Testing the Assumption of Population Homogeneity in the Measurement of Dispositional Optimism: Factor Mixture
1Faculty of Education, University of Macau, Macau, P.R. China.
Journal of Personality Assessment
|September 28, 2018
Summary
Dispositional optimism measurement is not homogeneous. A significant group struggled with scale consistency, suggesting typical optimism scales need revision for accurate psychometric assessment.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Psychometrics
Background:
- Dispositional optimism is a key psychological construct.
- Existing optimism scales often assume population homogeneity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine population homogeneity in dispositional optimism measurement.
- To evaluate the psychometric properties of optimism scales using factor mixture modeling.
Main Methods:
- Administered an optimism scale to 591 U.S. and Canadian respondents.
- Utilized factor mixture modeling to analyze potential population heterogeneity.
Main Results:
- Population homogeneity was not supported, with a notable class showing inconsistent responses.
- After removing this class, optimism and pessimism correlated at .94, supporting unidimensionality.
Conclusions:
- Typical dispositional optimism measurement requires substantial revision.
- Factor mixture modeling is crucial for assessing psychometric properties of measurement scales.
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