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Item Level (item + level)
Selected AbstractsAQS security scores: What do they represent?INFANT MENTAL HEALTH JOURNAL, Issue 3 2004A study in construct validation In a sample of 129 Dutch 15-month-old infants, attachment security was assessed both with the Attachment Q-Set (AQS; Waters, 1995) and with a short version of Ainsworth, Blehar, Waters, and Wall's (1978) Strange Situation (SSS). Infants classified as secure using the SSS had significantly higher AQS scores than insecure and disorganized infants in particular. At the AQS item level, disorganized infants were described as significantly more noncompliant, fussy, and angry relative to secure infants. When security as assessed using the SSS was controlled, the observed quality of parental interactive behavior, parental ego-resilience, high levels of infant task orientation and pleasure, and low levels of infant anger proneness were found to explain significant and unique portions of the variance in the AQS security scores. The apparently unfavorable set of characteristics associated with low AQS security scores suggests such scores to predict later developmental problems. ©2004 Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health. [source] Measurement non-invariance of DSM-IV narcissistic personality disorder criteria across age and sex in a population-based sample of Norwegian twinsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF METHODS IN PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH, Issue 3 2010Thomas S. Kubarych Abstract We investigated measurement non-invariance of DSM-IV narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) criteria across age and sex in a population-based cohort sample of 2794 Norwegian twins. Age had a statistically significant effect on the factor mean for NPD. Sex had a statistically significant effect on the factor mean and variance. Controlling for these factor level effects, item-level analysis indicated that the criteria were functioning differently across age and sex. After correcting for measurement differences at the item level, the latent factor mean effect for age was no longer statistically significant. The mean difference for sex remained statistically significant after correcting for item threshold effects. The results indicate that DSM-IV NPD criteria perform differently in males and females and across age. Differences in diagnostic rates across groups may not be valid without correcting for measurement non-invariance. [source] A validation study of the Cross-Cultural Adaptability InventoryINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT, Issue 2 2010Nhung T. Nguyen Despite the claims made about the effectiveness of cross-cultural training programs, few studies have examined the reliability and validity of the instruments used in these training programs. In this study, the authors examined the factor structure of the Cross-Cultural Adaptability Inventory (CCAI) via a confirmatory factor analytic approach. A series of confirmatory factor analytic models was tested and applied at the item level to both the CCAI and Goldberg's Big Five Inventory. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) model in which a method factor was estimated fits the data significantly better than a model without such a method effect. Further, the method factor suppressed substantive relationships such that the two CCAI factors of Emotional Resilience and Personal Autonomy became significant correlates with self-reported number of international job assignments after accounting for method variance. Implications for research and practice are discussed. [source] A Comparison of Item Fit Statistics for Mixed IRT ModelsJOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL MEASUREMENT, Issue 3 2010Kyong Hee Chon In this study we examined procedures for assessing model-data fit of item response theory (IRT) models for mixed format data. The model fit indices used in this study include PARSCALE's,G2,,Orlando and Thissen's,S,,,X2,and,S,,,G2,,and Stone's,,2*,and,G2*. To investigate the relative performance of the fit statistics at the item level, we conducted two simulation studies: Type I error and power studies. We evaluated the performance of the item fit indices for various conditions of test length, sample size, and IRT models. Among the competing measures, the summed score-based indices,S,,,X2,and,S,,,G2,were found to be the sensible and efficient choice for assessing model fit for mixed format data. These indices performed well, particularly with short tests. The pseudo-observed score indices, ,2*,and,G2*,,showed inflated Type I error rates in some simulation conditions. Consistent with the findings of current literature, the PARSCALE's,G2,index was rarely useful, although it provided reasonable results for long tests. [source] ORIGINAL RESEARCH,PSYCHOLOGY: Sexual Motivation in Women