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The Impulsive Behavior Short Scale-8 (I-8) measures the psychological construct of impulsivity with four subscales comprising two items each (completion time < 1 min). The aim of the present study was threefold: (1) to assess the psychometric properties (objectivity, reliability, and validity) of the English-language I-8; (2) to compare these psychometric properties with those of the original German-language source version of the scale; and (3) to test the cross-national comparability of the scale via measurement invariance tests. For this purpose, we used heterogeneous quota samples from the UK and Germany. Our results indicate that I-8 is a reliable and valid short scale with highly comparable psychometric properties across both language versions. In addition, I-8 showed a highly similar correlational pattern with various extraneous variables across the two nations. Furthermore, partial scalar invariance and full invariance of residual variances held, allowing the comparison of latent means and observed (co)variances across nations. I-8 lends itself as a measure of impulsive behavior especially in surveys in which assessment time is limited, such as in large-scale cross-national surveys. - The dataset supporting the conclusions of this article is available in the GESIS SowiDataNet/ datorium repository, https://doi.org/10.7802/2097.

The Political Efficacy Short Scale (PESS) is the English-language adaptation of the German-language Political Efficacy Kurzskala (PEKS); it measures perceived political efficacy with four items. PESS comprises two subscales - internal and external political efficacy - with two items each. Internal political efficacy refers to the belief in one's own political effectiveness; external political efficacy refers to the belief in the responsiveness of the political system to citizens' concerns. Completion time for all four items is less than 30 s. The items of the German-language source version were translated into English using the TRAPD approach. The present study empirically validated the English-language adaptation (PESS) based on a heterogeneous quota sample in the UK. The results show that the reliability and validity coefficients of the English-language adaptation are sufficiently high and that they are comparable to those of the German-language source version. In addition, the scale showed strict measurement invariance (i.e., equal loadings, intercepts, and uniquenesses) when comparing the UK and Germany, which indicates the comparability of manifest scale scores (means and variances) and correlations across the two nations. As a short scale, PESS lends itself particularly to the measurement of political efficacy in survey contexts in which assessment time or questionnaire space is limited. It is applicable in a variety of research disciplines, including political science, sociology, psychology, and economics.

Measures of cognitive or socio-emotional skills from large-scale assessments surveys (LSAS) are often based on advanced statistical models and scoring techniques unfamiliar to applied researchers. Consequently, applied researchers working with data from LSAS may be uncertain about the assumptions and computational details of these statistical models and scoring techniques and about how to best incorporate the resulting skill measures in secondary analyses. The present paper is intended as a primer for applied researchers. After a brief introduction to the key properties of skill assessments, we give an overview over the three principal methods with which secondary analysts can incorporate skill measures from LSAS in their analyses: (1) as test scores (i.e., point estimates of individual ability), (2) through structural equation modeling (SEM), and (3) in the form of plausible values (PVs). We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each method based on three criteria: fallibility (i.e., control for measurement error and unbiasedness), usability (i.e., ease of use in secondary analyses), and immutability (i.e., consistency of test scores, PVs, or measurement model parameters across different analyses and analysts). We show that although none of the methods are optimal under all criteria, methods that result in a single point estimate of each respondent's ability (i.e., all types of "test scores") are rarely optimal for research purposes. Instead, approaches that avoid or correct for measurement error - especially PV methodology - stand out as the method of choice. We conclude with practical recommendations for secondary analysts and data-producing organizations.

Here you find SPSS code, which is used for the development and validation of measurement instruments (questionnaire, test, items, scale) for the social sciences. The description of the analyses carried out with the codes can be found in the appendices A1 to A5 of the ZIS Publication Guide. Each code includes comments to guide users through the code. We provide the data set "example1" to run the code.



We provide:

Code for testing the dimensionality of scales comprises exploratory factor analysis and principal component analysis. For the description of the analyses, see appendix A1 of the ZIS Publication Guide.

