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Self-concept related to the use of information and communication technology (ICT-SC) is reflected in how people feel and behave when confronted with digital technologies. Although evidence from variable-centered analyses suggests a hierarchical and multidimensional structure of ICT-SC in heterogeneous populations, it is not yet known whether different profiles of general ICT-SC and specific ICT-SC domains (communicate, process and store, generate content, safe application, solve problems) exist. This study aims to extend previous research using person-centered analyses and to examine whether different profiles of ICT-SC can be identified in a heterogeneous adult population (18–69 years) from Germany and how these profiles relate to gender. Results of a latent profile analysis (German quota sample, N = 369) indicate a reliable three-profile solution. Profile I (n = 48) is characterised by rather low ICT-SC with relative profile strengths in the verbal-interactive domains (communicate, process and store). Profile II (n = 149) is characterised by low to average ICT-SC across ICT-SC domains. Profile III (n = 172) is characterised by high ICT-SC with profile strengths in the technical-analytical domains (safe application, solve problems). Gender did not correlate significantly with profile membership. We discuss the practical implications of the results for ICT-SC interventions and suggest directions for future research.

Today, digitalization is affecting all areas of life, such as education or work. The competent use of digital systems (esp. information and communication technologies [ICT]) has thus become an essential skill. Despite longstanding research on human-technology interaction and diverse theoretical approaches describing competences for interacting with digital systems, research still offers mixed results regarding the structure of digital competences. Self-efficacy is described as one of the most critical determinants of competent digital system use, and various self-report scales for assessing digital self-efficacy have been suggested. Yet, these scales largely differ in their proposed specificity, structure, validation, and timeliness. The present study aims at providing a systematic overview and comparison of existing measures of digital self-efficacy (DSE) to current theoretical digital competence frameworks. Further, we present a newly developed scale that assesses digital self-efficacy in heterogeneous adult populations, theoretically founded in the DigComp 2.1 and social-cognition theory. The factorial structure of the DSE scale is assessed to investigate multidimensionality. Further, the scale is validated considering the nomological network (actual ICT use, technophobia). Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Measurement is the key to any quantitative science. Both the validity and the replicability of research
findings hinge on the quality of the measurement instruments used. This is especially true for the social
and behavioral sciences. Here, researchers o en investigate constructs such as personality, attitudes, values, intentions or behavior. Such 'latent' constructs cannot be directly observed but can only be inferred indirectly from the respondents' responses to a survey (i.e., items, scales, questionnaires or tests), which lends even greater importance to the quality of the measurement instruments used. For this reason, a thorough documentation of measurement instruments is an integral part of a transparent research
practices. In this guideline, we list information that is crucial for the documentation of measurement instruments in surveys. The guideline is aligned with the quality standards for the documentation of measurement
instruments in the social sciences (RatSWD, 2014) and with the standards for the documentation
of psychological characteristics of the test evaluation system of the Test Board of the Federation of German Psychologists. Whereas some of these quality standards were developed for testing individuals
in applied settings, our lists focuses specifically on documenting measurement instruments intended for
social and behavior science research. In research, slightly di erent quality criteria apply compared to individual diagnostics.

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").

Die Qualität des Trinkwassers in Deutschland ist sehr hoch. Hierfür sorgen die Wasserversorgungsunternehmen bis zur Übergabestelle in das Gebäude. Ab diesem Punkt sind die Gebäudebetreibenden dafür verantwortlich, dass den Verbraucher*innen an den Entnahmestellen sicheres Trinkwasser zur Verfügung steht. Das Water- Safety -Plan-Konzept (WSP) wird zur Anwendung eines risikobasierten Ansatzes von der WHO empfohlen und darüber hinaus als Gebäude-WSP auch für die Anwendung in Trinkwasser-Installationen. Die konsequente Umsetzung des WSP-Konzeptes schützt die menschliche Gesundheit vor wasserbürtigen Gefährdungen durch eine, für die jeweilige Trinkwasser-Installation individuelle, Analyse und die Umsetzung von daraus hergeleiteten Maßnahmen zur Risikobeherrschung. Das Handbuch "Das Water Safety Plan (WSP)-Konzept für Gebäude" bietet Hilfestellung bei der Anwendung des Konzeptes in Gebäuden.

