Construct-Worded vs. Mixed-Item Formats

As social scientists, we are often in theposition of administering measures for clinical orresearch purposes. Research has shown thatpsychometric advantages of measures using aconstruct-worded as opposed to a mixed-item formatinclude improved reliability and validity, theelimination of factorial artifacts, more consistentitem means, and lower item mean standarddeviations. This book further explores thesefindings by comparing the widely-used mixed-wordedState-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and a newconstruct-worded revised version (STAI-R).Although the psychometric advantages ofconstruct-worded measures have been well-noted, noprevious efforts have been made to explain why theyoccur. By exploring the cognitive processesinvolved in responding to construct-worded andopposite-worded items, this book provides the firstsystematic attempt to describe why the psychometricproperties of these item types differ.The eye-opening findings presented in thisbook will help social scientists gain new insightsinto the rating scales they select and the resultsthey obtain.

Autorentext

Jennifer A. Jablonski, Ph.D.: Received her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from St. John's University in Jamaica, NY. Currently works as a Licensed Psychologist and the Psychology Externship Coordinator at Pilgrim Psychiatric Center in West Brentwood, NY.

Klappentext
As social scientists, we are often in the position of administering measures for clinical or research purposes. Research has shown that psychometric advantages of measures using a construct-worded as opposed to a mixed-item format include improved reliability and validity, the elimination of factorial artifacts, more consistent item means, and lower item mean standard deviations. This book further explores these findings by comparing the widely-used mixed-worded State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and a new construct-worded revised version (STAI-R). Although the psychometric advantages of construct-worded measures have been well-noted, no previous efforts have been made to explain why they occur. By exploring the cognitive processes involved in responding to construct-worded and opposite-worded items, this book provides the first systematic attempt to describe why the psychometric properties of these item types differ. The eye-opening findings presented in this book will help social scientists gain new insights into the rating scales they select and the results they obtain.