Code used to estimate reliability comprises the estimation of split-half reliability, retest reliability, a reliability coefficient for single-factor models (Cronbach's Alpha). For the description of the analyses, see appendix A3 of the ZIS Publication Guide.

The Internal-External Locus of Control Short Scale-4 (IE-4) measures two dimensions of the personality trait locus of control with two items each. IE-4 was originally developed and validated in German and later translated into English. In the present study, we assessed the psychometric properties (i.e., objectivity, reliability, validity) of the English-language IE-4, compared these psychometric properties with those of the German-language source version, and tested measurement invariance across both language versions. Using heterogeneous quota samples from the UK and Germany, we find that the English-language adaptation has satisfactory reliability and plausible correlations with 11 external variables (e.g., general self-efficacy, self-esteem, impulsive behavior, Emotional Stability), which are comparable with those of the German-language source version. Moreover, metric measurement invariance of the scale holds when comparing the UK and Germany, implying the comparability of correlations based on the latent factors across the two nations. As an ultra-short scale (completion time < 30 s), IE-4 lends itself particularly to the assessment of locus of control in survey contexts in which assessment time or questionnaire space are limited. It can be applied in a variety of research disciplines, such as psychology, sociology, or economics. - The dataset supporting the conclusions of this article is available in the GESIS SowiDataNet/ datorium repository, https://doi.org/10.7802/2095.

An important challenge of social science survey research is to define characteristics (phenomena) of individuals or groups of individuals that are not directly observable and to make them measurable. While it is easy to record observable, factual or objective characteristics (e.g. number of children, income) relatively error-free, this is much more complicated with characteristics that are not directly observable. These include personality traits, cultural capital or political trust. Measuring instruments for such characteristics must be constructed and documented with particular care to ensure the quality of their measurement (more precisely: objectivity, validity and reliability). This article explains how to construct and document such measuring instruments and explains why it is important for research and practice to make documentation of measuring instruments as freely accessible as possible ("open access"). ; Eine wichtige Herausforderung der sozialwissenschaftlichen Umfrageforschung besteht darin, nicht direkt beobachtbare Merkmale (Phänomene) von Personen oder Personengruppen zu definieren und messbar zu machen. Während es vergleichsweise einfach ist, beobachtbare, faktische oder objektive Merkmale (z.B. Kinderzahl, Einkommen) relativ fehlerfrei zu erfassen, ist das mit nicht direkt beobachtbaren Merkmalen deutlich komplizierter. Dazu zählen z.B. Persönlichkeitseigenschaften, kulturelles Kapital oder politisches Vertrauen. Messinstrumente für solche Merkmale müssen besonders sorgfältig konstruiert und dokumentiert werden, um die Qualität deren Messung (genauer: die Objektivität, Validität und Reliabilität) sicherzustellen. Dieser Beitrag erklärt, wie man solche Messinstrumente konstruiert und dokumentiert und erläutert, warum es für Forschung und Praxis wichtig ist, Dokumentationen von Messinstrumenten möglichst frei zugänglich zu machen ("Open Access").

The Optimism-Pessimism Short Scale-2 (SOP2) described in this article measures the psychological disposition of optimism with two items. SOP2 is the English-language adaptation of an originally for the German language developed scale. Because an empirical validation of this English-language SOP2 was hitherto lacking, the aim of the present study was to assess the psychometric properties (objectivity, reliability, validity) of the English-language adaptation and to investigate measurement invariance across both language versions using heterogeneous quota samples from the UK and Germany. Our results show that the English-language adaptation has satisfactory reliability coefficients and is correlated with 10 external variables in the study (e.g., self-esteem, Emotional Stability, life satisfaction). Moreover, scalar measurement invariance of the scale holds when comparing the UK and Germany, implying the comparability of latent (co)variances and latent means across the two nations. As an ultra-short scale with a completion time of < 20 s, SOP2 lends itself particularly to the assessment of dispositional optimism in survey contexts in which assessment time or questionnaire space are limited. It can be applied in a variety of research disciplines, such as psychology, sociology, or economics.