Measurement Instruments for the Social Sciences

Don’t Pull Any Old Personality Taxonomy From the Shelf: The Performance of Historical and Sample Derived Taxonomies in Extracting Personality Information From Text

Johannes A. Karl, Ronald Fischer — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Substantial efforts have been made to develop comprehensive taxonomies of personality traits in many languages. Nevertheless, given that what is important and salient in individuals’ lived experience might be changing over time, this raises the question about the long-term usefulness of ‘off-the-shelf’ taxonomies developed decades ago. In the current study we used a bottom-up approach to create a large sample-specific taxonomy of personality terms. We subsequently examined the overlap and sensitivity of this taxonomy compared to an established trait taxonomy in the same language. Overall, we found that the two taxonomies only showed limited overlap with a pronounced divergence in emotionality (Neuroticism) and social aspects (Agreeableness) of personality. In addition to this, we found that while the personality assessment extracted from self-descriptions using the established taxonomy showed alignment with participants’ self-rated personality, especially Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism, the sample-specific taxonomy showed a significantly greater alignment between text-based and self-rated personality. In summary, our current study highlights the need to extend our thinking about the psycholexical hypothesis, moving away from assumptions of time invariant language encoding to more explicitly recognizing temporal and sample-specific dynamics underpinning the expression and use of personality trait terms.

An Adaptation of Gradational Gender Scales in a Japanese Sample: Nonresponse Rates and Response Distributions for Self-Rated Masculinity and Femininity

Christina Pao, Fumiya Uchikoshi — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Although scholars have long depicted gender as multidimensional, many surveys have historically captured gender coarsely. A recent methodological advancement has been gradational gender scales—unipolar scales that ask about self-rated femininity and masculinity. Nonetheless, these scales have yet to receive wider attention outside of the U.S. and Europe. Using data collected by the Social Science Japan Data Archive (SSJDA) in October 2023 and February 2024, we evaluate response patterns to gradational gender scales among Japanese respondents. We find high levels of nonresponse for these questions, and responses are less bimodally distributed and less extreme in value than in other country contexts. Respondents are particularly less likely to provide answers to scales that are “gender-atypical”—e.g., masculinity for women, and femininity for men. These findings reveal large differences in response patterns in a Japanese sample, indicating the need and promise for future research when administering gradational gender scales in different contexts.

Shortening the Relationship Disillusionment Scale to a Three-Item Measure (RDS-3)

Fri, 13 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Relationship disillusionment—perceiving that one’s romantic relationship is not meeting expectations and getting worse and viewing one’s spouse/partner in an increasingly negative light—has been shown to predict likelihood of relationship breakup, independent of relationship satisfaction, commitment, and duration. Current versions of the Relationship Disillusionment Scale (RDS), the leading measure in this area, have 11 or more items. The present research examined properties (factor loadings, internal consistency and test-retest reliability, convergent and concurrent criterion validity, and dyadic correlations) of full-length RDS measures in three datasets to identify a small number of items that could comprise a psychometrically sound short form of the RDS. A three-item RDS version emerged, which performed comparably well to full-length versions. Hence, we recommend the RDS-3 for use in future research when survey length is an issue (e.g., daily diary studies; surveys taken on mobile phones).

Analyzing the Psychometric Properties of the Revised Early University Leaving Intention Questionnaire

Agustín Freiberg Hoffmann, Florencia Motta, Ana B. Bernardo, Carlos Donato Vigh — Fri, 13 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The current high rate of academic dropout in the university system necessitates early identification of first-year students' intentions to drop out to detect potential risk cases. This paper reports a linguistic adaptation of the revised version of the Early University Dropout Intentions Questionnaire (EUDIQ-R) and an analysis of its psychometric properties in an Argentine population. Participants were 747 first-year university students from Argentina. The instrument was adapted to the local idiom. The internal three-factor structure of the EUDIQ-R was then verified through confirmatory factor analysis. The internal consistency was adequate. Factorial invariance analysis verified the metric equivalence of the instrument's structure between samples of students from Argentina and Spain. Finally, evidence of concurrent validity was obtained using an instrument that assesses academic engagement. This study provides adequate evidence of the validity and reliability of the EUDIQ-R, which can be used to identify early dropout intentions in first-year university students.

Validating the Perception of Sex Offenders Scale (PSO) Among Norwegian Students in Health, Social Work, and Police Education

Bjørn Kjetil Larsen, Petter Laake, Jon Strype, Atle Ødegård — Fri, 16 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Reliable instruments are essential for studying perceptions of individuals convicted of sexual offences across cultural contexts. This study evaluates the psychometric properties of the Perceptions of Sex Offenders Scale (PSO) among Norwegian students in nursing, social education, social work, and police education (N = 282). Using confirmatory factor analysis, we tested the fit of the PSO’s original three-factor structure. The model showed mixed fit (RMSEA = .072; SRMR = .072; CFI = .86; TLI = .84). Internal consistency was satisfactory for Sentencing and Management and Stereotype Endorsement (α = .82 and .70), but low for Risk Perception (α = .53). Internal validity indices were uneven: composite reliability was acceptable for Sentencing and Management and Stereotype Endorsement (CR = .89 and .71), but not for Risk Perception (CR = .58), and AVE values were below recommended thresholds across factors, particularly for Risk Perception (AVE = .227). Free-text responses indicated that participants primarily had rape and child sexual abuse in mind when responding to the PSO. Overall, the PSO shows promise in a Norwegian student context, but the Risk Perception dimension appears to require refinement before the scale can be used confidently for research and educational purposes.

