Tucker's Congruence Coefficient Research Articles

An examination of the cross-cultural equivalence of the personality inventory for DSM-5 across Chinese and U.S. samples.

The Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5) was designed to measure the personality traits of the alternative model of personality disorders (AMPD). It is comprised of 25 lower order facet scales. Factor analytic investigation of these scales has consistently recovered five factors corresponding to the trait domains of the AMPD. Most of these factor analytic studies, however, have been conducted in the United States and Western European countries and languages. Fewer studies have examined the factor structure of the PID-5 in East Asian countries; and no studies have examined whether the five-factor structure found in Western countries/cultures/languages is congruent with those from East Asia. In this study, we examine the PID-5 factor structure in adult community samples from the People's Republic of China (PRC; N = 233 [116 females], Mage = 35.88, range = 22-60) and the United States (N = 237 [118 females], Mage = 35.44, range = 22-60) using exploratory structural equation modelling and assess whether the factor structures across these samples are congruent using Tucker's congruence coefficient. A five-factor solution was an adequate-to-good fit in both samples. The factor structure obtained from the U.S. sample was congruent with the PID-5 normative sample factor structure. The compositional configuration of the factors in the five-factor structure in the PRC sample, however, showed poor congruence with the U.S. sample. A six-factor model proved to be a better fitting model in the PRC sample. We conclude that the PID-5 does not have factor structure equivalence across U.S. and Chinese cultures/languages. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Comparison of typical Thai and Hungarian personality profiles using the Zuckerman–Kuhlman–Aluja Personality Questionnaire

The aim of our study was to compare typical Thai and Hungarian personality profiles of the Zuckerman–Kuhlman–Aluja Personality Questionnaire (ZKA-PQ). 672 Thai and 647 Hungarian were included in our study. The distribution of age, gender and education level were matched. The ZKA-PQ was administered that measures Aggression, Extraversion, Activity, Sensation Seeking and Neuroticism. We tested reliability, the structural invariance and analyzed aggregated mean profiles for cultures as well as typical profiles by cluster analyses. Reliability of factors were acceptable in both cultures, but some facets (especially AC3 Restlessness) showed low reliability. The global Tucker’s coefficient of congruence (TCC) for cross-cultural factorial invariance was 95. We have also run a Multigroup Confirmatory Factor Analysis, but fit indices were not adequate. Cross-cultural neural network invariance was not met either. Hungarians scored significantly higher on Extraversion, Sensation Seeking, Aggression and Activity. Cluster-analyses revealed six typical profiles: Introverted impulsive, Reserved, Resilients, Overcontrolled, Aggressive impulsive and Positive sensation seeker. Majority of first two clusters were Thai respondents, majority for last two clusters were Hungarians. In sum, there were some cross-cultural congruence in factor structure, but strict invariance was not fulfilled. Comparison of mean profiles remain tentative, but cluster analysis revealed cross-cultural differences in typical profiles.

The Formulation of Social Neuroscience Midlife Crisis Predictability Apparatus for Midlife Progression

The purpose of this paper is studying the social brain in the context of neuroscience to unveil their intricate relationship between social environment and neuroscience responses by formulating an effective social neuroscience midlife crisis apparatus to help creating predictability of this phenomenal by preventing it from the earlier stage. The research design was taking a three fundamental levels. The foundational level to collect data from 32 middle aged homogeneous sampling of midlife crisis sufferers through qualitative content analysis design for social and neuroscience thematic by conducting an in depth interview. The verification level to guarantee the validity of the data collected through the selected tests for reaching the re-tested reliability data. The confirmatory level to administer the data through the quantitative survey methods by using self-portrayed midlife crisis experience and self-reported midlife crisis definition to investigate the causal relationship of social and neuroscience to reach an outcome, thereafter the outcome is compared with verified qualitative social neuroscience midlife crisis. Data were analysed by SPSS/Version 25 for principal components analysis. Results from N=32 focus group shows 3 social construct components with 10 neuro-response delineating to 45 unit of meaning of social neuroscience factors. The literature and focus study of total 79 combined factors under Tucker's congruence coefficient interpretation shows the desirable 44 social neuroscience factors in 3 components emerged as independent identity factors. Six midlife crisis expert of different field respondents’ validation by content validity index (CVI=0,906 value) has confirmed that the content is suitable to be used as the measurement for social-neuroscience midlife crisis. Pilot study N=34 analysis by content validity ratio (CVR=0.529 to 1) where 38 social neuroscience factors is retained and tested for internal consistency by communalities=0.5 results that all 38 items are relevant. Data comparison confirmatory by triangle test analysis in which Pearson correlation coefficient (r= > 0.75) shows a positive strong relationship between two sets of variables. The results conclude that there are 3 components, namely biological life faded moment, interior misery intensity and personal hibernating symptom with 38 social neuroscience factors in the predictability apparatus that influence midlife crisis and should be used as predicting and developing therapeutic intervention facility to conquer the midlife crisis. Contribution of Social neuroscience midlife crisis apparatus is an effective scaled system for early prediction and prevention to diminish midlife crisis rate of occurrence, ultimately the details unit of meaning crisis predictability factors scale to assure the accurate intervention devising instrument to social support services.

