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

“…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, ; Ruch et al, ; Ruch & Hofmann, ). 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, ; Ruch & Hofmann, ).…”

“…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, ; Ruch et al, ; Ruch & Hofmann, ). 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, ; Ruch & Hofmann, ). Chen et al () 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, ; Ruch & Hofmann, ). Chen et al () 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 () 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.…”

Assessing the Temperamental Basis of the Sense of Humor: Adaptation of the English Language Version of the State-Trait Cheerfulness Inventory Long and Standard Form

“…With respect to the factorial validity of the trait form, factor analyses of the facet model of the STCI-T <106> trait version supported the model by Ruch et al ( 1996 ) with three correlated higher order factors and their five to six facets in the German version of the questionnaires, as well as the Spanish version with 104 items (Carretero-Dios et al, 2011 , 2014 ). For the STCI-T <60> and STCI-S <30>, typically a three-factor structure could be confirmed (e.g., Ruch et al, 1996 , 1997 ; Tapia-Villanueva et al, 2014 ; Chen et al, 2017 ).…”

“…Although the STCI-T questionnaire has been used in the original German language versions and has been adapted to different languages (e.g., Carretero-Dios et al, 2014 ; Chen et al, 2017 ), an English language version, both in the long trait form with 106 items and an economic version with 60 items has not been tested and validated for research and practice. Therefore, the aim of the current study was 2-fold: Firstly, a long form with 106 items was translated, adapted, and initially validated.…”