Psychology

Internal reliability and temporal stability of the New Indices of Religious Orientation among Indian undergraduates: Test-retest data over 15 days

S V. Kamble et al. — Mon, 21 May 2012 02:44:38 PDT

The present study examined the internal reliability and temporal stability of both the long and short forms of the New Indices of Religious Orientation, containing measures of Intrinsic, Extrinsic, and Quest religiosity, over a 15-day period among a sample of 100 Indian university students. Internal reliabilities for the long form of the measure at times 1 and 2 were acceptable for all subscales with the exception of the intrinsic subscale at time 2. Reliability estimates for the extrinsic and intrinsic subscales of the short form of the measure at both time 1 and time 2 were also less than satisfactory, though the alpha coefficients for the quest subscale were satisfactory. Data demonstrated that stability across the two administrations for both long- and short-form versions of the three dimensions of religious orientation were moderately high to high (ranging from r = 0.63 to r = 0.76). Moreover, intra-class correlation coefficients were similar to those derived from the Pearson's correlation coefficients, thus confirming that there were no systematic errors between the time 1 and time 2 datasets. However, there were significant differences in mean scores between time 1 and time 2 for both long- and short-form versions of the intrinsic and quest religious orientation subscales.

The Scale Properties of the Adolescent Form of the Francis Psychological Type Scales (FPTSA) Among Canadian Baptist Youth

Bruce G. Fawcett et al. — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 02:04:11 PST

A sample of 755 religiously committed young people between the ages of 12 and 18 attending Tidal Impact (a weeklong youth mission and service event sponsored by the Convention of Atlantic Baptist Churches in Eastern Canada) completed a trial 80-item form of the Francis Psychological Type Scales designed for use among adolescents. These data were employed to refine four ten-item forced-choice scales to distinguish between preferences for the two orientations (extraversion and introversion), the two perceiving processes (sensing and intuition), the two judging processes (thinking and feeling) and the two attitudes (judging and perceiving). The scale properties of the new instrument commend the 40-item Adolescent form of the Francis Psychological Type Scales (FPTSA) for future use.

Shaping attitude toward Christianity among year seven pupils: the influence of sex, church, home and primary school

Tracy Swindells et al. — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 06:26:22 PST

This study set out to examine the differences in attitude toward Christianity among year seven secondary school pupils who had undertaken their primary education either in a Church of England voluntary aided school or a non-denominational state-maintained school. Data were provided by 492 year-seven pupils attending three Church of England voluntary secondary schools and comparison is made between 288 pupils who had transferred from Anglican voluntary aided primary schools and 164 from non-denominational state-maintained schools. After taking into account the effects of sex, pupil church attendance, paternal church attendance, and maternal church attendance, the data found no effect from attending a Church of England voluntary aided primary school.

Psychology and psychiatry training

Christopher A. Lewis et al. — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 05:23:09 PDT

Temporal stability of the Francis Scale of Attitude Toward Christianity among 9- to 11-year-old English children: Test-retest data over six weeks

Christopher A. Lewis et al. — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 04:06:47 PDT

Recently two studies have reported on the test-retest reliability of the Francis Scale of Attitude toward Christianity; however, these studies were limited to samples of university students. This study examined the temporal stability of both the 24- and 7-item versions of the junior version of the Francis Scale of Attitude toward Christianity (Francis, 1978; Francis, Greer, & Gibson, 1991) over a six-week period among a sample of 58 English children aged between 9 and 11 years old. Data demonstrated that stability across the two administrations was very high for both the 24- (r=.74) and 7-item (r=.67) versions, and there was no significant change between Time 1 and Time 2 for either version. These data support the short-term test-retest reliability of both the 24- and 7-item versions of the junior version of the Francis Scale of Attitude toward Christianity among children.

The Detection of Dissociative Identity Disorder by Northern Irish Clinical Psychologists and Psychiatrists: A Clinical Vignettes Study

M J. Dorahy et al. — Fri, 21 May 2010 07:03:49 PDT

A sample of Northern Irish clinical psychologists (N=27) and psychiatrists (N=29) completed three clinical vignettes designed to assess the detection of dissociative identity disorder. Data suggested that psychiatrists and clinical psychologists were better able to detect dissociative identity disorder when discriminating and characteristic symptoms were present. However, the majority of clinicians still failed to diagnose dissociative identity disorder as the most likely condition in a clear-cut case.