Psychometric Properties of the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III in an Arabic Clinical Sample Compared With American, Italian, and Dutch Cultures.

Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory MCMI–III is a multidimensional measure of psychopathology with excellent construct validity, test-retest reliability as well as internal consistency. Factor analysis of the MCMI-III has produced mixed results, extracting parsimonious three-factor solutions, or replicating the original four-factor solution in psychiatric samples from Western countries. However, little work has been done on the psychometric properties of the MCMI–III, using non-Western psychiatric samples. Outpatients (N = 212) completed the MCMI–III during a semi-structured interview. Eight exploratory factor analysis (EFA) methods were used to explore the underlying structure of MCMI–III. Skewness, kurtosis, and descriptive statistics confirmed that scales of MCMI–III were normally distributed. High-internal consistency was found. The eight EFA methods applied to the 24 clinical scales identified a consensual three-factor solution: factor I (internalizing psychopathology; 18 scales), factor II (externalizing psychopathology; 4 scales) and factor III (psychological disturbance; 2 scales), accounting for a total of 72% of the common variance. Regarding the cross-cultural equivalence of the MCMI–III structure, Tucker's congruence coefficient (Φ) was used and confirmed that internalizing (F1) and externalizing psychopathology (F2) factors obtained in this study are similar to high vs. low psychopathology and emotional constraint factors provided by American study of Haddy et al. (2005) (Φ was 0.86 and 0.97). These two factors are also similar to the general adjustment and antisocial acting out factors provided by the American study of Craig and Bivens (1998) (Φ was 0.82 and 0.96). The first two factors in this study also reflect high similarity with the factor solutions obtained with the Italian and Dutch versions of MCMI-III (Rossi et al., 2007; Pignolo et al., 2017). Despite using a psychiatric sample from a non-Western culture, the two factors identified for this MCMI–III Arabic version were similar to those reported on studies with MCMI–III, using primarily Western samples (Craig and Bivens, 1998; Rossi et al., 2007).

The impact of combining data sets of fluorescence excitation - emission matrices of dissolved organic matter from various aquatic sources on the information retrieved by PARAFAC modeling

Despite that fluorescence spectroscopy coupled with Parallel Factor Analysis (PARAFAC) has been widely used in the investigation of Fluorescent Dissolved Organic Matter (FDOM) in aquatic systems, the proper performance of PARAFAC analysis on datasets originating from various sources is not to be taken for granted. In this study, we examine the impact of the co-analysis of datasets from various natural water systems located in the same geographical region in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. For this purpose three datasets were formed representative of open sea waters (SW), rivers and streams (RV) and lagoons (LG). The Excitation Emission Matrices (EEMs) derived from fluorescence analysis were subjected to individual PARAFAC analysis per dataset as well as combined analyses i.e.: SWRV, SWLG, RVLG, ALL (SW-RV-LG). We evaluated the reliability of the components that were validated in the combined models through the investigation of model’s residuals and components correlation. We also assessed the similarity of the common identified components among models in regards of: (a) spectral position, by calculating the Tucker congruence coefficient (TCC) of the excitation and emission loadings of the PARAFAC components, and (b) fluorescence intensity, through regression analysis of Fmax, among models. Our analysis showed that for natural waters of various sources within the same geographical region, combined PARAFAC modeling can have both negative as well as positive impact. In the case of the combined SWLG and RVLG models, the PARAFAC analysis was able to resolve the fulvic component that was initially observed only in the LG dataset and thus a new component for SW and RV datasets was resolved. The fulvic-like component was actually identified for the first time in the open sea using the combined datasets. Moreover in the combined SWRV analysis tyrosine-like component was resolved which was found initially only in the RV dataset. Contrary, tyrosine-like component was lost in the combined RVLG dataset. We also show that the resolution of extra components in a combined analysis is not always a good fit for the dataset and the model should be assessed in terms of residuals prior acceptance. Finally, our study proposes that the similarity of the common components between combined and individual models is largely dependent on the similarity between the components of the individual models and that the estimation of the Fmax of a component is probably less affected by data diversity compared to the estimation of its spectral position.

