Reducing Bias in Cross-Cultural Factor Analysis through a Statistical Technique for Metric Adjustment: Factor Solutions for Quintets and Quartets of Countries

Differential item functioning or item bias is a usual threat in psychological research and many experts in the field such as Kline (1993), Nunnally and Bernstein (1994), and others have suggested various methods for its detection and removal. Item bias in terms of culture has been addressed by Poortinga, Van de Vijver, Leung, Muthén, and others, with most of the proposed methods attempting to minimize variance explained by culture itself by detecting and deleting culturally-biased items from the analysis. This is done through the detection of inequivalent –in terms of factor structure– items and their elimination before comparing for factor equivalence using “culture-free” correlation matrices. The currently proposed alternative statistical technique is to estimate indices of country eccentricity through individual differences Euclidean distance scaling models for the respective weirdness index to be computed and then proceed with variance and raw-scores adjustment, accounting for each item’s variance caused in terms of culture only. Analyzing the beforeadjustment and the after-adjustment correlation matrices through covariance structure analysis and Procrustean rotations, we might be able to evaluate the profits from the adjustment itself. The illustration data for this method were 20 measures from six countries (N=1,655) as presented in the Georgas et al. (2006) 30-nation study on family issues. Following the initial analysis of all six countries, all quintet and quartet combinations of countries were examined and evaluated for the before and after adjustment outcomes. For all 22 combinations, factor loadings after metric adjustment were slightly higher; also, for a large number of country sets, items not included in the factor structure before the adjustment were now entering it. Factor identities were not affected to a large extent, but the factor identities were somewhat altered, revealing interesting facets within each of the broader areas defined by the initial –before the raw score adjustment– factors

Quod Erat Demonstrandum: From Herodotus’ ethnographic journeys to cross-cultural research

A peer-reviewed book based on presentations at the XVIII Congress of the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology, 2006, Isle of Spetses, Greece. (c) 2009, International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychologyhttps://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/iaccp_proceedings/1004/thumbnail.jp

Dimensions of Social Axioms and Alternative Country-Clustering Methods

Social Axioms are defined as general beliefs that represent one’s view about how the world functions and how two entities are related “in the universe”. The Social Axiom dimensions as proposed by Leung & Bond are Social Cynicism, Social Complexity, Reward for Application, Fate Control, and Religiosity. The first aim of this study was to investigate how the Social Axiom dimensions are identified in Greece and in five more countries (N=1,375) that differ broadly in their ecological and religion characteristics (Hong-Kong, USA, UK, Spain, and India). The second aim was to enhance factor equivalence levels by forming homogeneous subsets of countries through the application of an alternative method on factor structure similarity among countries. For the Greek factor structure some emic characteristics are discussed in respect to the specific cultural setting. For all six countries, factor equivalence among countries was present to some extent for the initial factor structures. For cluster of countries though, almost maximum equivalence with the overall factor structure was reached. However, some inequivalence among clusters of countries for specific factors was still present and useful in describing diversity based on the specific cultural characteristics of the clusters of countries

Bias in Terms of Culture: Work Values Country-Clustering for 33 European Countries and Person-Job Fit Factor Equivalence Testing for Four European Countries

Bias in terms of culture has been posing threat to cross-cultural research since the very beginning of crosscultural endeavor. Metric and statistical methods have been discussed in literature in order to deal with this type of bias; however, some of these methods show side-effects on the level of scale validity and some others with so stringent effects on the available information and allow for very limited variance to be interpreted. The present twofold study describes yet another method, this time based on country clusters, following the idea introduced by Georgas & Berry (1995) of employing country sets based on their eco-cultural or psychological variables rather than single countries. In our study, the country clusters were derived from a different construct than the target one; the clusters of countries were formed using information from the European Value Survey Work Values, but the target construct in respect to bias reduction was the Person-Job Fit. Starting with 33 European countries and through trigonometrically transformed Multidimensional Scaling solutions, we arrived at a system of homogeneous clusters of countries in respect to their factor structure similarity. This similarity is not based on actual distribution resemblance levels, but on factor structure similarity as computed and utilized through the “hit” matrix. Testing for factor structure equivalence in the Person-Job Fit construct(s) for four European countries through covariance structure analysis, we contrasted two research methods, namely, the traditional across-countries approach and the method of aggregating some of the countries involved into clusters with a homogeneous factor structure. The findings showed that the aggregation technique reached acceptable levels of statistical support for the emerging factor structures, whereas the traditional approach did not statistically support the structures reached. Possible statistical artifacts were also tested through a third research condition, under a “homogeneity” rationale

The Explanations for Unemployment Scale: An Eight-Country Study on Factor Equivalence

