Psychometric properties of the Dutch version of the eating competence Satter Inventory (ecSI 2.0TM) in community adolescents

Eating competence can help adolescents navigate their food choices and attitudes toward eating in a healthy and balanced way. In the present study, we investigated the psychometric properties of the Dutch translation of the Eating Competence Satter Inventory 2.0TM (ecSI 2.0TM), which was developed to assess eating attitudes and behaviors. A sample of 900 Flemish adolescents completed the ecSI 2.0TM DUTCH and two self-report measures on eating disorder symptoms and identity functioning (i.e., confusion and synthesis). Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the four-factor structure of the ecSI 2.0TM DUTCH, and the resulting four subscales (i.e., Eating Attitudes, Food Acceptance, Internal Regulation, and Contextual Skills) showed acceptable-to-excellent reliability (αs ranging from 0.69 to 0.91). The ecSI 2.0TM DUTCH also demonstrated scalar invariance across sex and age (<17 years, ≥17 years). Males reported significantly higher ecSI 2.0TM DUTCH scores than females on the four subscales and the total scale. The two age groups did not significantly differ on the ecSI 2.0TM DUTCH scales. Finally, scores on the ecSI 2.0TM DUTCH subscales showed non-significant or small negative correlations with adolescents’ Body Mass Index (BMI), large negative correlations with eating disorder symptoms and identity confusion, and large positive associations with identity synthesis. The Dutch translation of the ecSI 2.0TM is a valid and reliable instrument to assess eating competence skills in male and female adolescents

Explaining Categorization Response Times with Varying Abstraction

We use the Exemplar-Based Random-Walk model (EBRW) to extend the Varying Abstraction Model (VAM). Unlike the VAM which is designed to account for categorization proportions, this Varying Abstraction-Based Random-Walk (VABRW) model is able to predict categorization response times. The extension is especially useful in situations where response accuracies are not very informative for distinguishing between models. Application of the VABRW to data previously gathered by Nosofsky and Palmeri (1997) provides additional evidence for the view that people us

Understanding individual differences in representational abstraction: The role of working memory capacity

Several studies have reported differences in categorization strategies among participants: some learn a category by making abstraction across the category members while others use a memorization strategy. Despite the prevalence of these differences, little attention has been paid to investigating what influences some to use an abstraction strategy and others a memorization strategy. The current study had two goals: in a first experiment we investigated whether these differences were stable across time, using the parallel form method often used in psychometric research, and in a second experiment we investigated whether the individual differences in categorization strategy were related to working memory capacity. We used a modelling strategy, in which we not only focused on full abstraction and memorization strategies, but also on intermediate strategies in which some category members are abstracted and others are not. The first study revealed that the individual abstraction strategy of individual participants in two different experiments, performed at different times, correlate significantly, and second study showed that these individual differences were related to the working memory capacity of the participants.publisher: Elsevier articletitle: Understanding individual differences in representational abstraction: The role of working memory capacity journaltitle: Acta Psychologica articlelink: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2016.06.002 content_type: article copyright: © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.status: publishe

Psychometric properties of the Dutch version of the Eating Competence Satter Inventory (ecSI 2.0\u2122) in community adolescents

Abstract: Eating competence can help adolescents navigate their food choices and attitudes toward eating in a healthy and balanced way. In the present study, we investigated the psychometric properties of the Dutch translation of the Eating Competence Satter Inventory 2.0 (TM) (ecSI 2.0 (TM)), which was developed to assess eating attitudes and behaviors. A sample of 900 Flemish adolescents completed the ecSI 2.0(TM DUTCH) and two self-report measures on eating disorder symptoms and identity functioning (i.e., confusion and synthesis). Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the four-factor structure of the ecSI 2.0(TM DUTCH), and the resulting four subscales (i.e., Eating Attitudes, Food Acceptance, Internal Regulation, and Contextual Skills) showed acceptable-to-excellent reliability (alpha s ranging from 0.69 to 0.91). The ecSI 2.0(TM DUTCH) also demonstrated scalar invariance across sex and age (= 17 years). Males reported significantly higher ecSI 2.0(TM DUTCH) scores than females on the four subscales and the total scale. The two age groups did not significantly differ on the ecSI 2.0(TM DUTCH) scales. Finally, scores on the ecSI 2.0(TM DUTCH) subscales showed non-significant or small negative correlations with adolescents' Body Mass Index (BMI), large negative correlations with eating disorder symptoms and identity confusion, and large positive associations with identity synthesis. The Dutch translation of the ecSI 2.0 (TM) is a valid and reliable instrument to assess eating competence skills in male and female adolescents