Towards a common metric for assessing heroin-dependent patient satisfaction with medications: Testing methadone and buprenorphine-naloxone

BackgroundPatient satisfaction with methadone or buprenorphine-naloxone can be multidimensionally and specifically assessed by using, respectively, the Scale to Assess Satisfaction with Medications for Addiction Treatment–Methadone for Heroin addiction (SASMAT-METHER) or the SASMAT–Buprenorphine-Naloxone for Heroin addiction (SASMAT-BUNHER). The factor structures of the SASMAT-METHER and SASMAT-BUNHER show substantial commonalities. The objective of the present study is to evaluate the replicability of the SASMAT-METHER factor structure using data from the SASMAT-BUNHER development study in order to obtain an instrument that can be used to compare patient satisfaction with methadone vs. buprenorphine-naloxone. MethodSecondary analysis of SASMAT-BUNHER data provided by 205 participants in the original validation study of that scale (Pérez de los Cobos et al., 2018). Using the SASMAT-METHER component solution (17 items, 3 factors) as the target structure, a principal component analysis was performed on the data set comprised of the corresponding 17 SASMAT-BUNHER items using an oblique semi-specified Procrustean rotation. Additionally, Tucker congruence coefficients were computed to examine the correspondence between the two solutions. ResultThe factor structures of SASMAT-METHER and the 17-item version of the SASMAT-BUNHER can be considered equal given that the overall Tucker’s congruence coefficient of factorial similarity was 0.972, with individual component congruencies ranging from 0.960 to 0.995. ConclusionsThe SASMAT-METHER component solution can serve as a single common tool to compare methadone vs. buprenorphine-naloxone in terms of patient satisfaction. This finding supports the feasibility of using a common metric to specifically assess satisfaction with medications to treat heroin dependence.

Sex differences in neurodevelopmental and common mental disorders examined from three epidemiological perspectives

Sex differences in neurodevelopmental and common mental disorders are a ubiquitous, well-known, though poorly understood phenomenon. This study examined the issue from three epidemiological perspectives: congruence in age of onset, distribution of sex-ratios with respect to age of onset and similarity of comorbidity and risk factor patterns. The analysis was based on data from the population-based PsyCoLaus study (N = 4874, age 35–82 y). Congruence in age of onset and distribution of sex-ratios were examined with the Mann-Whitney test and cluster analysis. The similarity of comorbidity and risk factor patterns, which were represented by 35 variables, was assessed with the Jaccard coefficient and, after factor analysis, with Tucker's congruence coefficient. While age of onset parameters differed little by sex, the sex ratio varied markedly both in early and in late onset disorders. Moreover, the Jaccard coefficients for most disorders indicated that the similarity of comorbidity and further association patterns was low. Similarly, Tucker's congruence coefficient remained below the range of fair similarity in all factor combinations. In sum, sex differences in common mental disorders were impressively reflected by diverging sex ratios and comorbidity / risk factor patterns. This outcome supports the notion that most mental disorders need a sex-specific etiopathogenetic understanding.

