Assessment current issue

Brooding and Pondering: Isolating the Active Ingredients of Depressive Rumination With Exploratory Factor Analysis and Structural Equation Modeling

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:14:40 PST

Depressive rumination, as assessed by Nolen-Hoeksema’s Response Styles Questionnaire (RSQ), predicts the onset, chronicity, and duration of depressed mood. However, some RSQ items contain depressive content and result in a heterogeneous factor structure. After the a priori elimination of items potentially confounded with depressed item content, Treynor, Gonzalez, and Nolen-Hoeksema identified two factors within the remaining RSQ rumination sub-scale that were differentially related to depression: brooding and pondering. However, Treynor et al. used a nonstandard form and administration of the RSQ. The present study sought to address these methodological idiosyncrasies and replicate the factor structure of Treynor et al. through exploratory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. Findings support the brooding and pondering solution and demonstrate that brooding relates more strongly to depression and anxiety than does pondering.

A Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the California Verbal Learning Test--Second Edition (CVLT-II) in a Traumatic Brain Injury Sample

DeJong, J., Donders, J. — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:14:41 PST

The latent structure of the California Verbal Learning Test—Second Edition (CVLT-II) was examined in a clinical sample of 223 persons with traumatic brain injury that had been screened to remove individuals with complicating premorbid (e.g., psychiatric) or comorbid (e.g., financial compensation seeking) histories. Analyses incorporated the z scores from 12 CVLT-II variables. Maximum-likelihood confirmatory analyses were performed to test the fit and parsimony of four hypothetical models. A four-factor model, consisting of Attention Span, Learning Efficiency, Delayed Memory, and Inaccurate Memory, met all the a priori specified criteria for model fit and parsimony. This model was consistent with that identified previously in a confirmatory factor analysis of the CVLT-II standardization sample. The results support the construct validity of the CVLT-II in individuals with traumatic brain injury and indicate that a multifactorial interpretation is appropriate for clinical practice.

A Psychometric Examination of Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity (MIBI) Scores

Vandiver, B. J., Worrell, F. C., Delgado-Romero, E. A. — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:14:41 PST

The factor structure of the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity (MIBI) was assessed in a sample of 272 African American college students using confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses. The fit indices from the confirmatory analyses did not support the seven-factor first-order model or two alternative higher-order models suggested by the developers, but yielded numerous recommendations for modifications. A post hoc exploratory factor analysis indicated that MIBI items were best represented by a five-factor structure.

A Brief Assessment of the Interpersonal Circumplex: The IPIP-IPC

Markey, P. M., Markey, C. N. — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:14:41 PST

Three studies are presented that demonstrate the psychometric properties and initial validation of the International Personality Item Pool—Interpersonal Circumplex (IPIP-IPC). The IPIP-IPC is a brief 32-item assessment of the interpersonal cirucmplex designed to be used when time is limited or when participants have difficulty understanding the adjective items used in more traditional assessments of the interpersonal circumplex. In Study 1, 501 participants were examined to develop the IPIP-IPC and demonstrate the circular structure of the IPIP-IPC scales and their relation to the five-factor model of personality. Study 2 included 274 participants to reconfirm the circular structure of the IPIP-IPC scales. Finally, in Study 3, 100 participants again reconfirm the circular structure of the IPIP-IPC scales and demonstrate the overlap of the IPIP-IPC with a commonly used assessment of the circumplex: the 64-item Interpersonal Adjective Scale. Overall, the results suggest that the IPIP-IPC provides a relatively short, quick, and valid assessment of the interpersonal circumplex while maintaining many of the psychometric properties of longer assessment tools.

Contemplating the Presence of Third Party Observers and Facilitators in Psychological Evaluations

Otto, R. K., Krauss, D. A. — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:14:41 PST

Significant controversy surrounds how psychologists should balance competing interests when considering whether and under what conditions third parties should be permitted to be present during psychological evaluations. This is especially true in forensic contexts where much is often at stake for those being assessed. Unfortunately, existing professional statements on this issue provide limited guidance to practitioners on how to think about this issue. In this article, the authors (a) distinguish between different types of third party participants, (b) highlight the competing interests that underlie third party presence decisions, and (c) offer a framework for psychologists to employ when considering third party presence.

