Personality Traits in Latin America: A Cross-Cultural Study of the Big Five Factor Structure and its Relationship with Self-Reported Daily Behaviors.

The Big Five factors model of personality is one of the most internationally studied and applied since it has been replicated in multiple investigations in different countries and cultures. This five-dimensional structure has evidence from studies carrying out factor analyses in different versions and adaptations of personality measurement instruments under these theoretical assumptions, and cross-cultural studies reveal its universality. However, no research has investigated how this structure is replicated in Latin American countries yet. This study aimed to carry out a cross-cultural study evaluating the factorial congruence of the Revised International Personality Item Pool in Latin American countries. The validity was also analyzed assessing relationships with gender, age, and self-reported activities of daily living. The five-dimensional structure was supported by evidence in the different samples that participated in this study, preserving the individual differences that characterize each country. Differences according to gender and age were found in different personality factors, as well as relationships with recreational activities. It is concluded that the five-factor structure of the scale is replicated in Latin American samples and that the psychometric properties of the instrument are consistent. Limitations and future lines of research are discussed.

Robust Promin: a method for diagonally weighted factor rotation / Robust Promin: un método para la rotación de factores de diagonal ponderada

Background: oblique rotation of factors is usually performed in exploratory factor analysis in order to achieve the best and simplest interpretation of the solution based on the prescribed number of factors. Currently available algorithms, however, do not take into account the fluctuation of the correlations on which the factor solution is based. If such correlations' stability is low, the rotated solution obtained in a specific sample may substantially differ from the rotated solutions obtained in different samples from the same population. Objetive: the present paper proposes a modified version of the Promin rotation designed to achieve simple and stable rotated solutions through the samples. Conclusions: the usefulness of Robust Promin is illustrated by using an empirical example based on a real dataset. The procedure proposed in this paper has been implemented in the FACTOR factor analysis program version 10.9.

Antecedentes: la rotación oblicua de los factores es una práctica habitual en el análisis factorial exploratorio. Habitualmente su finalidad es obtener la solución más interpretable y a la vez más simple con base en el número de factores prescrito. Los algoritmos actualmente disponibles, sin embargo, no tienen en cuenta la fluctuación de las correlaciones en las que se basa la solución factorial. Si la estabilidad de dichas correlaciones es baja, entonces la solución rotada obtenida en una muestra en particular puede diferir bastante de las que se obtendrían en diferentes muestras procedentes de la misma población. Objetivos: en este artículo se propone una versión modificada de la rotación Promin, cuyo objetivo es obtener soluciones que sean a la vez simples y estables a través de muestras. Conclusiones: el funcionamiento de Promin robusto se ilustra mediante un ejemplo empírico basado en datos reales. El procedimiento propuesto en el artículo ha sido implementado en la versión 10.9 del programa de análisis factorial FACTOR.

Características psicométricas de la adaptación colombiana del Cuestionario de Agresividad de Buss y Perry en una muestra de preadolescentes y adolescentes de Bucaramanga / Psychometric Properties of Colombian Adaptation of Buss and Perry's Aggression Questionnaire for Teenagers in a Sample of Bucaramanga

Este estudio presenta la adaptación colombiana del Cuestionario de Agresividad de Buss y Perry para preadolescentes y adolescentes, desarrollado a partir de la versión española abreviada de 20 ítems. Dicha adaptación se administró a una muestra de 535 niños (269 niños y 266 niñas) con un rango de edades de 8-16 años, pertenecientes a tres colegios del área metropolitana de Bucaramanga. Los resultados del análisis factorial confirmatorio indican un buen ajuste al modelo de cuatro factores que ha sido descrita para otros idiomas y adaptaciones. El test presentó una fiabilidad satisfactoria para la escala total (α = 0.82) y para la escala de agresividad física (α = 0.75), mientras que para las demás escalas varía en función de la edad, no siendo recomendable su aplicación en edades inferiores a los 12 años. Al analizar los efectos del sexo sobre la agresividad, se verificó que dicho efecto se debía exclusivamente a las diferencias en agresividad física. Finalmente, se pone de manifiesto la importancia de considerar los aspectos culturales y lingüísticos en la adaptación de un instrumento, incluso, como en este caso, cuando se trata del mismo idioma.

This study presents the Colombian adaptation of the Buss and Perry's Aggression Questionnaire for preadolescents and adolescents. The test was administered to a sample of 535 children (269 boys and 266 girls) with an age range of 8-16 years old, belonging to three schools of Bucaramanga. Confirmatory factor analysis showed a good fit to the four-factor model and reliability was satisfactory. The reliability was good for overall scale (α = 0.82) and physical aggression scale (α = 0.75) while it was sufficient or poor for the other scales depending upon the age group, not being suitable for ages under 12 years-old. Referring to sex effects, we found them only for physical aggression. Finally, this study places particular emphasis on the importance of linguistic and cultural aspects in test adaptation, even when both cultures share the same language.

Stability of the factor structure of Barrat's Impulsivity Scales for children across cultures: a comparison of Spain and Colombia.

Despite the great importance of impulsivity in many childhood and adolescence disorders, there are few self-reports on child impulsivity. Recently, a modified version of Barratt's BIS-11 questionnaire adapted for children has been developed, which may be useful in assessing this personality dimension. The present study reports an adaptation of this questionnaire in a different culture (Colombia) and assesses the degree of convergence between the factor structures of both adaptations using consensus oblimin rotation. The results indicate not only that the factor structure of the test remains stable across both adaptations, and that two of the three scales in the Colombian version show acceptable reliabilities, but also that cultural and linguistic issues are important in test adaptation even when the same language is used.