measurement space and its orthogonal complement space with singular value decomposition, and replacing the projection in measurement space of the reconstructed result with the pseudo-inverse one. The proposed PR algorithm eliminates the hypothetic measurement error in OMP and TSW-CS reconstructed model, and it guarantees theoretically that the PR results have a smaller error. Its effectiveness is verified experimentally with OMP and TSW-CS. The proposed algorithm serves as a good reconstruction algorithm for the CS-based applications such as image coding, super-resolution, video retrieval etc.

Predictors of Older Adults' Personal and Community Mobility: Using a Comprehensive Theoretical Mobility Framework

Forty-six percent of older adults report limitations in their mobility, and maintaining mobility is considered an important factor in keeping adults independent and active in later life. This study tests a comprehensive theoretical framework of mobility (Webber, S. C., Porter, M. M., & Menec, V. H. [2010]. Mobility in older adults: A comprehensive framework. The Gerontologist, 50[4], 443-450. doi:10.1093/geront/gnq013) identifying multiple determinants that additively influence mobility (financial, psychosocial, environmental, physical, and cognitive), as well as cross-cutting influences of gender, culture, and biography. Structural equation modeling was used to examine several models of mobility using data from 6,112 respondents in the Health and Retirement Study (mean age: 74.74, 85% white, 41% male, 57% married). The original measurement model fit the data well. When both personal and community mobility were simultaneously predicted, only the physical, cognitive, psychosocial, and environmental determinants were retained in the independent models. Age and marital status also predicted personal and community mobility. Although most of these relationships were in the expected direction, interestingly when both forms of mobility were included in the model, poorer cognitive ability was associated with greater personal mobility in the final model. Results indicate the importance of accounting for and examining comprehensive models of mobility. The factors affecting older adults' mobility are complex, and these relationships need to be explored in more depth to ensure the maintenance of individuals' independence and quality of life.

New Semidefinite Relaxation Method for Acoustic Energy-Based Source Localization

The acoustic energy-based source localization problem is addressed. Based on the noisy acoustic energy measurements, we obtain a nonlinear and non-convex weighted least squares (WLS) formulation for this problem, whose globally optimal solution is hardly obtained without a good initial estimate. To overcome this difficulty, we first transform the original measurement model to obtain an approximate WLS formulation, and then employ the semidefinite relaxation (SDR) technique to obtain a semidefinite programming (SDP), which can be solved very efficiently. The SDP solution is further refined using the conventional Gaussian randomization procedure. Moreover, we propose an alternating estimation procedure to handle the localization problem when the decay factor is unknown. Simulation results show that the proposed SDR method significantly outperforms the existing methods.

The factor structure of the Turkish version of the Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ-R) in patients with diabetes and cardiovascular disease

BackgroundThe Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ-R) has been used extensively in the study of illness perceptions across different populations. Only few confirmatory factor analytic (CFA) studies of the questionnaire are available. This study examines the construct and discriminant validity of the Turkish IPQ-R in patients with diabetes and cardiovascular disease focusing on the hypothesized seven dimensions of personal controllability, treatment controllability, timeline acute/chronic, timeline cyclical, coherence, consequences and emotional representations.Methods302 patients (60.6% women) with a medically confirmed diagnosis of diabetes or cardiovascular disease and a mean age of 53.9 years were recruited from out-patient clinics in Turkey and surveyed by means of standardized interviews. Direct maximum likelihood confirmatory factor analysis was conducted.ResultsSeveral areas of ill-fit were identified in the original measurement model of the IPQ-R. Four items (items 17, 19, 20, and 31) were deleted because of poor factor loadings. Also, two error covariances (between items 33 and 34 and between items 7 and 8) were added and item 6 respecified to obtain a good model fit. The modified 34-item model showed good reliability and discriminant validity.ConclusionIn accordance with studies on other language adaptations of the questionnaire, we identified certain items of the IPQ-R as potential sources of poor model fit. Their inclusion should be reconsidered in future applications of the questionnaire and researchers should examine whether our reduced set of items is stable across different populations. Our modified 34-item model showed a good reliability and discriminant validity and hence could be a valuable instrument in the assessment of illness perceptions in the Turkish health care setting, provided that the model is confirmed in subsequent research.

The Relationship of Weather Salience with the Perceptions and Uses of Weather Information in a Nationwide Sample of the United States

AbstractThe authors used data from a sample of 1465 adults living in the United States to perform a confirmatory factor analysis on the Weather Salience Questionnaire (WxSQ), a 29-item instrument designed to measure the ways in which weather is psychologically significant for people. The original measurement model of the WxSQ was confirmed in the present sample. Additional work also was performed to create a WxSQ short form consisting of seven items. The authors then examined the relationship of weather salience with the respondents’ climate zones of residence and several other weather-related attitudes and behaviors that were assessed in the national sample. People residing in continental and temperate climates expressed significantly more weather salience than those living in dry climates. Further, weather salience was significantly and positively related to the following: 1) the frequency with which people sought weather information and forecasts, 2) the frequency of seeking weather information during the day, 3) the frequency of using forecasts to plan daily activities, 4) seeking weather information for wider geographic areas, and 5) the use of precipitation and temperature forecasts. Weather salience also was significantly and positively related to the confidence people expressed about National Weather Service forecasts and to the perceived importance of these forecasts. The results imply that peoples’ level of weather salience, at least in part, affects their uses of weather information and their confidence in it. These results support the validity of the WxSQ and also reveal some of the psychological bases of people’s perceptions and uses of weather information.