Psychometric evaluation of a Visual Interpersonal Analog Scale.

Abstract

Interpersonal theory organizes social behavior along dominant (vs. submissive) and warm (vs. cold) dimensions. There is a growing interest in assessing these behaviors in naturalistic settings to maximize ecological validity and to study dynamic social processes. Studies that have assessed interpersonal behavior in daily life have primarily relied on behavioral checklists. Although checklists have advantages, they are discrepant with techniques used to capture constructs typically assessed alongside warmth and dominance, such as affect, which typically rely on adjective descriptors. Further, these checklists are distinct from the methodologies used at the dispositional level, such as personality inventories, which rarely rely on behavioral checklists. The present study evaluates the psychometric performance of interpersonal adjectives presented on a visual analog scale in five different samples. Validity of the Visual Interpersonal Analog scale (VIAS) approach to momentary assessment was evaluated by comparing its performance with an interpersonal behavior checklist and by examining associations among the VIAS Warmth and Dominance scales and other momentary and dispositional constructs. Results were generally consistent with an existing interpersonal behavior checklist at the within-person level but diverged somewhat at the dispositional level. Across the five samples, the VIAS generally performed as hypothesized at both the within-and betweenperson levels. Public Significance StatementThe present study reports on the development of a new method for measuring social behavior in ambulatory assessments. We find that the method performs as would be hypothesized based upon theory and existing empirical research on links between interpersonal behaviors and a variety of emotional and behavioral processes.

Comparing the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition, personality disorder models scored from the same interview.

“…Participants reported on their own and their interaction partner’s interpersonal behavior during stressful/unpleasant events using the Visual Interpersonal Analog Scale (Woods et al, 2023). Interpersonal behavior was rated using separate items for dominant and affiliative behavior.…”

Dynamics of narcissistic grandiosity and vulnerability in naturalistic and experimental settings.

“…Visual Interpersonal Analogue Scale (Woods et al, 2023). The Visual Interpersonal Analogue Scale was developed to efficiently assess the perception of the interacting partners' dominant and affiliative behavior during social interactions using two items and was completed at each interaction report of the EMA portion.…”