An Introduction to the Article Collection “Measuring Attitudes and Tendencies of Degradation”

Ayline Heller, Marius Dilling, Peter Schmidt — Fri, 19 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The Affirmative Character Scale: A Tool to Explore New Forms of Authoritarianism

David W. G. F. Jäger, Florian Knasmüller, Markus Brunner, Ayline Heller — Fri, 19 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

There are two main points of reference to Frankfurt School's authoritarianism research. On the one hand, scholars who, following Fromm (1932), seek to identify a contemporary social character under conditions of post-Fordist capitalism emphasize that the authoritarian character has been replaced by a flexible, entrepreneurial self. On the other hand, research on authoritarianism still relies on adaptations of the F-scale developed by Adorno et al. (1950) (e.g., Altemeyer, 1981; Beierlein et al., 2014; Oesterreich, 1998; Decker et al., 2022). At the same time, certain new forms of authoritarianism are being identified (Amlinger & Nachtwey, 2025). In this paper, we aim to bridge this tension by introducing a measurement tool for a contemporary “affirmative social character” adapted to flexible capitalism, and to explore the relationship between this social character and authoritarian tendencies. Based on a German sample (N = 1,196), we develop the 28-item Aff-Scale to measure the adaptive authoritarian tendencies aligned with the demands of 21st-century meritocracy. The scale captures five dimensions: affirmation, self-optimization, flexibility & mobility, solutionism, and libertarianism. Validation measures included traditional authoritarianism (KSA-3; Beierlein et al., 2014), right-wing extremism (FR-LF; Heller et al., 2020), and sociodemographic variables. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the multidimensionality (CFI = 0.927; RMSEA = 0.048) but showed a need for further validation. Internal consistency was good (Cronbach's α = .83; ω = .64) and the expected correlations with RWA and educational-, social status and age were significant. Despite its limitations, the Aff-scale is a useful tool for examining a 21st century social character and contributes to a better understanding of modernized forms of authoritarianism.

Correction of Florian Clemens Monstadt (2025). Measuring Democratic Values in Primary School Children: Development and Confirmatory Factor Analysis of a New Survey Instrument

The Journal Editors — Thu, 18 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Correction to: Monstadt, F. C. (2025). Measuring Democratic Values in Primary School Children: Development and Confirmatory Factor Analysis of a New Survey Instrument. Measurement Instruments for the Social Sciences, 7, Article e16247. https://doi.org/10.5964/miss.16247

A New Measure of Authoritarianism: Development and Validation of the Short Modern Comprehensive F Scale in Germany and the U.S.

Tue, 09 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Previous research suggests that the concept of Right-Wing Authoritarianism (RWA) may be no longer sufficient to explain attraction to contemporary right-wing movements. Using data from two correlational studies in Germany (N = 469) and the United States (N = 314), we developed the 9-item Modern Comprehensive F Scale (MCF-9), integrating all nine facets from the California F Scale (Adorno et al., 1950). Validation criteria included right-wing political and antidemocratic attitudes, antisemitism, xenophobia, and donation preferences. Confirmatory Factor Analysis confirmed the one-dimensionality of MCF-9. The scale showed good internal consistency (ω = .87 in Germany; ω = .90 in the U.S.), and had strong positive associations with RWA, and Social Dominance Orientation (SDO). Notably, MCF-9 accounted for additional variance in all validation criteria (up to 17% in Germany; up to 20% in the U.S.) beyond two established RWA scales, positioning it as valuable contemporary measure. Limitations and implications are discussed.

Measuring Democratic Values in Primary School Children: Development and Confirmatory Factor Analysis of a New Survey Instrument

Florian Clemens Monstadt — Fri, 21 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The internalization of democratic values in childhood is essential for fostering resilient democracies. Despite its importance, research on democratic values in children remains scarce due to methodological challenges. This study aims to develop and evaluate the factorial validity of a new survey instrument measuring five democratic values (participation, equality, following rules, renunciation of violence, and freedom of opinion) in primary school children. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) were performed using data from 429 third- and fourth-grade pupils in Germany to assess the instrument’s validity. CFA results indicate that most scales—particularly equality, following rules, and renunciation of violence—demonstrate structural validity, while the scales for participation and freedom require further revision. Limitations of the study include the text-heavy survey design and the moderate sample size, precluding advanced invariance testing. Nevertheless, this study provides initial evidence for the feasibility of employing CFA to validate measures of democratic values in children and highlights important directions for future research to enhance the reliability and validity of these instruments.