Consistency and Generalizability of Dietary Patterns in a Multiethnic Working Population

BackgroundDietary pattern analysis is a complementary method to nutrient analysis in evaluating overall diet–disease hypotheses. Although studies have been conducted to derive dietary patterns among Malaysians, their consistency across subgroups has not been examined. ObjectiveThe study aimed to derive dietary patterns empirically and to examine the consistency and generalizability of patterns across sex, ethnicity, and urban status in a working population. DesignThis was a cross-sectional study using data from the Clustering of Lifestyle Risk Factors and Understanding its Association with Stress on Health and Well-Being among School Teachers in Malaysia study collected between August 2014 and November 2015. Dietary intake was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire, and dietary patterns were derived using factor analysis. Participants/settingParticipants were teachers from selected public schools from three states in Peninsular Malaysia (n=4,618). Main outcome measuresDietary patterns derived using factor analysis. Statistical analyses performedSeparate factor analysis was conducted by sex, ethnicity, and urban status to identify dietary patterns. Eigenvalue >2, scree plot, Velicer’s minimum average partial analysis, and Horn’s parallel analysis were used to determine the number of factors to retain. The interpretability of each dietary pattern was evaluated. The consistency and generalizability of dietary patterns across subgroups were assessed using the Tucker congruence coefficient. ResultsThere was no subgroup-specific dietary pattern found. Thus, dietary patterns were derived using the pooled sample in the final model. Two dietary patterns (Western and Prudent) were derived. The Western dietary pattern explained 15.4% of total variance, characterized by high intakes of refined grains, animal-based foods, added fat, and sugar-sweetened beverages as well as fast food. The Prudent dietary pattern explained 11.1% of total variance and was loaded with pulses, legumes, vegetables, and fruits. ConclusionsThe derived Western and Prudent dietary patterns were consistent and generalizable across subgroups of sex, ethnicity, and urban status. Further research is needed to explore associations between these dietary patterns and chronic diseases.

Does the Assessment of Recovery Capital scale reflect a single or multiple domains?

ObjectiveThe goal of this study was to determine whether the 50-item Assessment of Recovery Capital scale represents a single general measure or whether multiple domains might be psychometrically useful for research or clinical applications.MethodsData are from a cross-sectional de-identified existing program evaluation information data set with 1,138 clients entering substance use disorder treatment. Principal components and iterated factor analysis were used on the domain scores. Multiple group factor analysis provided a quasi-confirmatory factor analysis.ResultsThe solution accounted for 75.24% of the total variance, suggesting that 10 factors provide a reasonably good fit. However, Tucker’s congruence coefficients between the factor structure and defining weights (0.41–0.52) suggested a poor fit to the hypothesized 10-domain structure. Principal components of the 10-domain scores yielded one factor whose eigenvalue was greater than one (5.93), accounting for 75.8% of the common variance. A few domains had perceptible but small unique variance components suggesting that a few of the domains may warrant enrichment.ConclusionOur findings suggest that there is one general factor, with a caveat. Using the 10 measures inflates the chance for Type I errors. Using one general measure avoids this issue, is simple to interpret, and could reduce the number of items. However, those seeking to maximally predict later recovery success may need to use the full instrument and all 10 domains.

PARAFAC Modeling of Irradiation- and Oxidation-Induced Changes in Fluorescent Dissolved Organic Matter Extracted from Poultry Litter.

Parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) applied to fluorescence excitation emission matrices (EEMs) allows quantitative assessment of the composition of fluorescent dissolved organic matter (DOM). In this study, we fit a four-component EEM-PARAFAC model to characterize DOM extracted from poultry litter. The data set included fluorescence EEMs from 291 untreated, irradiated (253.7 nm, 310-410 nm), and oxidized (UV-H2O2, ozone) poultry litter extracts. The four components were identified as microbial humic-, terrestrial humic-, tyrosine-, and tryptophan-like fluorescent signatures. The Tucker's congruence coefficients for components from the global (i.e., aggregated sample set) model and local (i.e., single poultry litter source) models were greater than 0.99, suggesting that the global EEM-PARAFAC model may be suitable to study poultry litter DOM from individual sources. In general, the transformation trends of the four fluorescence components were comparable for all poultry litter sources tested. For irradiation at 253.7 nm, ozonation, and UV-H2O2 advanced oxidation, transformation of the humic-like components was slower than that of the tryptophan-like component. The opposite trend was observed for irradiation at 310-410 nm, due to differences in UV absorbance properties of components. Compared to the other EEM-PARAFAC components, the tyrosine-like component was fairly recalcitrant in irradiation and oxidation processes. This novel application of EEM-PARAFAC modeling provides insight into the composition and fate of agricultural DOM in natural and engineered systems.

