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Taxometric Analysis of the Antisocial Features Scale of the Personality Assessment Inventory in Federal Prison Inmates

Federal Correctional Institution, Schuylkill, Pennsylvania, gwalters{at}bop.gov.

Pamela M. Diamond

University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

Philip R. Magaletta

Federal Bureau of Prisons

Matthew D. Geyer

U.S. Penitentiary, Lee, Virginia

Scott A. Duncan

U.S. Penitentiary, Atlanta, Georgia

The Antisocial Features (ANT) scale of the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) was subjected to taxometric analysis in a group of 2,135 federal prison inmates. Scores on the three ANT subscales—Antisocial Behaviors (ANT-A), Egocentricity (ANT-E), and Stimulus Seeking (ANT-S)—served as indicators in this study and were evaluated using the following taxometric procedures: mean above minus below a cut (MAMBAC), maximum eigenvalue (MAXEIG), and latent mode factor analysis (L-Mode). Objective and subjective evaluation of the results revealed consistent support for a dimensional interpretation of latent structure across the di ferent taxometric procedures as well as across gender, race, and security level. As a dimensional construct, antisocial personality disorder arranges respondents along one or more quantitative dimensions (degree of antisociality), rather than assigning them to qualitatively distinct categories (antisocial or not antisocial).

Key Words: Personality Assessment Inventory • psychopathy • antisocial personality • taxometric analysis • prison inmates

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Assessment, Vol. 14, No. 4, 351-360 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/1073191107304353


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