Some experiences with the F scale in Yugoslavia

Area of Science:

• Social Psychology
• Personality Psychology
• Psychometrics

Background:

• The original F scale, developed by Adorno et al. (1950), is a tool for measuring authoritarian personality traits.
• Previous research has utilized the F scale across various cultural contexts.
• Understanding the F scale's psychometric properties in different cultural settings is crucial for its valid application.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the psychometric properties of the original F scale within a Yugoslavian context.
• To examine the inter-item correlations and the relationship between total F scale scores and other personality variables.
• To explore the factor structure and potential cultural influences on F scale measurements.

Main Methods:

• Two distinct studies were conducted using the original F scale in Yugoslavia.
• The first study focused on analyzing inter-item correlations within the scale.
• The second study assessed the correlation between the total F scale score and various personality variables.

Main Results:

• Evidence suggests the existence of several first-order factors that converge into a single higher-order factor.
• The F scale appears to measure second-order personality factors including anxiety, independence (dominance), and social adjustment.
• Cultural influences were found to be more pronounced than political influences in explaining the observed results.

Conclusions:

• The F scale demonstrates a measurable factor structure in the Yugoslavian context, albeit with some complex first-order factors.
• The scale's ability to capture anxiety, independence, and social adjustment suggests its relevance in understanding personality.
• Cultural specificities significantly impact F scale results, indicating a need for potential scale revisions to enhance cross-cultural validity.