Explanations for Unemployment have been studied through a 20-item scale created by Furnham (1982) on three theoretical dimensions: the individualistic, the societal, and the fatalistic. In this study we revised this scale to co-ordinate it with contemporary social and economic facts and through metric testing-adjustments and multivariate statistical analysis we arrived at a 19-item scale retaining eight of the original scale items. This revised scale was statistically and theoretically valid as its factor structure closely resembled the original factor structure Furnham had described. For the second stage of the study, data were collected from eight countries and multilevel covariance structure analysis was applied to the data pool. The final structure can be considered universal for seven of these countries, meaning that the structure people employ to explain unemployment is the same across countries. The individualistic factor was clearly supported in this structure. The second factor narrowed the societal spectrum to industrial management and educational provision and the third factor appeared as a transformation of the fatalistic dimension to a “helplessness” factor. The three factors were investigated for their scoring differences across countries and overall

EVS - European Values Study 1999 - Greece

Moral, religious, societal, political, work, and family values of Europeans. Topics: Leisure time: importance of areas of life; feeling of happiness; memberships and honorary activities in clubs, parties, organizations, citizens´ initiatives and occupation organizations; interactions in leisure time; tolerance regarding minorities, those of other beliefs and foreigners; inter-human trust; self-effectiveness (scale); general contentment with life (scale). Work: importance of selected characteristics of occupational work (scale); personal employment; general work satisfaction (scale); self-determination at work (scale); work ethic (scale); attitude to achievement-based pay and following work instructions without criticism; priority of nationals over foreigners as well as men over women with shortage of jobs; assumed priority of individual or social reasons for the situation of economic need of individuals; freedom of the unemployed to reject a job offer (scale). Politics: party preference; attitude to foreign workers in one´s country; fear of the future; assimilation and integration of immigrants; concept of a just society (more welfare state or liberalism, scale); interest in political news in the media; individualism and thinking of the community; interest in politics; political participation; self-assessment on a left-right continuum (scale); self-responsibility or governmental provision (scale); attitude to competition freedom and entrepreneur freedom (scale); satisfaction with democracy; attitude to the current political system of the country and judgment on the political system of the country ten years ago (scale); preference for a democratic political system or for strong leadership of an individual politician (scale); attitude to democracy (scale); loss of national characteristics through unification of Europe. Religion: individual or general standard for good and evil; current and perhaps earlier religious denomination; current frequency of church attendance and at the age of 12; importance of religious celebration at birth, marriage and funeral; self-assessment of religiousness; ability of the religious community in moral questions, with problems in family life, spiritual needs and current social problems of the country; belief in God, life after death, hell, heaven, sin, telepathy and reincarnation; belief in God or nihilism (scale); importance of God in one´s own life (scale); comfort and strength through belief; prayer and meditation; frequency of prayer; possession and belief in lucky charms or talisman (scale); reading and observing horoscopes; attitude to separation of church (religion) and state (scale). Family and marriage: important criteria for a successful marriage (scale); attitude to marriage and the traditional family structure (scale); attitude to one´s own children (scale); attitude to traditional understanding of one´s role of man and woman in occupation and family (scale); attitude to a traditional or liberal parent-child relation; importance of educational goals; attitude to abortion. Society: preference for individual freedom or social equality; post-materialism (scale); preferred social development (scale); attitude to technical progress; trust in institutions; observing individual human rights in the country; attitude to environmental protection (scale); closeness to family, the neighborhood, people in the region, countrymen, Europeans and humanity; closeness to older people, the unemployed, foreigners and handicapped well as readiness to make an effort for these groups; personal reasons for assistance with older people as well as foreigners; identification with the city, the region, the nation, Europe and the world; national pride. morals and sexuality: moral attitudes (tax evasion, theft, use of drugs, lying, bribe money, corruption, euthanasia, suicide, environmental pollution, alcohol at the wheel; scale); moral attitudes to partnership and sexuality (homosexuality, abortion, divorce, promiscuity; scale); assumed spreading of immoral behavior in the population of the country (scale); attitude to punishment dependent on the situation of the culprit or the victim (scale). Demography: sex; year of birth; marital status and living together with a partner; number