Temperamental basis of sense of humor: validating the state-trait-cheerfulness-inventory in Mainland China

Abstract

This paper examined the reliability and validity of the State-Trait-Cheerfulness-Inventory (STCI) in Mainland China. The Chinese translation of the STCI-T<106i>, STCI-S<45i> and the Temporal Satisfaction with Life Scale (TSWLS) were administered to 476 university students (313 females, 157 males, 6 missing; 20.40 ± 1.35 years of age). Results showed that the STCI-T<106> and the STCI-S<45> had high Cronbach alphas ranging from 0.60 to 0.92 in Mainland China, and the factorial structures of the instruments were supported. The STCI-T<60> and STCI-S<30> were developed utilizing three criteria for the selection of items. Cronbach alphas were satisfactory ranging from 0.67 to 0.94. The factor structure of the items appeared to be highly generalizable in Mainland China. Joint factor analyses of the state and trait items yielded three factors (cheerfulness, seriousness and bad mood) both as traits and states with the homologous concepts positively correlated. As expected, cheerfulness correlated negatively with bad mood, and cheerfulness correlated negatively with state seriousness. Meanwhile, seriousness correlated positively with bad mood. Moreover, life satisfaction was related positively with cheerfulness and negatively with bad mood, and could be predicted by high cheerfulness and low bad mood. Applications of the STCI-T<60> and STCI-S<30> in the Chinese context and future research are discussed. Abstract: This paper examined the reliability and validity of the State-TraitCheerfulness-Inventory (STCI) in Mainland China. The Chinese translation of the STCI-T<106i>, STCI-S<45i> and the Temporal Satisfaction with Life Scale (TSWLS) were administered to 476 university students (313 females, 157 males, 6 missing; 20.40 ± 1.35 years of age). Results showed that the STCI-T<106> and the STCI-S<45> had high Cronbach alphas ranging from 0.60 to 0.92 in Mainland China, and the factorial structures of the instruments were supported. The STCI-T<60> and STCI-S<30> were developed utilizing three criteria for the selection of items. Cronbach alphas were satisfactory ranging from 0.67 to 0.94. The factor structure of the items appeared to be highly generalizable in Mainland China. Joint factor analyses of the state and trait items yielded three factors (cheerfulness, seriousness and bad mood) both as traits and states with the homologous concepts positively correlated. As expected, cheerfulness correlated negatively with bad mood, and cheerfulness correlated negatively with state seriousness. Meanwhile, seriousness correlated positively with bad mood. Moreover, life satisfaction was related positively with cheerfulness and negatively with bad mood, and could be predicted by high cheerfulness and low bad mood. Applications of the STCI-T<60> and STCI-S<30> in the Chinese context and future research are discussed.

What is the temperamental basis of humour like in China? A cross‐national examination and validation of the standard version of the state–trait cheerfulness inventory

“…Items on this version of the STCI‐T60 are equivalent to the English standard version comprised of 60 items utilising a four‐point scale (1 = strongly disagree , 4 = strongly agree ). Though Chen et al () referred to their questionnaire as the standard version, the present instrument reflects the selection of items consistent with other adapted versions (e.g., English, Italian, Chilean‐Spanish), thus constituting a “standard version” in its present form (Hofmann et al, ; Ruch et al, ). High internal consistency, factorial, convergent, and discriminant validity across multiple translated versions of this measure were found (Ruch et al, ).…”

“…One solution is to adapt the standard version of the STCI‐T60 from Chen et al's () longer STCI‐T106 using items consistent with other standard versions. The primary goal of the present research was to develop a comprehensive assessment of the STCI‐T60 that is consistent with other international versions to allow for cross‐cultural comparisons with other standard versions.…”

“…Almost all empirical research on cheerfulness has been conducted in Western cultures and research is needed to investigate whether several elements of the state-trait model of cheerfulness and its associations with humour, personality, and well-being replicate in Eastern cultures. The original component or long trait form of the STCI (i.e., STCI-T106) in German, Chinese, and English consists of 106 items in a 4-point Likert scale for the three traits of cheerfulness (STCI-T CH; 38 items), seriousness (37 items), and bad mood (31 items; Chen, Ruch, & Li, 2016;Ruch et al, 1996;Ruch & Hofmann, 2012). A standard trait version has also been created with 60 items derived from the larger set of 106 items to provide a more economic assessment of the three traits and this version has been widely used and translated in 13 languages (Chen et al, 2016;Ruch & Hofmann, 2012).…”

“…The original component or long trait form of the STCI (i.e., STCI-T106) in German, Chinese, and English consists of 106 items in a 4-point Likert scale for the three traits of cheerfulness (STCI-T CH; 38 items), seriousness (37 items), and bad mood (31 items; Chen, Ruch, & Li, 2016;Ruch et al, 1996;Ruch & Hofmann, 2012). A standard trait version has also been created with 60 items derived from the larger set of 106 items to provide a more economic assessment of the three traits and this version has been widely used and translated in 13 languages (Chen et al, 2016;Ruch & Hofmann, 2012). Chen et al (2016) translated the STCI-T106 from English to Chinese but instead of using the same set of items as the other standard versions with 60 items (i.e., 20 items per subscale), the authors selected items from the long form for their own version with cheerfulness (21 items), seriousness (21 items), and bad mood (18 items).…”

“…A standard trait version has also been created with 60 items derived from the larger set of 106 items to provide a more economic assessment of the three traits and this version has been widely used and translated in 13 languages (Chen et al, 2016;Ruch & Hofmann, 2012). Chen et al (2016) translated the STCI-T106 from English to Chinese but instead of using the same set of items as the other standard versions with 60 items (i.e., 20 items per subscale), the authors selected items from the long form for their own version with cheerfulness (21 items), seriousness (21 items), and bad mood (18 items). While Chen et al (2016) found strong internal consistency and a good and acceptable model fit for the three-factor model in their 60-item measure, the lack of convergence and different set of items create difficulties for cross-cultural comparisons with other standard versions.…”