An openness scale for the California Psychological Inventory.

We developed a 36-item scale to measure Openness, using items on the California Psychological Inventory (CPI; Gough, 1957, 1987, 1996), Form 434. Items were initially chosen on the basis of content validity. Five samples (N = 2,375) were used to establish reliability, validity, and norms; 4 samples consisted of university undergraduate students, and 1 comprised applicants for nonmanagement call centerjobs. Internal consistency estimates obtained in each sample averaged approximately .75, and test-retest stability, assessed in 1 sample, was estimated at .84. Cross-correlations with related scales, for example, the NEO Personality Inventory-Revised Openness scale (Costa & McCrae, 1992) and other CPI-based scales, provided evidence of construct validity. Statistically significant predictive validities were obtained in 2 call centerjob-incumbent samples, with range-corrected true validities of .20 to .36 for a number of job performance criteria. Construct and predictive validity were found to be higher than for other scales consisting of CPI items designed to measure Openness or a related construct. Finally, norms were prepared for university undergraduate students (n = 1,847) and nonmanagement service-sector job applicants (n = 528).

Toward More Robust Inferential Procedures for Coefficient Alpha Under Sampling of Both Subjects and Conditions.

Barchard and Hakstian (1997b) demonstrated that inferential procedures used with coefficient alpha are not robust under sampling of both subjects and conditions (Type 12 sampling) with measurement data departing from essentially-parallel form. In the first of 2 studies reported here, a sample-based, non-analytical degrees-of-freedom correction factor was empirically developed that correlated almost perfectly with the independently-established correct degrees of freedom for the data. In the second study, application of this correction factor was assessed through a comprehensive simulation study involving Type 12 data sets representing a wide range of design characteristics and manifesting tau-equivalent measurement. Use of the correction factor yielded actual Type I error rates closer to nominal values than were obtained using uncorrected inferential procedures. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

The Robustness of Confidence Intervals for Coefficient Alpha Under Violation of the Assumption of Essential Parallelism.

Two methods exist for setting confidence intervals for coefficient alpha: Feldt's (1965) exact F-distribution method and Hakstian and Whalen's (1976) asymptotic normal-theory procedure. These methods both assume that items are essentially parallel. Two studies, employing Type 12 sampling, are reported in which the effects of violating this assumption are examined. The results indicate that as long as the data manifest the properties of essential parallelism, the two methods maintain precise Type 1 error control. With a variety of forms of measurement data containing correlated errors or unequal variances, however, the methods resulted in poor Type I error control. No performance differences between the two methods were found. Implications are noted for practice and for future research on inference with coefficient alpha.

Testing color discrimination without the use of special stimuli or technical equipment.

Recently a number of self-report inventories have been developed to provide quick, valid, and reliable measures of sensory function without the use of technical equipment. One such measure, the 10-item Color Screening Inventory, was developed to detect individuals with deficient color perception. In the present study we used a sample of 268 subjects who were tested on both the Farnsworth-Munsell 100-hue test and the Color Screening Inventory. Analysis showed that inventory scores also predict continuous variations in and individuals' ability to discriminate colors, with an eta of .69, which explains 48% of the predictive variance. It was possible to describe the data using a quadratic regression equation which has a corrected correlation of .52. Using this, a conversion table was generated to allow rapid estimation of 100-hue test scores from the inventory. On the basis of the results, the Color Screening Inventory appears to be a quick and effective means of testing color discrimination without requiring special stimuli, technical equipment, or controlled testing environments.

Predicting speech recognition thresholds from pure tone hearing thresholds.

Hearing sensitivity is most commonly still reported in terms of pure tone thresholds. Unfortunately, simple procedures for predicting Speech Recognition Thresholds from Pure Tone Thresholds are not currently available. To remedy this problem, pure tone thresholds were collected from 802 individuals over the range of 250 to 8000 Hz. Five subsets of pure tone thresholds which are commonly used to report hearing status were then considered. An average correlation of 0.878 was found between the various pure tone indexes and the speech recognition threshold. Using regressions between pure tone and the speech measure, a table was constructed that allows conversion of the various pure tone indexes to a predicted speech recognition threshold and involves only a very simple computation.

The development and cross-validation of a self-report inventory to assess pure-tone threshold hearing sensitivity.

