The purpose of this paper was to validate the Spanish version of the Perceived Locus of Causality Scale (PLOC; Goudas, Biddle, & Fox, 1994). To achieve this, two studies with samples of 1535 and 400 physical education students, of ages 12 to 17 years, were carried out. The psychometric properties of the PLOC were examined through the following analyses: confirmatory factor analysis, factor invariance, correlation among factors, reliability (Cronbach's alpha), temporal stability (test-retest), and criterion validity. The results partially supported the five-factor structure. This structure was invariant across the two study samples. Correlations among the subscales indicated a simplex pattern, supporting construct validity of the scale. Alpha values over .70 (except for introjected regulation) and high temporal stability (intra-class correlation coefficient = .83 to .90) over a four-week period were obtained. The mastery-approach goal positively predicted self-determined motivation, whereas the performance-avoidance goal predicted it negatively. Future studies should continue to analyze the psychometric properties of the PLOC, as the validation of an instrument should be an ongoing process.

The present work examines the change in color reflection in psychogenic pain in patients with somatoform disorders (SFD) during psychotherapeutic treatment, for which empatho-techniques were used. At the start and end of the course the psychophysiological condition was determined according to psychological parameters and assessment of bioelectrical brain activity. All initial indicators for the patients significantly differed from those for the healthy subjects. At the same time, color reflection in the psychogenic pain was characterised by colors in the longwave part of the spectrum, in contradistinction to healthy subjects for whom achromatic and shortwave colors predominated. After the completed course patients with SFD had a significant improvement of all psychophysiological indicators and a lack of color reflectons in the longwave part of the spectrum. The data obtained permits the proposition that there exists a link between the psychogenic pain, its color reflection and anxiety, and also changes in the functional condition of the CNS.

The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Portuguese versions of the Sport Anxiety Scale and of the Brief COPE, as well as of the Cognitive Appraisal Scale in Sport Competition– Threat Perception, namely regarding their factor structure validity and internal consistency. Participants were 550 male and female athletes of several sports, aged 15 to 35 years old (M=19.8; SD=4.5). Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis indicated that the instruments demonstrated good psychometric properties. In general, the measurement models provided a good fit to the empirical data and with the exception of some scales of the Brief COPE, the calculated Cronbach's a coefficient of reliability indicated adequate internal consistency for the three instruments. Overall, the results of the present study provided evidence for these instruments' validity and reliability, ultimately supporting their importance for research and psychological intervention in sport contexts.

The Sexual Attraction Questionnaire (SAQ) was designed to measure sexual attraction (Fernández, Quiroga, & Rodríguez, 2006), because the current questionnaires were considered inadequate. The purpose of this research was to test whether the SAQ factors remain meaningful after several years (stability) and whether the Italian version is equivalent to the Spanish one (consistency). Three groups of university students participated: two from Spain (n = 182 and 255, respectively) and one from Italy (n = 293). The Spanish groups were tested with a 7-year interval (2001-2008). The Italian group was tested in 2008. The main hypotheses were to test, across time interval and countries: (a) factor congruence, (b) predictive power of factors (proportion of variance accounted for), and (c) scale reliability. Sexual attraction typology also was analyzed, within and between countries, to test the validity of the underlying theoretical model. The results obtained show that the SAQ factor structure remains the same, the resulting factors have high predictive power, and the SAQ scales are highly reliable. Sexual dimorphism and sexual attraction typology are highly associated, thus validating the underlying theoretical model.

The aim of this study is to adapt the ESPA29 scale of parental socialization styles in adolescence to the Basque language. The study of its psychometric properties is based on the search for evidence of internal and external validity. The first focuses on the assessment of the dimensionality of the scale by means of exploratory factor analysis. The relationship between the dimensions of parental socialization styles and gender and age guarantee the external validity of the scale. The study of the equivalence of the adapted and original versions is based on the comparisons of the reliability coefficients and on factor congruence. The results allow us to conclude the equivalence of the two scales.

Behavioral problems in preschool children are one of the most frequent motives for seeking psychological care by parents and caregivers. Instruments are considered necessary, created from a Social Skills Training theoretical-practical perspective, which may systematically assist the identification of social skills and behavioral deficits, helping professionals in the prevention and/or reduction of behavioral problems. The purpose of this study was to test the psychometric validity and reliability of an instrument for evaluation of Socially Skilled Responses, from a teacher's perspective (QRSH-PR). For this purpose, 260 preschool children were evaluated, differentiated in subgroups without and without behavioral difficulties, based on the Child Behavior Scale (Escala de Comportamento Infantil/ECI-Professor). Studies were conducted for construct, discrimination, concurrent and predictive validity. The Cronbach Alpha was calculated to evaluate internal consistency. The obtained results pointed to positive indicators in reference to construct, discrimination, and predictive validity, and even for good internal consistency, indicating that the items consistently measure the construct of social skills, and differentiated children with and without behavioral problems. The questionnaire is considered to be gauged for evaluation of socially skilled responses from preschool children, and applicable in educational and clinical environments.

