Psychometric Properties of a Spanish Adaptation of the Matching Familiar Figures Test (MFFT-20)

Abstract

Summary: This study constitutes the first stage of the Spanish adaptation of the Matching Familiar Figures Test 20 (MFFT-20; Cairns & Cammock, 1978 ). The normative data for reflexivity-impulsivity and efficiency-inefficiency were obtained by means of the Salkind and Wright formula (1977) . The study sample was composed of 700 Spanish children, aged 6 to 12. This paper presents the results for reliability and latency-error correlation. The development of errors and latencies at older ages and gender differences were also analyzed. No significant differences between boys and girls were observed with respect to any of the variables. A high reliability was established for errors as well as for latencies. Errors decreased and latency increased with age. It is important to note that the data for both sexes at 8, 9, and 10 years of age reveal a stabilization in the latencies even though the errors continue to decrease. The psychometric properties of the Spanish adaptation of the MFFT-20 are discussed. Results are analyzed by examining the instrument's validation using the normative data presented here. The study concludes that the MFFT-20 is a reliable and valid measure of reflexivity-impulsivity.

Influence of the difficulty of the Matching Familiar Figures Test-20 on the assessment of reflection–impulsivity: An item analysis

“…Values between .25 and .75 produce an item of average difficulty (Wood, 1990). -Casal et al (2003) not found any significant differences between the sexes in the total MFFT20 error scores. Due to this, the following analyses were calculated for the total sample by age group.…”

“…Considering these findings, and with the caveat mentioned above, we support the conclusion of Cammock's original studies (1978, 1982) of recommending the use of the MFFT20 for the 6-to 12-year age interval. Along with its previously corroborated reliability and validity values (e.g., Buela-Casal, Carretero-Dios & De los Santos-Roig, 2000, 2001Buela-Casal et al, 2003), the MFFT20 has a format with special features that also justify recommending its use in applied and research context. One of the prime characteristics of MFFT20 is that it does not have any face validity and is therefore less susceptible to faking or other answer distortions that are regularly found in the assessment by questionnaires (Proyer & Häusler, 2007).…”

“…Different studies have supported the psychometric improvements of the test (Buela-Casal, CarreteroDios, De los Santos-Roig & Bermúdez, 2003;Cairns & Cammock, 19821984. Buela-Casal et al (2003) studied errors and latencies in the MFFT20 in children between ages 6 and 12. The latency-error correlation in the 6-and 12-year-old groups was − .56.…”

“…The aim of this study is to carry out an item analysis of the MFFT20 error scores obtained by Buela-Casal et al (2003) to determine the influence of the difficulty of the test on the assessment results (Block, Block & Harrington, 1974;Block, Gjerde & Block, 1986). …”

A Threefold Model of Intellectual Styles

“…Among these efforts, Cairns and Cammock's (1978) and Zelniker and Jeffrey's (1976) stand out. Research indicates that the reliability of the MFFT has been improved (e.g., Buela-Casal et al, 2003;Kirchner-Nebot and Amador-Campos, 1998). For example, Cairns and Cammock (1978) reported split-half correlations of .91 for latency and .89 for errors; KirchnerNebot and Amador-Campos (1998) reported internal consistency of .94 for latencies and .77 for errors.…”