ComPARAFAC: a library and tools for rapid and quantitative comparison of dissolved organic matter components resolved by Parallel Factor Analysis

Parallel Factor Analysis (PARAFAC) is a well‐established method for characterizing dissolved organic matter (DOM). While methods for sample processing and PARAFAC analysis are well defined and robust, subsequent classification of DOM fluorescence components and comparisons of components among studies remain highly qualitative. Because these comparisons often guide the interpretation of subsequent data, it is important that quantitatively accurate comparisons be made. We developed a statistical tool, comPARAFAC, using a modified Tucker's Congruence Coefficient (mTCC), an established method of factor comparison, to provide a quantitative basis for comparing models. To develop and test this tool we used mTCC to compare factors from 35 DOM fluorescence studies using Parallel Factor Analysis (PARAFAC) in marine and freshwater environments. We compared mTCC‐guided component matching with qualitative comparisons made in the literature to describe the current perceptions of component equivalence. Based on our analysis, 21% of the direct comparisons made using the qualitative approach are potentially erroneous, whereas possible matches are missed 14% of the time using that same approach. The procedure and accompanying PARAFAC model library for performing quantitative mTCC‐guided comparisons are available as an R package (see Web Appendix A). This method simplifies and standardizes the process by which researchers identify and compare fluorescent DOM components across studies.

Consistency of children's dietary choices: annual repeat measures from 5 to 13 years (EarlyBird 49)

The objective of the present study was to explore the consistency of dietary choices made by children as they grow up. The dietary habits of 342 healthy children were reported annually from 5 to 13 years on a forty-five-item FFQ and analysed by factor analysis. The same two principal dietary patterns--'Healthy' and 'Unhealthy'--emerged each year, and their consistency was assessed using Tucker's congruence coefficient (φ). Individual dietary z-scores for both of these patterns were then calculated every year for each child, and their consistency was measured by Pearson's correlation coefficient (r). Linear mixed-effects modelling was used to investigate individual trends and to quantify reliability of the individual dietary z-scores. Dietary patterns were moderately consistent and systematic over time (0·65 ≤ φHealthy ≤ 0·76; 0·62 ≤ φUnhealthy ≤ 0·78). Individual choices were also consistent year-on-year (0·64 ≤ rHealthy ≤ 0·71; 0·57 ≤ rUnhealthy ≤ 0·68). Reliability rose from 70 % with a single measure to over 90 % with four consecutive measures. The quality of diet diminished over time in 29 % of the children and improved in only 14 %. Dietary habits appear to be set early and seldom improve spontaneously.

Using the Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (SCAN 2.1) as a diagnostic interview providing dimensional measures: Cross-national findings on the psychometric properties of psychopathology scales

Background The Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (SCAN) is a set of clinical assessment instruments developed under the auspices of WHO. In contrast to other structured diagnostic interviews, SCAN also provides possibilities for dimensional assessment of psychopathology. This paper reports cross-national findings on the psychometric properties of psychopathology scales derived from SCAN 2.1. Methods Within a randomized controlled trial, SCAN 2.1 was used in Dresden (Germany), Michalovce (Slovak Republic), Prague (Czech Republic), and Wrocław (Poland). Forty-seven items from Part I of SCAN 2.1, identified as qualifying for constructing dimensional measures, were, on the one hand, grouped according to their allocation to five specific SCAN 2.1 sections. On the other hand, principal component analyses were used to group the items according to their statistical relationship. To estimate the reliability of the scales, Cronbach's α was computed. To assess factor similarity across sites, Tucker's congruence coefficients were calculated. To appraise concurrent validity, mean scale scores were compared across different diagnostic groups. Results Reliability was qualified as moderate to substantial for all generated scales. Factor-solutions differed across sites. Differences in mean scores supported the assumption that the scales might possess, in addition to face validity, concurrent validity. Conclusions This is the first cross-national study on the psychometric properties of psychopathology scales derived from SCAN 2.1, and findings are very encouraging concerning its use as a dimensional measure. However, further studies are needed to substantiate implementation of the scales established.