Temporal stability of the Francis Scale of Attitude toward Christianity Short-Form: Test-Retest Data over one week

Christopher A. Lewis et al. — Fri, 21 May 2010 02:59:00 PDT

This study evaluated the test-retest reliability of the Francis Scale of Attitude toward Christianity short-form. Thirty-nine Northern Irish undergraduate university students completed the measure on two occasions separated by one week. Stability across the two administrations was high, r = .92, and there was no significant change between Time 1 (M = 25.2, SD = 5.4) and Time 2 (M = 25.7, SD = 6.2). These data support the short-term test-retest reliability of the Francis Scale of Attitude toward Christianity short-form.

The Impact of Personality and Religion on Attitudes toward Alcohol among 16–18 year olds in Northern Ireland

L J. Francis et al. — Wed, 19 May 2010 03:13:19 PDT

Background: Previous research demonstrates a negative relationship between attitude toward alcohol and religiosity. However, what is less apparent is if this relationship may, at least in part, be a function of individual differences in personality, as previous research has demonstrated a relationship between certain measures of personality and both attitude toward alcohol and attitude toward religiosity. The aim of the present study was to explore the impact of personality and the relative efficacy of different markers of religiosity in predicting attitude toward alcohol among a sample of 16–18 year olds in Northern Ireland. Method: The Francis Scale of Attitude toward Alcohol (Francis, 1992c. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 31, 45–50) was administered alongside the Abbreviated Revised Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (Francis, Brown, & Philipchalk, 1992. Personality and Individual Differences, 13(4), 443–449), the Francis Scale of Attitude toward Christianity (Francis & Stubbs, 1987. Personality and Individual Differences, 8, 741–743) and measures of frequency of personal prayer and church attendance among a sample of 243 16- to 18-year-old sixth-form students in Northern Ireland. Results and conclusion: The data demonstrate that a more prohibitive attitude toward alcohol was correlated with lower psychoticism scores (tendermindedness) and a more positive attitude toward Christianity. Multiple-regression analyses confirm the importance of attitude toward religion in predicting individual differences in attitude toward alcohol.

The role of religious fundamentalism in terrorist violence: A social psychological analysis

M B. Rogers et al. — Mon, 17 May 2010 06:19:31 PDT

This paper examines the social-psychological factors often implicated in discussions of terrorist violence/martyrdom, with a particular focus on the role of religion. We offer a brief description of the psychological theories underpinning terrorist research before focusing on social-psychological factors. The roles of psychopathology, irrationality and grievance/threat are examined, followed by empirical research on the beliefs which have been associated with the perpetration and support of terrorist violence, and the social factors which foster those beliefs, including social identity, socially carried interpretations, group leadership and individual differences. Although religion is not a single, simple causal factor in terrorist violence, religious elements often feature strongly in the belief systems associated with terrorist violence, and can also feature in other important fostering factors for terrorist violence, such as the use of rhetoric. Finally, the status of lay explanations of terrorist violence, focusing on the role of religious fundamentalism is examined.

On Positive Psychological Outcomes: What Helps Groups With a History of Conflict to Forgive and Reconcile With Each Other?

N Noor et al. — Thu, 13 May 2010 07:36:07 PDT

Three studies examined the roles of traditional and novel social psychological variables involved in intergroup forgiveness. Study 1 (N = 480) revealed that among the pro-Pinochet and the anti-Pinochet groups in Chile, forgiveness was predicted by ingroup identity (negatively), common ingroup identity (positively), empathy and trust (positively), and competitive victimhood (the subjective sense of having suffered more than the outgroup, negatively). Political ideology (Right vs. Left) moderated the relationship between empathy and forgiveness, trust and forgiveness, and between the latter and competitive victimhood. Study 2 (N = 309), set in the Northern Irish conflict between Protestants and Catholics, provided a replication and extension of Study 1. Finally, Study 3 (N = 155/108) examined the longitudinal relationship between forgiveness and reconciliation in Northern Ireland, revealing that forgiveness predicted reconciliation intentions. The reverse direction of this relationship was also marginally significant. Results are discussed in terms of their theoretical and practical implications.