In this study, a brief Work-Family Conflict (WFC) Questionnaire in the Spanish language is proposed that takes into account the two directions commonly reported in the literature: work interference with family (WIF), and family interference with work (FIW). The results obtained through exploratory factor analyses (EFA) and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) with two independent samples, carried out for women and men, showed acceptable validity and reliability. A copy of the instrument in Spanish language is provided, together with the Amos 4 syntax to perform the factor invariance analysis for women and men. The suggested Work-Family Conflict Questionnaire (in Spanish, abbreviated as CCTF) may be useful in studies performed in the work setting, considering the special relevance of the concept in this line of research.

The main objective of this study was to develop a brief versión of the Escala de Satisfação com o Suporte Social for children and adolescents (Ribeiro, 1999). A representative sample of 3195 children and adolescents was obtained from 5th and 7th graders throughout all five Portuguese regions. The results showed a good internal consistency for the social support satisfaction factor, α = 0.84; acceptable for the necessity for activities connected to social support factor, α = 0.69. By using ANOVA, gender, age and socioeconomic status related differences were identified. A confirmatory factorial analysis was done and an adjusted model was found by taking off item 5. The concurrent validity was inspected with measures related to social support, such as optimism, self-worth and perceptions of health related quality of life. With this analysis, we verified that women and younger participants (< 12 years) showed a higher social support satisfaction. Medium-high socioeconomic status participants showed a higher negative social support satisfaction. These results suggest the validity of the scale in assesing perceptions of social support.

The aim of this work was to develop an instrument (Coping Strategies for Skin Problems Questionnaire) suitable for identifying the coping strategies people use for general skin problems. We analyzed its psychometric properties when applied to a sample of 299 individuals. Factor analysis shows a 6-factor structure referring to the wish to change, problem-solving strategies, the search for information and asking for social support, the ability to distance oneself from the problem and to see the positive aspects of the situation. These factors explain 60.77% of the variance and show an internal consistency higher than 0.67. We analyse the validity of the questionnaire and identify different coping profiles depending on the degree of skin damage as assessed by the participants and their search for health services. According to the psychometric properties obtained, we conclude that our instrument is valid and reliable for use with people presenting skin problems.

We present the results of the adaptation of the IHS-Del-Prette (Inventario de Habilidades Sociales, in English, Social Skills Inventory) to a sample of Argentinean college students. Firstly, we addressed the backward translation and carried out an equivalence study of the Portuguese and Spanish versions of the scale. The results showed the two versions were equivalent, as we obtained correlations lower than .50 in only 5 items. Secondly, we performed item analysis by calculating discrimination indexes and item-total correlations. Results indicated that the items are sensitive to differentiate between high and low social-skill groups. Exploratory factor analysis carried out with a sample of 602 college students yielded five factors that explained 26.5% of the total variance, although our data did not completely match the original factor structure. We also obtained moderate alpha values for the subscales, but high reliability for the total scale. Lastly, group differences between males and females are presented to provide evidence of validity. We discuss the implications of the results and present future lines of inquiry.

In this work, we present a new way of understanding psychology, which emerges as a result of relating it to the three principles of the theory of fashion of Gilles Lipovetsky: “the principle of the ephemeral,” “the principle of the marginal differentiation of individuals,” and “the principle of seduction.” We relate the first principle to the plurality of the diverse and changing “schools and systems” that have existed throughout the history of psychology. We apply the second to the figure of the psychologist, considered individually, revealing his or her leading role in the generation of the changing plurality of the systems. By means of the third principle, we point up that the diverse psychologies are forms of seduction. We conclude by stating that psychology has the form of fashion and we analyze how this form can help us to better understand it.

The Work Values Scale EVAT (based on its initials in Spanish: Escala de Valores hacia el Trabajo) was created in 2000 to measure values in the work context. The instrument operationalizes the four higher-order-values of the Schwartz Theory (1992) through sixteen items focused on work scenarios. The questionnaire has been used among large samples of Mexican and Spanish individuals reporting adequate psychometric properties. The instrument has recently been translated into Portuguese and Italian, and subsequently used in a large-scale study with nurses in Portugal and in a sample of various occupations in Italy. The purpose of this research was to demonstrate the cross-cultural validity of the Work Values Scale EVAT in Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian. Our results suggest that the original Spanish version of the EVAT scale and the new Portuguese and Italian versions are equivalent.

This research deals with assessing humor appreciation and highlights some of the strategies that can be used in two necessary stages in the construction of a test: the content validity study and the item analysis. First, we analyzed the content validity of a battery of 200 items developed to assess humor appreciation. Second, we analyzed the metric properties of the selected items by means of two studies. The first study was a pre-pilot analysis of the items in a sample of 212 participants, and the second study was a new item analysis in a sample of 344 Spanish people aged between 18 and 71 years. To determine content validity, we calculated interjudge agreement on item-facet theoretical match. Each item was assessed by seven judges, and the selection criterion used was a minimum agreement of 70%. This procedure led to eliminating 27 items.