Here you find Mplus 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 code 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, exploratory structural equation modeling (SEM), and confirmatory factor analysis (tau-congeneric and tau-equivalent). For the description of the analyses, see appendices A1 to A2 of the ZIS Publication Guide.


Code used to estimate reliability comprises the estimation of split-half reliability, retest reliability, reliability coefficients for single-factor models (Cronbach's Alpha, McDonald's Omega/Raykov's Rho, AVE [Average Variance Extracted]), and bi-factor models (Omega-H, ECV [Explained Common Variance]). For the description of the analyses, see appendix A3 of the ZIS Publication Guide.


Code for measurement invariance testing within SEM. For the description of the analyses see appendix A5 of the ZIS Publication Guide.

Here you find R code, which is used for the development and validation of measurement instruments (questionnaires, tests, items, scales) 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, principal component analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis (tau-congeneric and tau-equivalent). For the description of the analyses, see appendices A1 to A2 of the ZIS Publication Guide.


Code used to estimate reliability comprises the estimation of split-half reliability, retest reliability, reliability coefficients for single-factor models (Cronbach's Alpha, McDonald's Omega/Raykov's Rho, AVE [Average Variance Extracted]), and bi-factor models (Omega-H, ECV [Explained Common Variance]). For the description of the analyses, see appendix A3 of the ZIS Publication Guide.

Code for measurement invariance testing within SEM. For the description of the analyses see appendix A5 of the ZIS Publication Guide.

This project refers to the development and validation of the 25-item German-language scale (ICT-SC25g) and the English-language scale (ICT-SC25e) to measure self-concept related to information and communication technology (ICT) on a global and domain-specific level. The project includes the codebook, the used data, and the MPlus code.

Here you find Stata code, which is used for the development and validation of measurement instruments (questionnaires, tests, items, scales) for the social sciences. The description of the analyses carried out with the code 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, principal component analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis (tau-congeneric and tau-equivalent). For the description of the analyses, see appendices A1 to A2 of the ZIS Publication Guide.

Code used to estimate reliability comprises the estimation of split-half reliability, retest reliability, reliability coefficients for single-factor models (Cronbach's Alpha, McDonald's Omega/Raykov's Rho, AVE [Average Variance Extracted]), and bi-factor models (Omega-H, ECV [Explained Common Variance]). For the description of the analyses, see appendix A3 of the ZIS Publication Guide.

Code for measurement invariance testing within SEM. For the description of the analyses see appendix A5 of the ZIS Publication Guide.

AbstractHabituation – the most basic form of learning – is used to evaluate central nervous system (CNS) maturation and to detect abnormalities in fetal brain development. In the current study, habituation, stimulus specificity and dishabituation of auditory evoked responses were measured in fetuses and newborns using fetal magnetoencephalography (fMEG). An auditory habituation paradigm consisting of 100 trains of five 500 Hz tones, one 750 Hz tone (dishabituator) and two more 500 Hz tones, respectively, were presented to 41 fetuses (gestational age 30–39 weeks) and 22 newborns or babies (age 6–89 days). A response decrement between the first and fifth tones (habituation), an increment between the fifth tone and the dishabituator (stimulus specificity) and an increment between the fifth (last tone before the dishabituator) and seventh tones (first tone after the dishabituator) (dishabituation) were expected. Fetuses showed weak responses to the first tone. However, a significant response decrement between the second and fifth tones (habituation) and a significant increment between the fifth tone and the dishabituator (stimulus specificity) were found. No significant difference was found for dishabituation nor was a developmental trend found at the group level. From the neonatal data, significant values for stimulus specificity were found. Sensory fatigue or adaptation was ruled out as a reason for the response decrement due to the strong reactions to the dishabituator. Taken together, the current study used fMEG to directly show fetal habituation and provides evidence of fetal learning in the last trimester of pregnancy.