Temporal Stability of the Francis Scale of Attitude Toward Christianity Short-Form Among 10- To 12-Year-Old English Children: Test-Retest Data Over 15 Weeks

Christopher A. Lewis et al. — Thu, 13 May 2010 07:29:21 PDT

Recently three studies have reported on the test-retest reliability of the Francis Scale of Attitude toward Christianity; however, these studies were limited to comparatively small samples (Ns = 39, 114, 58). The present study examined the temporal stability of the 7-item version of the Francis Scale of Attitude toward Christianity over a 15-week period among a sample of 581 English children aged between 10 and 12 years. Data demonstrated that stability across the two administrations was very high (r = .79); however, there was a significant change in mean scores between Time 1 and Time 2.

Religiously Affiliated Schools in Northern Ireland: The Persistence of Denominational Differences in Pupils' Religious And Moral Values

L J. Francis et al. — Thu, 13 May 2010 07:23:06 PDT

Northern Ireland has been and remains a country deeply divided, and this division is focused by the denominational distinction between Catholics and Protestants. The division is reflected in and supported by separate educational systems for Protestant and Catholic children. Between the late 1960s and early 1990s, John Greer pioneered a series of empirical enquiries concerning the distinctive religious, moral and social cultures of pupils educated in the two school systems. This study replicates earlier research he carried out in 1984 that investigated the religious beliefs and values of both Catholic and Protestant pupils in schools. The data provided by 1,099 Protestant pupils and by 1,270 Catholic pupils confirm Greer’s earlier conclusion that there are significant and consistent differences in the religious profiles of the two denominational groups. Some of the implications of this finding for accounts of the nature of the process of secularisation and for education and schooling in Northern Ireland are considered.

Sixth form religion in Northern Ireland: the Protestant profile 1968–1998

L J. Francis et al. — Thu, 13 May 2010 07:05:01 PDT

The aim of the present study was to build on John Greer’s systematic set of studies concerned with teenage beliefs and values conducted among samples of sixth form students attending County and Protestant voluntary schools in Northern Ireland in 1968, 1978 and 1988. The present study replicated the earlier surveys for a further time in 1998. The results provide a unique snapshot of the persistence of religious affiliation, belief and practice across the latter part of the twentieth century in a nation which has continued to resist the secularisation process so eroding the place of religion in the neighbouring nations of England, Wales and Scotland.

Introducing the Modified Paranormal Belief Scale: Distinguishing Between Classic Paranormal Beliefs, Religious Paranormal Beliefs and Conventional Religiosity Among Undergraduates in Northern Ireland and Wales

E Williams et al. — Tue, 11 May 2010 05:31:03 PDT

Previous empirical studies concerned with the association between paranormal beliefs and conventional religiosity have produced conflicting evidence. Drawing on Rice’s (2003) distinction between classic paranormal beliefs and religious paranormal beliefs, the present study proposed a modified form of the Tobacyk Revised Paranormal Belief Scale to produce separate scores for these two forms of paranormal belief, styled ‘religious paranormal beliefs’ and ‘classic paranormal beliefs’. Data provided by a sample of 143 undergraduate students in Northern Ireland and Wales, who completed the Francis Scale of Attitude toward Christianity alongside the Tobacyk Revised Paranormal Belief Scale, demonstrated that conventional religiosity is positively correlated with religious paranormal beliefs, but independent of classic paranormal beliefs. These findings provide a clear framework within which previous conflicting evidence can be interpreted. It is recommended that future research should distinguish clearly between these two forms of paranormal beliefs and that the Tobacyk Revised Paranormal Beliefs Scale should be routinely modified to detach the four religious paranormal belief items from the total scale score.

Internal consistency, reliability, and temporal stability of the oxford happiness questionnaire short-form: test-retest data over two weeks

S M. Cruise et al. — Tue, 11 May 2010 05:14:47 PDT

The Oxford Happiness Questionnaire short-form (Hills & Argyle, 2002) is an 8-item measure of happiness. This study evaluated the internal consistency reliability and test-retest reliability of the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire short-form among 55 Northern Irish undergraduate university students who completed the measure on two occasions separated by two weeks. Internal consistency of the measure was satisfactory at both Time 1 (alpha = .62) and Time 2 (alpha = .58). Stability across the two administrations was satisfactory (r = .69), and there was no significant change between Time 1 (M = 34.5, SD = 5.4) and Time 2 (M = 34.6, SD = 5.2). These data support the internal consistency reliability and short-term test-retest reliability of the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire short-form.