L' « Ouverture émotionnelle » dans les Troubles de la dépendance et les Troubles de la personnalité

Emotion processing is supposed to play an important role in psychological dysfunctions in alcohol and drug dependency disorders (DD), as well as in personality disorders (PD). The model of “Emotional Openness” (“Ouverture émotionnelle”) provides a multidimensional framework to analyze problematic patterns of emotion processing. Within this framework, it is suggested that drug- and alcohol-dependent patients as well as borderline and antisocial patients show reduced a) “cognitive/conceptual representation” of affective states; b) “emotion regulation”; and c) “expression and communication of emotion”; but d) increased “awareness of body internal indicators” of affectivity; and e) appropriate psychological treatment is supposed to improve these patterns. Drug-dependent patients with PD comorbidity (in particular borderline or antisocial) are supposed to present even stronger deficits in (a) and (b). The hypotheses are tested with the 36-item DOE questionnaire (“Dimensions of Openness to Emotional experiences”, trait version; [19]), assessing six main dimensions of emotion processing as represented by the subject (French and Italian version). The instrument presents satisfying reliability coefficients (mean alphas of the scales in two recent studies ( N = 251; N = 435) vary between 0.74 and 0.82) and good factorial validity (6-factor PCA solutions with varimax rotation solutions in the two samples are highly coherent; the mean of Tucker's congruence coefficients is 0.93). Results of two clinical studies are presented, comparing N = 71 patients (21 drug-dependent without personality disorder; 30 drug-dependent with borderline or antisocial personality; 20 dependent in-patients receiving psychological therapy) with normal control subjects ( N = 51 matched; N = 50 reference group), including one pre-post treatment comparison. Results confirm marked deficits of DD patients concerning “conceptual representation” and “emotion regulation”, as well as a reduction of “communication/expression of emotion” but an increased “awareness of body internal indicators” of affectivity. Differences of patients with a double diagnosis correspond to effect sizes of d = –1.33 for cognitive/conceptual representation of emotions and d = –1.25 for emotion regulation; differences in emotion communication and expression are also significant but less important d = –0.44. Awareness of body internal emotion indicators is increased (d = +0.27) but does not differ significantly from the control group. As supposed, patients with a double diagnosis (DD and PD) described significantly stronger deficits in conceptual representation and emotion regulation than the patients with dependency disorder only. In the second study, a group of DD patients receiving multi-component treatment, including individual and group therapeutic intervention, according to the client-centered approach, and working on emotion processing, showed marked differences from the reference group at the beginning of the treatment (d = –0.91 for cognitive/conceptual representation, d = –0.82 for emotion regulation and d = +0.46 for awareness of bodily internal indicators). As supposed, pre-post comparisons indicate improvement with change effect sizes of d = 0.99 for conceptual representation, d = 0.97 for emotion regulation, as well as d = 0.88 for emotion communication and expression. Furthermore, the changes following treatment are highly significant and substantial, except for the awareness of internal bodily indicators, which only slightly decreased. Patients “normalize” their emotion processing following treatment, describing increased conceptual representation and emotion regulation, as well as emotion communication and expression. Results underline the importance of dysfunctional modes of emotion processing in both pathologies, and underline the validity of applying the model and the DOE instrument. They are discussed with reference to the model of alexithymia.

Tucker's Congruence Coefficient as a Meaningful Index of Factor Similarity

When Tucker's congruence coefficient is used to assess the similarity of factor interpretations, it is desirable to have a critical congruence level less than unity that can be regarded as indicative of identity of the factors. The literature only reports rules of thumb. The present article repeats and broadens the approach used in the study by Haven and ten Berge ( 1977 ). It aims to find a critical congruence level on the basis of judgments of factor similarity by practitioners of factor analysis. Our results suggest that a value in the range .85-.94 corresponds to a fair similarity, while a value higher than .95 implies that the two factors or components compared can be considered equal.

