Reliability Generalization of the Triarchic Psychopathy Measure

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Forensic Psychology
• Psychometrics

Background:

• The reliability of self-report measures for psychopathy is a subject of ongoing debate.
• The Triarchic Psychopathy Measure (TriPM) is a widely used self-report instrument for assessing psychopathy.
• Reliability generalization (RG) offers a meta-analytic method to evaluate instrument consistency across studies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a reliability generalization analysis of the Triarchic Psychopathy Measure (TriPM).
• To aggregate internal consistency statistics from published studies using the TriPM.
• To assess the psychometric properties of the TriPM across various samples and study characteristics.

Main Methods:

• A meta-analytic reliability generalization (RG) approach was employed.
• Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's omega coefficients were aggregated from 219 and 40 studies, respectively.
• Moderator analyses examined the influence of sample characteristics (e.g., gender, age, forensic vs. community) on internal consistency.

Main Results:

• High meta-analytic internal consistency estimates were found for the TriPM Total score (α = .88) and its subscales: Boldness (α = .81), Meanness (α = .87), and Disinhibition (α = .85).
• McDonald's omega yielded comparable high internal consistency estimates.
• Internal consistency showed minimal variation across different study characteristics, indicating robust reliability.

Conclusions:

• The Triarchic Psychopathy Measure (TriPM) exhibits strong internal consistency, supporting its use as a reliable self-report tool.
• The findings suggest the TriPM measures coherent constructs effectively across diverse populations.
• The TriPM is a viable and cost-effective instrument for psychopathy assessment in research and clinical settings.