An Item-Level Psychometric Analysis of the Personality Assessment Inventory: Clinical Scales in a Psychiatric Inpatient Unit

Siefert, C. J., Sinclair, S. J., Kehl-Fie, K. A., Blais, M. A. — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:14:41 PST

Multi-item multiscale self-report measures are increasingly used in inpatient assessments. When considering a measure for this setting, it is important to evaluate the psychometric properties of the clinical scales and items to ensure that they are functioning as intended in a highly distressed clinical population. The present study examines scale properties for a self-report measure frequently employed in inpatient assessments, the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI). In addition to examining internal consistency statistics, this study extends prior PAI research by considering key issues related to inpatient assessment (e.g., scale distinctiveness, ceiling effects). Coefficient alphas, interitem correlations, and item— scale relationships suggest that the PAI clinical scales and subscales are internally consistent. Items for respective clinical scales generally showed significantly higher item—scale correlations with their intended scale (as compared with their item—scale correlation with scales they were not intended to measure). In addition, scales’ coefficient alpha scores were higher than their interscale correlations. Taken as a whole, these results support the hypothesis that PAI scales were measuring relatively distinct constructs in this inpatient sample. Findings are discussed with regard to the implications for scale interpretation in inpatient assessment, functioning of individual scales and subscales, and functioning of specific items. Limitations of the present study and directions for future research are discussed.

A Review of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory--Adolescent (MMPI-A) and the Millon Adolescent Clinical Inventory (MACI) With an Emphasis on Juvenile Justice Samples

Baum, L. J., Archer, R. P., Forbey, J. D., Handel, R. W. — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:14:41 PST

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory—Adolescent (MMPI-A) and Millon Adolescent Clinical Inventory (MACI) are frequently used objective personality self-report measures. Given their widespread use, the purpose of the current study was to examine and compare the literature base for the two instruments. A comprehensive review of the literature was conducted between the years 1992 and 2007 using the PsycINFO Database. Results indicate the publication of 277 articles, books, book chapters, monographs, and dissertation abstracts on the MMPI-A. This was compared with the results of a comparable search for the MACI, which yielded 84 citations. The literature was further explored by determining the content of the topic areas addressed for both instruments. A particular focus was placed on the utility of the instruments with juvenile justice populations; scale means, standard deviations, and effect sizes calculated from this literature were examined. Results indicate that the use of the MMPI-A is supported by a substantial literature and a growing research base is also available for the MACI. Both instruments appear to provide useful results in juvenile justice settings.

The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale--III and Malingering in Traumatic Brain Injury: Classification Accuracy in Known Groups

Curtis, K. L., Greve, K. W., Bianchini, K. J. — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:14:41 PST

A known-groups design was used to determine the classification accuracy of Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale—III (WAIS-III) variables in detecting malingered neurocognitive dysfunction (MND) in traumatic brain injury (TBI). TBI patients were classified into the following groups: (a) mild TBI not-MND (n = 26), (b) mild TBI MND (n = 31), and (c) moderate/severe (M/S) TBI not-MND (n = 26). A sample of 80 general clinical patients was used for comparison. Verbal IQ, Verbal Comprehension Index, and Working Memory Index detected approximately 25% of malingerers with a false positive (FP) error rate of approximately 5% in the mild TBI group. Comparable FP rates were obtained in M/S TBI. FP rates for Performance IQ, Perceptual Organization Index, and Processing Speed Index were acceptable in mild TBI but too high in M/S TBI. Previously studied specialized indicators (Vocabulary minus Digit Span and the Mittenberg formula) failed to differentiate malingerers from nonmalingerers. The clinical application of these findings is discussed.

Sex Differences in Sum Scores May Be Hard to Interpret: The Importance of Measurement Invariance

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:14:41 PST

In most assessment instruments, distinct items are designed to measure a trait, and the sum score of these items serves as an approximation of an individual’s trait score. In interpreting group differences with respect to sum scores, the instrument should measure the same underlying trait across groups (e.g., male/female, young/old). Differences with respect to the sum score should accurately reflect differences in the latent trait of interest. A necessary condition for this is that the instrument is measurement invariant. In the current study, the authors illustrate a stepwise approach for testing measurement invariance with respect to sex in a four-item instrument designed to assess disordered eating behavior in a large epidemiological sample (1,195 men and 1,507 women). This approach can be applied to other phenotypes for which group differences are expected. Any analysis of such variables may be subject to measurement bias if a lack of measurement invariance between grouping variables goes undetected.