Improving Scale Equivalence by Increasing Access to Scale-Specific Information

Area of Science:

• Psychological measurement
• Cross-cultural psychology
• Open science practices

Background:

• Scientific replication relies on consistent measurement, but cross-cultural research often faces challenges with scale equivalence.
• Traditional translation methods have not fully resolved the issue of psychological constructs differing across languages.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose that insufficient information about psychological measures contributes to low scale equivalence.
• To explore the creation and utility of measure-specific translation guides developed by original scale creators.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual exploration of the need for measure-specific translation guides.
• Discussion of the content, feasibility, and implementation of such guides.
• Development of an example guide and test case for the Primals Inventory.

Main Results:

• Low scale equivalence may stem from a lack of detailed measure information, not just translation issues.
• Measure-specific guides, developed by original scale builders, are proposed as a solution.
• Increased transparency in measurement translation can enhance scale equivalence.

Conclusions:

• Translators and cross-cultural psychologists may require support from original measure creators to achieve true scale equivalence.
• Implementing measure-specific translation guides aligns with open science principles and can improve the reliability of cross-cultural psychological research.