3-005 - R-E-S-P-E-C-T Individual Differences: A Methods Approach for Examining Culture and Gender

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

This session will present examples of how advanced multivariate and psychometric methods such as Latent Profile Analysis, Item-Response Theory, and Canonical and Descriptive function analyses elucidate individual differences in a variety of settings, cross-culturally. Each paper aims to examine aspects of personality such as internalizing and externalizing behaviors. The four papers examine a range of ages, from 5 years, up to emerging adulthood and provide insight into cultural and gender differences throughout development.

Parenting styles, ethnicity, and country of origin all contribute to how individuals respond to stimuli, which nurture the development of personality and behavior. The first presents the use of descriptive discriminate analysis to identify how sex and ethnicity impacts responses on the Child Behavior Questionnaire (CBQ). The second paper examines personality typology using latent profile analysis to explore science interest in females. The third, utilizes differential item functioning to examine the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) in a sample of Belize adolescents. The final paper focuses on The Big Five personality factors and resilience in unattached youth in Jamaica using canonical commonality analysis.

Each of these presentations provide an overview of the method utilized in each associated study. The primary focus, however, will be on the collaborative integration and application of culture and gender across behavioral development in early childhood through emerging adulthood. Emphasizing how individual differences such as culture, education, and gender affects measurement item response, this symposium aims to bridge the gap between methodologists and applied researchers by utilizing test statistics that enrich sample populations.

Sub Unit

• Social, Emotional, Personality

Chair

• Kaylee Rae Seddio, University of Maryland- College Park

Individual Presentations

• Examining gender and ethnic differences in Child Behavior Questionnaire Outcomes: A multivariate approach - Presenting Author: Kaylee Rae Seddio, University of Maryland- College Park

• From Complex to Practical: Modeling Personality Typologies for use in Applied Research - Presenting Author: Sarah L Ferguson, Rowan University

• Differential item functioning and the Child Behavior Checklist: Using IRT to assess externalizing behavior in Belize youth - Presenting Author: Marvin G Powell, George Mason University

• Big five personality and resiliency: A canonical commonality analysis with unattached Jamaican youth - Presenting Author: Marcus A Fagan, University of North Texas

Non-Presenting Authors

• Trey L DeJong, University of North Texas

• Darrell M Hull, University of North Texas