6533b870fe1ef96bd12d080a
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Item Response Theory Analysis of the Life Orientation Test-Revised: Age and Gender Differential Item Functioning Analyses
Caterina PrimiDario MonzaniAndrea Greco DPatrizia StecaFrancesca Chiesisubject
AdultMaleAgingCharacteroptimism assessmentAdolescentPersonality InventoryPsychometricsDispositional optimismLife Orientation Test-Reviseditem equivalencebehavioral disciplines and activitiesDevelopmental psychologyAge and genderYoung AdultSex FactorsLife orientationOrientationItem response theoryHumansdifferential item functioningApplied PsychologyAgedAged 80 and overOptimismReproducibility of Resultsitem response theoryMiddle AgedDifferential item functioningClinical PsychologyItalyLife orientation testFemalePsychologyLife Orientation Test-Revised optimism assessment item response theory differential item functioning item equivalencedescription
This study is aimed at testing the measurement properties of the Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R) for the assessment of dispositional optimism by employing item response theory (IRT) analyses. The LOT-R was administered to a large sample of 2,862 Italian adults. First, confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated the theoretical conceptualization of the construct measured by the LOT-R as a single bipolar dimension. Subsequently, IRT analyses for polytomous, ordered response category data were applied to investigate the items’ properties. The equivalence of the items across gender and age was assessed by analyzing differential item functioning. Discrimination and severity parameters indicated that all items were able to distinguish people with different levels of optimism and adequately covered the spectrum of the latent trait. Additionally, the LOT-R appears to be gender invariant and, with minor exceptions, age invariant. Results provided evidence that the LOT-R is a reliable and valid measure of dispositional optimism.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-01-01 |