Previous attempts to assess hearing loss by means of self-report survey items have shown only low to moderate correlations with actual audiometric measures, probably because these attempts used items with high face validity rather than laboratory-tested validity. Beginning with a pool of 108 items used with 384 individuals, we developed a self-report inventory (see Appendix) suitable for group testing or survey administration, which appears to have high correlation with pure-tone hearing thresholds. The inventory was then cross-validated against laboratory audiometric measures in a separate sample of 422 subjects. The resulting 12-item Hearing Screening Inventory (HSI) was shown to be reliable with an internal consistency coefficient (alpha) of 0.89 and test-retest stability coefficient of 0.88. The correlation between pure-tone hearing thresholds in the better ear and the HSI scores for the combined samples was r = 0.81. The correct classification rate for the HSI was 92.1% for a low fence of 25-dB hearing level and 93.4% for a high fence of 55-dB hearing level. A conversion equation with estimated variability is also provided for point estimates of pure-tone hearing thresholds from the HSI scores. A copy of the inventory and scoring procedure is appended to this report.

Conversion between systems of hearing handicap measurement: an empirically determined computational procedure.

Audiograms collected from 821 individuals were used to determine the interrelationships among five systems of determining hearing handicap based upon pure-tone thresholds. These were the American Academy of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology, the British Association of Otolaryngologists and the British Society of Audiology, the American Medical Association, the industrial, and the full-range averages. A high degree of correlation (average r = .981) was found among the various indices. Using the regressions between all possible pairs of indices, we constructed a table that allows conversion between the various systems involving only very simple computation.

Methodological implications of interaural correlation: count heads not ears.

In a sample of 425 subjects, pure-tone hearing thresholds between the right and left ears were shown to have an average correlation of .885 (or .783 with age partialed out). This high interaural correlation is shown to invalidate the experimental procedure of entering data on the basis of "ears," where each subject can contribute one or two audiograms to the data pool, since such aggregation is demonstrated to produce spuriously high levels of apparent statistical significance in inferential statistical tests.

Relative endurance of unipolar depression treatment effects: longitudinal follow-up.

This study represents a 2.25-year follow-up to a treatment study reported earlier (McLean & Hakstian, 1979) in which 121 unipolar depressed outpatients were treated by either (a) nondirective psychotherapy, (b) behavior therapy, (c) pharmacotherapy, or (d) relaxation therapy. A nondepressed, normal control group was evaluated on the same 28 measures and 6 intervals for contrast purposes. Behavior therapy patients alone were significantly improved in the areas of mood, personal productivity, and social activity, relative to treatment control patients over the follow-up period. Also, twice as many behavior therapy patients (i.e., 64%) fell within one standard deviation of the normal, nondepressed control group distribution on depressed mood, compared with non-directive psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy patients, when scores were aggregated across the 6 assessment points.

Validation of a self-report inventory for the measurement of visual acuity.

Previous attempts to assess visual acuity via self-report survey items have shown low sensitivity. This may be due to use of dichotomous response formats, too few items, and reliance upon face valid, rather than laboratory-validated items. On the basis of a preliminary sample of 164 individuals, we developed a self-report inventory, suitable for group testing or survey administration. The inventory was then validated against laboratory measures of acuity in a separate sample of 570 subjects. The resulting, brief, ten-item scale was shown to be a reliable and valid predictor of visual acuity. Conversion tables were developed which allow scale totals to be used to predict Snellen acuity. For 91% of the sample, the inventory predicts objectively measured acuity within plus or minus one Snellen line. A copy of the inventory and scoring procedure is appended to this report.

Eco-systemic analysis of anorexia nervosa.

Aspects of the eco-systemic approach were used to provide a framework for the understanding of anorexia nervosa and were empirically tested by comparing 30 anorexics and their parents to 34 matched control subjects and their parents. The theoretical model employed was an adaptation of Conger's Ecological-Systems approach which was based on the principles of Bronfenbrenner's theory of human development. The subjects were compared on selected variables arising from the individual, parent, family, and community systems using (a) the California Psychological Inventory (CPI), (b) the Structural Analysis of Social Behavior (SASB), (c) the Family Environment Scale (FES), and (d) the Pattison Psychological Inventory (PPI). Discriminant analysis revealed that the Affiliation score (SASB) for the anorexic and the control subjects and the Psychopathic Deviancy score (CPI-Clinical) of the mothers of the anorexics and the controls were the variables which contributed most to the discrimination between the groups. With the Affiliation and the Psychopathic Deviancy scores alone, it was possible to correctly classify 87.5 per cent of the research subjects. Analyses also showed statistically significant results at the individual, parent, and family levels. Interactions within the family, as perceived by the anorexics, were characterized by overprotection and control by the mothers, while the anorexics themselves responded with significantly less affiliation to both their mothers and their fathers. The mothers of the anorexics also viewed their daughters as being less friendly in the relationship. The families of the anorexics were less supportive, helpful, and committed to each other than were the families of the control subjects as measured by the FES.