Subsequent item analyses led to a preliminary proposal for a 40-item scale (Escala de Apreciación del Humor, EAHU [Humor Appreciation Scale]) with appropriate descriptive statistics as well as discrimination and homogeneity values. The internal empirical structure of the scale matched the operative definition of humor appreciation, and the Cronbach’s alpha of the EAHU scores ranged from .72 to .89.

This study sought evidence of validity for the Reading Competence Test of Words and Nonwords (in Portuguese: Teste de Competência de Leitura de Palavras e Pseudopalavras or TCLPP). This test evaluates silent reading of isolated items by asking the student to determine if presented items of written image-word pairs are correct or not. Two thousand nine hundred and ninety four students from the 1st to 4th grade in public Brazilian elementary schools, of both genders, and between the ages of 6 and 11 years, participated, collectively evaluated in the TCLPP. The results showed the TCLPP’s sensitivity for discriminating competence in reading between grades, supporting evidence of validity based on the relationships between the various levels. The difficulty in the items was compatible with the theory on which the test is based, providing evidence of validity based on the response process. Finally, two factors which compose the test were verified, one involving logographic and phonological strategies, and the other, lexical, attesting to evidence of validity based on the internal structure.

The purpose of the present research was to translate into Spanish and analyze the psychometricA properties of the Situational Motivation Scale (SIMS). The participants were 373 undergraduate students (126 males and 247 females). Factor validity was tested via confirmatory factor analysis. Based on factor loadings and modification indexes, the SIMS was reduced to a 14-item model. This respecification showed adequate internal consistency and construct validity. The multistep analysis of invariance revealed that the factor structure of the SIMS is invariant across gender. Likewise, MANOVA revealed that amotivation was the only significant variable across gender. Predictive validity was assessed through path analysis. The results support the preliminary use of the Spanish version of the SIMS for the assessment of situational motivation in education.

The purpose of this study was to validate and adapt the Self-Change Strategies in Current Smokers (SCS-CS) and the Self-Change Strategies in Former Smokers (SCS-FS) (Christie & Etter, 2005) to the Spanish population. We also wished to analyze the differences in the self-change strategies used as a function of gender. Participants were 370 subjects (190 smokers and 180 former smokers) who were recruited by means of the “snowball” method. The alpha coefficients for the SCS-CS and the SCS-FS were .86 and .87, respectively. Both scales present satisfactory psychometric properties, so they are shown to be useful instruments to use in the Spanish population. The SCS-CS score showed that male smokers used more self-change strategies than females (46.6 vs. 11.9, p < .01), specifically, more cognitive strategies. In the SCS-CS, men scored higher than women (49 vs. 12.08, p < .01), in both the group of cognitive and behavioral strategies. The psychological mechanisms used to control the smoking habit are the same in men as in women, but the men tend to use a larger number of strategies. Treatments to quit smoking do not need to be substantially different, but they should be more intensive in the case of women smokers.

Anhedonia, a central dimension within the schizotypy construct, has been considered to be a promising vulnerability marker for schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. The Revised Physical Anhedonia Scale (RPhA) and Revised Social Anhedonia Scale (RSAS) are two self-reports widely used in the assessment of anhedonia; however, they psychometric characteristics have been scarcely investigated in Spanish population. The objective of the current work was to study the psychometric properties of the Revised Physical and Social Anhedonia Scales in non-clinical young adults. The sample was composed of 728 college students with a mean age of 20.1 years (SD=2.5. The data indicated that the scales showed adequate psychometric characteristics. The Cronbach alpha was 0.95 (RSAS) and 0.92 (RPhA) respectively. The confirmatory factor analysis carried out on the matrix of tetrachoric correlations showed that both scales presented an essentially unidimensional solution. The Revised Physical and Social Anhedonia Scales seem to be adequate for psychosis-risk assessment in non-clinical populations. Future research should further investigate the construct validity in other populations and cultures as well as study its relation to emotional aspects and cognitive endophenotypes.

Visual inspection remains the most frequently applied method for detecting treatment effects in single-case designs. The advantages and limitations of visual inference are here discussed in relation to other procedures for assessing intervention effectiveness. The first part of the paper reviews previous research on visual analysis, paying special attention to the validation of visual analysts' decisions, inter-judge agreement, and false alarm and omission rates. The most relevant factors affecting visual inspection (i.e., effect size, autocorrelation, data variability, and analysts' expertise) are highlighted and incorporated into an empirical simulation study with the aim of providing further evidence about the reliability of visual analysis. Our results concur with previous studies that have reported the relationship between serial dependence and increased Type I rates. Participants with greater experience appeared to be more conservative and used more consistent criteria when assessing graphed data. Nonetheless, the decisions made by both professionals and students did not match sufficiently the simulated data features, and we also found low intra-judge agreement, thus suggesting that visual inspection should be complemented by other methods when assessing treatment effectiveness.