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Academic procrastination has a significant influence on students' lives, being related to several relevant variables, such as lower self-esteem, higher levels of academic anxiety, and fear of failure. The development and adaptation of reliable instruments help to assure a more in-depth study of academic procrastination. The present research aimed to adapt and assess evidence of validity and reliability of the scores of the Academic Procrastination Scale (APS) for a Brazilian sample (N = 1241). In Study 1, an exploratory factor analysis supported the unidimensional structure of the APS (25 items). In Study 2, the one-factor structure had an adequate model fit via confirmatory factor analysis. Also, through item response theory, the APS items showed adequate discrimination, difficulty, and level of information. The scores of the APS were also significantly correlated with the scores of the Tuckman Procrastination Scale, providing evidence of convergent validity.

Machiavellianism is one of the most studied dark traits, frequently predicting antisocial and immoral behaviors (e.g., cheating, white collar crimes). The MACH-IV is the most popular questionnaire to assess the construct. However, this measure presents some limitations that led researchers to propose two refined versions: The Two-Dimensional MACH-IV (TDM) and the Trimmed MACH. In the present research, we aimed to adapt the MACH-IV and its refined versions in the Brazilian context, making direct comparisons about their psychometric properties. Specifically, using Confirmatory Factor Analysis, we verified that the models with better fit were the two-factor structure of TDM and the one factor structure of Trimmed MACH. However, both presented low reliabilities. Further, we verified that the MACH-IV and its short versions present significant associations with Machiavellianism subscales of the Dirty Dozen and the Short Dark Triad, besides a consistent pattern of correlations with low agreeableness, low endorsement of social values, and high endorsement of personal values. Our findings provide evidence of validity for the MACH-IV and its refined versions in the Brazilian context, allowing transcultural studies., Author(s): Renan P. Monteiro [sup.1] , Gabriel Lins de Holanda Coelho [sup.2] , Thiago Medeiros Cavalcanti [sup.3] , Alex Sandro de Moura Grangeiro [sup.4] , Valdiney V. Gouveia [sup.5] Author [...]

The present research (N=393) aimed to verify the dimensionality and reliability of the Brief Aggression Questionnaire (BAQ), its items' difficulty and discrimination levels, and explore the relations with general and dark personality traits. The bifactorial model was the most adequate (CFI=.98, TLI=.98), presenting acceptable reliability, besides items with a difficult endorsement level and moderate to very high discrimination. We also found that the four BAQ factors consistently correlated with neuroticism and agreeableness traits. They were also related to psychopathy, Machiavellianism and narcissism, reinforcing the validity of the measure based on correlations with external variables. In conclusion, the present research contributes by providing a short, valid and accurate measure of aggression to the Brazilian context, in addition to replicating and extending previous studies on the relations between personality and aggression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We aimed to adapt the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (CAS) in Brazil, using a range of statistical techniques (e.g., factor analysis, item response theory). Two studies were conducted (Ntotal = 512). The unidimensional structure presented a good model fit and reliability, significant convergent validity, and all items presenting very high discrimination levels, adequately assessing medium and high anxiety levels. We also gathered evidence on cutoff points for detecting anxiety symptoms, reinforcing the diagnostic feasibility (for screening) of the CAS. Our findings emphasize the CAS as useful for rapid assessment and research involving COVID-19 and mental health markers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present research provides the first direct assessment of the fit of diverse behaviors to putatively related personal and social values from Schwartz's theory. Across three studies, we examined spatial representations of value-related behaviors that were explicitly derived from people's mental representations of the values. Participants were asked how similar the behaviors were to each other and various values, and these judgments were used to specify multidimensional scaling solutions. The results indicated that the spatial representation of the behaviors was consistent with the two-dimensional space described in Schwartz's model of values, although several deviations occurred. For example, self-enhancement behaviors were widely spread, indicating more variation in the way individuals interpret these behaviors, which are often associated with other value types. These data provide evidence that a range of behaviors can at least partly be reduced to underlying motivations expressed by values. Furthermore, our findings indicate that behaviors are often expressed by several values, which might help to explain why value–behavior associations in previous studies were weak. Finally, they illustrate a new approach to learning which behaviors might relate to multiple values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The need to belong represents a motivation of the human being to establish intense and long-term relationships, and it is an important aspect for the maintenance of people's well-being and mental health. Considering the relevance of this construct, we sought to validate the Need to Belong Scale (NBS) for the Brazilian context in three studies (N = 642). The first and second studies aimed to present the factorial structure of this measure through exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, which confirmed the expected single-factor solution (CFI = 0.96) with the elimination of three items from the original version. The third study sought to present evidence of convergent validity of the NBS, confirming the significant association of this construct with measures of a similar nature (e. g., emotional loneliness). In conclusion, this measure showed to be psychometrically adequate for use in Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The need for cognition refers to people's tendency to engage in and enjoy thinking and has become influential across social and medical sciences. Using three samples from the United States and the United Kingdom ( N = 1,596), we introduce a six-item short version of the Need for Cognition Scale (NCS-18). First, we reduced the number of items from 18 to 6 based on the items' discrimination values, threshold levels, measurement precision (item information curve), item-total correlations, and factor loadings. Second, we confirmed the one-factor structure and established measurement invariance across countries and gender. Finally, we demonstrated that while the NCS-6 provides significant time savings, it comes at a minimal cost in terms of its construct validity with external variables such as openness, cognitive reflection test, and need for affect. Overall, our findings indicate that the NCS-6 is a parsimonious, reliable, and valid measure of need for cognition.