Factor Analysis of Some Psychometric Measures of Impulsiveness and Anxiety

Abstract

Two orthogonal personality traits or predispositions, impulsiveness and anxiety, have been invariant in five separate factor analyses. One of these analyses is presented here along with an item analysis of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS) which has a high loading on the impulsiveness factor. The BIS has never significantly correlated with any of the various anxiety or emotional stability measures in over 50 administrations of the scale, further evidence for the invariance of these two seconcl-order factors.A prime goal of psychometric research is to discover invariant relationships among measures of personality traits over as wide a range of Ss as possible. Factor analysis has been used extensively for this purpose. This article will describe an invariant relationship 'between psychometric qi~escionnaires which have had consistently high loadings on two orthogonal personality factors, impulsiveness and anxiety.A questionnaire developed by Barratt (1959) has been administered over 50 times to widely varying groups of Ss in the age range 1 4 to 50 yr. Ss have included samples of high school snidents, undergraduate college smdents, medical

The role of moral objections to suicide in the assessment of suicidal patients

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Amygdala–Prefrontal Disconnection in Borderline Personality Disorder

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