A Comprehensive Psychometric Assessment of Alternative Self-Control Measures Used in the Add Health Study

• In Event: Conceptualization and Measurement Issues

Abstract

There is accumulating evidence that self-control has a biological basis, thereby necessitating the use of datasets with biological markers or samples that include related individuals for research questions relevant to the origins and development of self-control. The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) has provided researchers with a rich dataset for investigating the origins of self-control; yet, measurement of self-control theory’s core construct is not well established in these data. Criminological studies employing Add Health data have used a wide range of alternative measures of self-control. The current study evaluates the psychometric properties of the major alternative measures of self-control in the Add Health data using confirmatory factor analyses, items response modeling, and validity assessments. In addition to evaluating the reliability and validity of each of the measures independently, the current study examines whether empirical findings from behavioral genetics analyses may be dependent on the measure of self-control employed. Implications for prior research and future studies are discussed.

Authors

• Jamie Newsome, University of Texas at San Antonio

• Jeffrey T. Ward, University of Texas at San Antonio