of children; school education; age at termination of school training; employment; superior function and span of control; company size; occupation (ISCO88) and occupational position; length of unemployment; size of household; ages of children in household; head of household; characteristics of head of household; household income. Additional country specific questions included. Also coded: city size; region.Moralische, religiöse, gesellschaftliche, politische, ökonomische und soziale Wertvorstellungen der Europäer. Themen: Freizeit: Wichtigkeit der Lebensbereiche; Glücksgefühl; Mitgliedschaften und ehrenamtliche Tätigkeiten in Vereinen, Parteien, Organisationen, Bürgerinitiativen und Berufsorganisationen; Verkehrskreise in der Freizeit; Toleranz gegenüber Minderheiten, Andersgläubige und Ausländer; zwischenmenschliches Vertrauen; Selbstwirksamkeit (Skalometer); allgemeine Lebenszufriedenheit (Skalometer). Arbeitswelt: Wichtigkeit ausgewählter Merkmale beruflicher Arbeit (Skala); eigene Erwerbstätigkeit; allgemeine Arbeitszufriedenheit (Skalometer); Selbstbestimmung in der Arbeit (Skalometer); Arbeitsethos (Skala); Einstellung zu einer leistungsorientierten Bezahlung und zum kritiklosen Befolgen von Arbeitsanweisungen; Priorität von Inländern gegenüber Ausländern sowie Männern gegenüber Frauen bei Arbeitsplatzknappheit; vermuteter Vorrang individueller oder gesellschaftlicher Ursachen für die wirtschaftliche Notlage Einzelner; Entscheidungsfreiheit von Arbeitslosen zur Ablehnung eines Arbeitsangebots (Skalometer). Politik: Parteipräferenz; Einstellung zu ausländischen Arbeitnehmern im eigenen Land; Zukunftsangst; Assimilation und Integration von Immigranten; Vorstellung von einer gerechten Gesellschaft (mehr Wohlfahrtsstaat oder Liberalismus, Skala); Interesse an politischen Nachrichten in den Medien; Individualismus und Gemeinschaftsdenken; Politikinteresse; politische Partizipation; Selbsteinschätzung auf einem Links-Rechts-Kontinuum (Skalometer); Selbstverantwortlichkeit oder staatliche Vorsorge (Skalometer); Einstellung zur Wettbewerbsfreiheit und Unternehmerfreiheit (Skalometer); Demokratiezufriedenheit; Einstellung zum derzeitigen politischen System des Landes und Beurteilung des politischen Systems des Landes vor zehn Jahren (Skalometer); Präferenz für ein demokratisches politisches System oder für eine starke Führerschaft eines einzelnen Politikers (Skala); Einstellung zur Demokratie (Skala); Verlust nationaler Charakteristika durch die Vereinigung Europas. Religion: individueller oder genereller Maßstab für Gut und Böse; derzeitige und gegebenenfalls frühere Konfession; derzeitige Kirchgangshäufigkeit und im Alter von 12 Jahren; Wichtigkeit religiöser Feiern bei Geburt, Hochzeit und Beerdigung; Selbsteinschätzung der Religiosität; Kompetenz der Religionsgemeinschaft in moralischen Fragen, bei Problemen im Familienleben, bei geistigen Bedürfnissen und aktuellen sozialen Problemen des Landes; Glaube an Gott, an ein Leben nach dem Tod, an die Hölle, den Himmel, die Sünde, an Telepathie und an Wiedergeburt; Gottgläubigkeit oder Nihilismus (Skala); Wichtigkeit von Gott im eigenen Leben (Skalometer); Trost und Kraft durch den Glauben; Beten und Meditation; Gebetshäufigkeit; Besitz und Glauben an Glücksbringer oder Talisman (Skalometer); Lesen und Berücksichtigen von Horoskopen; Einstellung zur Trennung von Kirche (Religion) und Staat (Skala). Familie und Ehe: wichtigste Kriterien für eine erfolgreiche Ehe (Skala); Einstellung zur Ehe und zur traditionellen Familienstruktur (Skala); Einstellung zu eigenen Kindern (Skala); Einstellung zum traditionellen Rollenverständnis von Mann und Frau in Beruf und Familie (Skala); Einstellung zu einer traditionellen oder liberalen Eltern-Kind-Beziehung; Wichtigkeit von Erziehungszielen; Einstellung zur Abtreibung. Gesellschaft: Präferenz für individuelle Freiheit oder soziale Gleichheit; Postmaterialismus (Skala); präferierte gesellschaftliche Entwicklung (Skala); Einstellung zum technischen Fortschritt; Vertrauen in Institutionen; Beachtung der individuellen Menschenrechte im Lande; Einstellung zum Umweltschutz (Skala); Nähe zur Familie, zur Nachbarschaft, den Menschen in der Region, zu den Landsleuten, den Europäern und der Menschheit; Nähe zu älteren Menschen, zu Arbeitslosen, Ausländern und Behinderten sowie Bereitschaft sich für diese Gruppen einzusetzen; persönliche Gründe für Hilfeleistungen bei älteren Menschen sowie bei Ausländern; Identifikation mit dem Ort, der Region, der Nation, Europa und der Welt; Nationalstolz. Moral und Sexualität: moralische Einstellungen (Steuerhinterziehung, Diebstahl, Drogengebrauch, Lügen, Schmiergelder, Korruption, Euthanasie, Selbstmord, Umweltverschmutzung, Alkohol am Steuer; Skala); moralische Einstellungen zu Partnerschaft und Sexualität (Homosexualität, Abtreibung, Scheidung, Promiskuität; Skala); vermutete Verbreitung unmoralischer Verhaltensweisen in der Bevölkerung des Landes (Skala); Einstellung zu einer Bestrafung in Abhängigkeit von der Situation des Täters bzw. des Geschädigten (Skala). Demographie: Geschlecht; Geburtsjahr; Familienstand und Zusammenleben mit einem Partner; Kinderzahl; Schulbildung; Alter bei Beendigung der Schulausbildung; Berufstätigkeit; Vorgesetztenfunktion und Kontrollspanne; Betriebsgröße; Beruf (ISCO88) und berufliche Stellung; Dauer der Arbeitslosigkeit; Haushaltsgröße; Alter der Kinder im Haushalt; Haushaltsvorstand; Charakteristika des Haushaltsvorstands; Haushaltseinkommen. Der Fragebogen enthält weitere länderspezifische Fragen. Zusätzlich kodiert: Ortsgröße; Region