Optimists or optimistic? A taxometric study of optimism

Although most researchers have assumed that optimism exists on a continuum, it is not uncommon for researchers to dichotomize their data into optimists and pessimists, thus treating optimism as a categorical or taxonic variable. To address the question of whether optimism is dimensional or taxonic, the authors performed a set of taxometric analyses on 3 indicators derived from measures of hope and optimism using data from 510 college students. The results provided consistent evidence that optimism is dimensional. Colloquially, people may speak of optimists and pessimists, but researchers should avoid dichotomizing this continuous variable.