Transcultural Properties of the Composite Scale of Morningness: The Relevance of the “Morning Affect” Factor

Morningness scales have been translated into several languages, but a lack of normative data and methodological differences make cross‐cultural comparisons difficult. This study examines the psychometric properties and factor structure of the Composite Scale of Morningness (CSM) in samples from five countries: France (n=627), Italy (n=702), Spain (n=391), Thailand (n=503), and Australia (n=654). Strong national differences are identified. A quadratic relationship between age and CSM total score was apparent in the Australian data with a downward trend after age 35 yrs. There was no age effect in any sample in the range from 18 to 29 yrs. Factor analysis identified a three‐factor solution in all groups for both men and women. Tucker's congruence coefficients indicate that: (1) this solution is highly congruent between sexes in each culture, and (2) a morning affect factor is highly congruent between cultures. These results indicate there are national differences in factorial structure and that cut‐off scores used to categorize participants as morning‐ and evening‐types should be established for different cultural and age groups.

Development of a multi-channel exploratory battery for psychophysiological assessment: the Stress Profile

As the expanding field of psychophysiology is currently demanding applied methodologies to be used in the clinic, this study aimed to develop a practical multi-channel exploratory battery for psychophysiological evaluation of stress (the Psychophysiological Stress Profile; PSP). The PSP records 6 psychophysiological variables and it is designed to be mainly used in the daily clinic. Moreover, the PSP was intended to be 'the method' to obtain normative and individual psychophysiological patterns, providing relevant information for the therapeutic process. Two hundred and three subjects were evaluated with the PSP in two different contexts: the natural environment and the laboratory. Factorial analysis was applied to obtain psychophysiological profiles. These profiles are based on the covariation among different system responses. The Burt and Tucker Congruence Coefficient was used to compare factorial structures. A 3-factor structure was obtained in both contexts, Congruence Coefficient indicates that these factorial structures are very similar, indicating the existence of a unique and consistent psychophysiological pattern that characterizes the sample. The identified factorial structure shows relevant activation patterns, offering a comprehensive view of the subject's functioning. The structure is consistent through samples and can be considered as normative data for the studied population. PSP has turned out to be a quick and easy-to-use psychophysiological battery that has shown adequate internal consistency for all the recorded variables. In this way, the PSP methodology shows its practical value and usefulness in the assessment process.

Significance Testing of Congruence Coefficients: A Good Idea?

Tucker's congruence coefficient is often used to compare the equality of latent structures on a given test for different subgroups. Initial use of the index was subjective; given the same congruence coefficient, one investigator could decide that a pair of factors was similar, whereas another investigator could decide that they were different. Critical values were subsequently developed for this index to provide an objective basis for decision making. In practice, these values too often suggest congruence between factors known to differ. Results of the present study suggest that significance tests of congruence coefficients are inappropriate as currently performed.

Factor comparison: An examination of three methods

Three coefficients of factor similarity were examined with regard to their behaviour within four sets of data. Two simple methods using Pearson r correlations and Tucker Congruence coefficients were compared with a more complex method given by Kaiser, Hunka and Bianchini (1971). Three of the data sets involved the use of 100 random data matrices, the fourth was that provided by the Eysencks' work on cross-cultural differences in personality using the EPQ. Drawbacks with each other coefficient were apparent from the results, with the Kaiser et al. coefficient being capable of the most misleading results overall. However, use of the mean solution cosine in addition to the variable pair cosines was suggested as a method of validating the Kaiser et al. coefficient. It was concluded that using the three coefficients simultaneously as a multiple indicator yielded the best solution to the problem. In addition, it was suggested that other psychometric indicators should be employed to increase the degree of certainty of factor similarity.

A family of association coefficients for metric scales

Four types of metric scales are distinguished: the absolute scale, the ratio scale, the difference scale and the interval scale. A general coefficient of association for two variables of the same metric scale type is developed. Some properties of this general coefficient are discussed. It is shown that the matrix containing these coefficients between any number of variables is Gramian. The general coefficient reduces to specific coefficients of association for each of the four metric scales. Two of these coefficients are well known, the product-moment correlation and Tucker's congruence coefficient. Applications of the new coefficients are discussed.