The world beyond rating scales. Why we should think more carefully about the response format in questionnaires

in European Journal of Psychological Assessment (2018)

Domain-Specificity of Need for Cognition Among High School Students

in European Journal of Psychological Assessment (2017), Advance online publication

Need for Cognition (NFC) is increasingly being investigated in educational research. In contrast to other non-cognitive constructs in this area, such as academic self-concept and interest, NFC has ... [more ▼]

Need for Cognition (NFC) is increasingly being investigated in educational research. In contrast to other non-cognitive constructs in this area, such as academic self-concept and interest, NFC has consistently been conceptualized as domain-general. We employed structural equation modelling to address the question of whether NFC can be meaningfully and gainfully conceptualized as domain-specific. To this end, we developed a domain-specific 20-item NFC scale with parallel items for Science, Mathematics, German, and French. Additionally, domain-general NFC was assessed with five domain-general items. Using a cross-sectional sample of more than 4500 Luxembourgish 9th graders, we found that a nested-factor model incorporating both a general factor and domain-specific factors better accounted for the data than a single- factor or a correlated-factor model. However, the influence of the general factor was markedly stronger than in corresponding models for academic self-concept and interest. When controlling for the domain-specific factors, only Mathematics achievement was significantly predicted by the domain-general factor, while all achievement measures (Mathematics, French, and German) were predicted by the corresponding domain-specific factor. The nested domain-specific NFC factors were clearly empirically distinguishable from first-order domain-specific interest factors. [less ▲]

The field of psychological assessment. Where it stands and where it’s going. A personal analysis of foci, gaps, and implications for EJPA

in European Journal of Psychological Assessment (2017), 33

The Luxembourg Workplace Mobbing Scale: Psychometric properties of a short instrument in three different languages

in European Journal of Psychological Assessment (2016)

Workplace mobbing is a serious phenomenon that is costly to organizations and has various negative consequences of those targeted. The main purpose of the present study was to develop and validate a new ... [more ▼]

Workplace mobbing is a serious phenomenon that is costly to organizations and has various negative consequences of those targeted. The main purpose of the present study was to develop and validate a new short scale of workplace mobbing experience in three different language versions (German, French, Luxembourgish). Data were collected via computer-assisted telephone interviews in a sample of 1500 employees working in Luxembourg (aged from 17 to 64; 52.7 % male) that was representative of the commuter structure of Luxembourg’s workforce. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the newly developed 5-item scale has good psychometric properties and partial scalar measurement invariance for the three different language versions. Internal consistency was satisfactory (α = .73). Correlations and hierarchical regression analysis with different working condition scales and psychological health scales confirm the construct validity of the new questionnaire. Although the present findings are preliminary in nature, they nevertheless support the reliability and validity of the scale and its use in psychological research. [less ▲]

The prediction of problem solving assessed via microworlds. The relative importance of fluid reasoning and working memory

in European Journal of Psychological Assessment (2016), 32

The issue of fuzzy concepts in test construction and possible remedies

in European Journal of Psychological Assessment (2015), 31(1), 1-4

Measuring dispositional optimism in large-scale studies - Psychometric evidence for German, Spanish, and Italian versions of the Scale Optimism-Pessimism-2 (SOP2)

in European Journal of Psychological Assessment (2015)

Measurement invariance in a grid-based measure of academic self-concept

in European Journal of Psychological Assessment (2015)

Extending the Assessment of Complex Problem Solving to Finite State Automata: Embracing Heterogeneity

in European Journal of Psychological Assessment (2014), Advance Online Publication

Recent advancements in the assessment of Complex Problem Solving (CPS) build on the use of homogenous tasks that enable the reliable estimation of CPS skills. The range of problems featured in established ... [more ▼]

Recent advancements in the assessment of Complex Problem Solving (CPS) build on the use of homogenous tasks that enable the reliable estimation of CPS skills. The range of problems featured in established instruments such as MicroDYN is consequently limited to a specific subset of homogeneous complex problems. This restriction is problematic when looking at domain-specific examples of complex problems, which feature characteristics absent from current assessment instruments (e.g., threshold states). We propose to utilize the formal framework of Finite State Automata (FSA) to extend the range of problems included in CPS assessment. An approach based on FSA, called MicroFIN, is presented, translated into specific tasks, and empirically investigated. We conducted an empirical study (N = 576), (1) inspecting the psychometric features of MicroFIN, (2) relating it to MicroDYN, and (3) investigating the relations to a measure of reasoning (i.e., CogAT). MicroFIN (1) exhibited adequate measurement characteristics and multitrait- multimethod models indicated (2) the convergence of latent dimensions measured with MicroDYN. Relations to reasoning (3) were moderate and comparable to the ones previously found for MicroDYN. Empirical results and corresponding explanations are discussed. More importantly, MicroFIN highlights the feasibility of expanding CPS assessment to a larger spectrum of complex problems. [less ▲]

States and traits in psychological assessment.

in European Journal of Psychological Assessment (1992), 8(2)