Visual screening without the use of technical equipment: preliminary development of a behaviorally validated questionnaire.

The collection of epidemiological data pertaining to visual status usually requires individual testing and the use of technical equipment and trained personnel. To expedite such screening a self-report inventory, which validly predicted laboratory or clinical testing, but in a format suitable for group testing and administration by nontechnically trained staff, would be useful. This paper demonstrates the feasibility of such a screening technique. A preliminary inventory was validated against laboratory tests for acuity, color vision, and binocular function and was shown to be capable of ascertaining visual capacities and predicting visual deficits on these dimensions.

The Ascription of Responsibility Questionnaire: development and empirical extensions.

This article describes the development of the Ascription of Responsibility Questionnaire (ARQ). In Study 1, item analytic and factor analytic procedures were used, with a data set based on 251 subjects, to reduce an initial pool of 92 Likert Scale items to 41 items that were structured by four clear, independent ascription tendencies, or ways in which people ascribe responsibility. In Study 2, this factorial structure was confirmed on a sample of 403 subjects. From the responses in both studies, reliabilities of the four ascription of responsibility scales were assessed. On the basis of a pooled sample, norms were developed. Construct validity assessment was begun by correlating scores, in both studies, on the ascription of responsibility scales with a number of conceptually related standardized and semistandardized scales, as well as with a number of demographic and personological variables that might be related to attributional and attitudinal tendencies. These and further construct validation results obtained by comparative analytic methods are presented and discussed.

Effect of a computerized ambulatory medical record system on the validity of claims data.

Relationships were compared between claims data and charts data in a medical practice when a paper chart and manually prepared claims forms were used and after implementation of a computerized medical record system (COSTAR) in which claims data were derived automatically from the medical database. Claims data and chart data resembled each other more closely when the computer system was used, suggesting that claims data derived in this manner may have particular value in health care planning and research.

The Behavior Of Number-Of-Factors Rules With Simulated Data.

issues related to the decision of the number of factors to retain in factor analysis are identified, and three widely-used decision rules -- the Kaiser-Guttman, scree, and likelihood ratio tests -- are isolated for empirical study. Using two differing structural models and incorporating a number of relevant independent variables (such as number of variables, ratio of number of factors to number of variables, variable communality levels, and factorial complexity), the authors simulated 144 population data sets and, then, from these, 288 sample data sets, each with a precisely known (or incorporated) number of factors. The Kaiser-Guttman and scree rules were applied to the population data in Part I of the study, and all three rules were applied to the sample data sets in Part II. Overall trends and interactive results, in terms of the independent variables examined, are discussed in detail, and methods are presented for assessing the quality of the number-of-factors indicated by a particular rule.

A comparison of medical record with billing diagnostic information associated with ambulatory medical care.

The degree of similarity between diagnostic information furnished with claims and that simultaneously entered into the medical record was estimated for 1,215 private office visits in British Columbia, Canada. For each visit, claim card and chart diagnoses were compared by having three independent internists (blinded to source and type of the data) make judgments about each diagnostic pair. The judges were highly consistent internally and their judgments were stable over time. In 40 per cent of cases chart and claims data were judged dissimilar, and in 38 per cent of cases claims data were judged more valuable as a reflection of the primary problem treated. The degree of judged similarity of chart and claims data correlated significantly and negatively with physician workload, income, and judges' preference for the billing card diagnosis. We conclude that in using claims data to determine the content of ambulatory visits, independent validation of such data may be important.

Confidence Intervals For Maximized Alpha Coefficients: An Evaluation Of Joe And Woodward's Procedures And An Alternative Method.

The procedures yielding confidence intervals for maximized alpha coefficients of Joe and Woodward are reviewed. Confidence interval procedures of Hakstian, Whalen, and Masson are next reviewed. Results are then presented of a Monte Carlo investigation of the procedures. Of Joe and Woodward's procedures, that derived for the most general case is shown to yield confidence intervals spanning the parameter with probabilities adequately close to nominal values. This procedure is shown to perform as well as Joe and Woodward's second procedure -- for the equicorrelation case -- even with equicorrelation data. Hakstian et al's method is also shown to yield adequately precise intervals. The results are discussed, and implications for research noted.