Validation of the Curiosity and Exploration Inventory-II in Spanish University Students

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Health Sciences
• Educational Psychology

Background:

• Assessing psychometric properties of the Curiosity and Exploration Inventory-II (CEI-II).
• Focusing on research in health promotion and quality of life.
• Targeting young Spanish university students.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the psychometric properties of the CEI-II.
• To provide validity evidence for its use in specific populations and research areas.
• To examine the relationship between exploratory behaviors and health outcomes.

Main Methods:

• A sample of 807 Spanish university students (aged 18-26, 75.09% female) participated.
• Participants completed the CEI-II and questionnaires on health and quality of life.
• Psychometric analyses were conducted to evaluate the CEI-II's structure and reliability.

Main Results:

• The CEI-II demonstrated a confirmed unidimensional structure, with the original two-dimensional structure also showing adequate fit.
• Measures were gender- and age-invariant, exhibiting good internal consistency for the full scale and subscales.
• A significant relationship was found between CEI-II scores and life satisfaction, sense of coherence, and psychological distress.

Conclusions:

• The CEI-II is recommended for use as a unidimensional measure, but can also be utilized as a two-dimensional measure.
• Both structural configurations yield reliable, valid, and invariant measures of exploratory behaviors in Spanish university students.
• Exploratory behaviors are confirmed to be associated with enhanced health management.