as a Function of AgeTHE JOURNAL OF SEXUAL MEDICINE, Issue 12 2009Cindy M. Meston PhD ABSTRACT Introduction., Women's motivations to engage in sex are likely influenced by their past sexual experiences, the type of relationship in which they are involved in, and numerous lifestyle factors such as career and family demands. The influences of these factors undoubtedly change as women age. Aim., This study aimed to examine potential differences in sexual motivation between three distinct age groups of premenopausal women. Methods., Women aged 18,22 years (N = 137), 23,30 years (N = 103), and 31,45 years (N = 87) completed an online survey that assessed the proportion with which they had engaged in sexual intercourse for each of 140 distinct reasons. Main Outcome Measures., The YSEX? Questionnaire by Meston and Buss [1] was used to measure sexual motivation. The items of this questionnaire were composed of four primary sexual motivation factors (physical, goal attainment, emotional, insecurity), and 13 subfactors. Results., Women aged 31,45 years reported a higher proportion of engaging in sex compared with one or both of the younger age groups of women for nine of the 13 YSEX? subfactors: stress reduction, physical desirability, experience seeking, resources, social status, revenge, expression, self-esteem boost, and mate guarding. At an item level, the top 25 reasons for having sex were virtually identical across age groups. Conclusion., Women aged 31,45 have more motives for engaging in sex than do women aged 18,30, but the primary reasons for engaging in sex do not differ within this age range. Women aged 18,45 have sex primarily for pleasure, and love and commitment. The implications for diagnosis and treatment of women with sexual dysfunctions were discussed. Meston CM, Hamilton LD, and Harte CB. Sexual motivation in women as a function of age. J Sex Med 2009;6:3305,3319. [source] Symptom experience associated with immunosuppressive drugs after liver transplantation in adults: possible relationship with medication non-compliance?CLINICAL TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 6 2008G. Drent Abstract:, Symptom experience (occurrence and perceived distress) associated with side effects of immunosuppressive medications in organ transplant patients may well be associated with poorer quality of life and medication non-compliance. The aims of this study were: first, to assess symptom experience in clinically stable adult patients during long-term follow-up after liver transplantation; and second, to study the relationship between symptom experience and medication non-compliance. This cross-sectional study included 123 liver transplant patients. Symptom experience was assessed using the "Modified Transplant Symptom Occurrence and Symptom Distress Scale" (29-item version) at the annual evaluation. According to the duration of follow-up, patients were divided into a short-term (1,4 yr) and a long-term (5,18 yr) cohort. Medication non-compliance was measured using electronic monitoring. Results showed that increased hair growth was the most frequent symptom in both sexes. Symptom distress was more serious in women than in men. The most distressing symptom in women was excessive and/or painful periods, while in men this was impotence. Clear differences were revealed at item level between symptom occurrence and symptom distress in relationship with the two time cohorts and between sexes. No relationship was found between symptom experience and prednisolone non-compliance. [source] Why are we ,weighting'?COMMUNITY DENTISTRY AND ORAL EPIDEMIOLOGY, Issue 1 2004An assessment of a self-weighting approach to measuring oral health-related quality of life Abstract ,,, Objective: To determine whether or not self-weighting at an item level contributes to the performance of an oral health-related quality-of-life measure. Design: Data were collected in two national surveys conducted a month apart, one using the ,weighted' measure and the other an ,unweighted' version of the UK oral health-related quality-of-life measure. In addition, sociodemographic and self-reported oral health status were recorded. Results: The UK oral health-related quality-of-life measure discriminated between groups based on age group (<65, 65 and older) and social class (higher and lower) irrespective of the version of the questionnaire used. Both versions also showed significant associations with self-reported oral health: denture status (P < 0.01) and number of teeth possessed (P < 0.01). In addition, both versions demonstrated predictive ability in identifying those in prosthetic need (<20 teeth and without recourse to a denture, P < 0.01). Conclusion: Weighting the UK oral health-related quality-of-life instrument does not improve the psychometric properties of the instrument and thus raises questions about the value of self-weighting at an item level. [source] | ||||||||||