The Motivations and Aspirations of 3029 Educated Urban Nigerians

J U. Ohaeri et al. — Tue, 04 May 2010 06:52:08 PDT

The present study’s objectives were: (a) to estimate the proportion of educated Nigerians whose behaviour was motivated by various levels of needs; (b) to estimate the proportion of those who aspired to be motivated by these needs; and, (c) using factor analysis, to deter-mine whether behavioural motivations and aspirations would aggregate into meaningful patterns. The 3029 subjects included individuals from most tribal and occupational groups. The least-endorsed motivational need was the aesthetic level (60.3%); the other levels of needs were endorsed by over two-thirds of participants, with self-actualization being the most popular. Factor analysis yielded three significant factors. All aspirational need levels loaded on Factor 1, indicating the salience of these needs. Factor 2 included psychological need levels, while Factor 3 included material needs and aspirations.

The short-form revised Eysenck personality Questionnaire (EPQ-S): A German edition

L J. Francis et al. — Tue, 04 May 2010 01:48:03 PDT

A sample of 331 undergraduate students in Germany completed the German translation of the short form Revised Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQR-S; Eysenck, Eysenck, & Barrett,1985). The findings support the psychometric properties of the extraversion, neuroticism and lie scales. The psychoticism scale, however, was found to be less satisfactory.

Implicit Religion in the Psychology of Religion: What the (Psychology) Papers Say

Christopher A. Lewis — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 06:11:53 PDT

To gauge the use of the term ‘implicit religion’ within the psychology of religion, the present study examined the prevalence of the term within published articles covered by the main bibliographic database in psychology, PsycINFO. For purposes of comparison, the prevalence of the term ‘implicit religion’ was also examined within leading social science, religion and sociology bibliographic databases. The number of citations of ‘implicit religion’ demonstrated that the term is currently almost non-existent in usage within psychology journals abstracted by PsycINFO (n=1), or among social science journals abstracted by ASSIA: Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts (n=7). However, it is more widely used in religion journals abstracted by ATLAReligion (n=22), and sociology journals abstracted by Sociological Abstracts (n=59). These findings provide further empirical evidence to support the conclusion drawn by Gollnick (2002) that the term ‘implicit religion’ has not gained the widespread attention of psychologists of religion.

A Taxometric Analysis of Type-D Personality

E Ferguson et al. — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 07:55:39 PDT

Objective: To test the dimensionality of Type-D personality, using taxometric procedures, to assess if Type-D personality is taxonic or dimensional. Type-D personality is treated as a categorical variable and caseness has been shown to be a risk factor for poor prognosis in coronary heart disease. However, at present, there is no direct evidence to support the assumption that Type D is categorical and able to differentiate true cases from noncases. Methods: In total, 1012 healthy young adults from across the United Kingdom and Ireland completed the DS14, the standard index of Type D, and scores were submitted to two taxometric procedures MAMBAC and MAXCOV. Results: Graphical representations (comparing actual with simulated data) and fit indices indicated that Type D is more accurately represented as a dimensional rather than categorical construct. Conclusion: Type D is better represented as a dimensional construct. Implications for theory development and clinical practice with respect to Type D are examined as well as the wider use of taxometrics within psychosomatic medicine (e.g., to investigate if there are medically unexplained syndrome taxons, such as a Gulf War Syndrome taxon).

Religious orientation, religious coping and happiness among UK adults

Christopher A. Lewis et al. — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 03:18:45 PDT

It has been demonstrated that the relationship between religiosity and happiness varies according to the precise measures used and the samples studied. To examine further the generalisability of this association the present work examined the relationship between religiosity and happiness within the context of the distinction between subjective and psychological well-being. One hundred and thirty eight UK adults completed two measures of both religiosity (the ‘Age Universal’ Religious Orientation Scale [Intrinsic and Extrinsic subscales] and the Religious Coping Scale [Positive and Negative subscales]) and happiness (the Depression–Happiness Scale and the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire Short-Form). In general, no significant associations were found between religiosity scores and happiness scores. However, both higher intrinsic orientation scores and positive religious coping were significantly associated with higher scores on the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire Short-Form. It is proposed that these differential findings are consistent with the theoretical distinction between subjective and psychological well-being. It is suggested that when religiosity is related to happiness, it is related to psychological well-being, which is thought to reflect human development, positive functioning and existential life challenges.