Development of the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire-55 Abbreviated Research Scales

• Published in: Psychological assessment 2021-10, Vol.33 (10), p.952-961
• Main Authors: Marquardt, Craig A., Kramer, Mark D., Tellegen, Auke, Arbisi, Paul A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Classical test theory; College Students; Female; Human; Inventories; Item response theory; Male; Measurement; Negative Emotions; Personality; Personality Development; Personality disorders; Personality Measures; Personality traits; Psychometrics; Psychopathology; Test Construction; Test Items; Test Validity; Twins; Weight Perception
• ISSN: 1040-3590; 1939-134X
• DOI: 10.1037/pas0001039

The Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire (MPQ) is a normal range inventory for assessing a variety of empirically derived primary traits. These trait scores can be differentially weighted to estimate higher-order broad dimensions such as Positive Emotionality (PEM), Negative Emotionality (NEM), and Constraint (CON). However, broad trait scores are estimated using proprietary regression equations and necessitate near complete administration of the inventory. We aimed to increase measurement efficiency by creating abbreviated item-based approximations of these weighted scores. To parsimoniously delineate and differentiate the broad traits, classical test theory and item response theory approaches were used to identify five items from each primary trait scale approximating the weighted estimates while also maintaining the breadth of MPQ content coverage. Initial scale development relied on the MPQ-276 (standard form) normative sample (n = 1,237), which was followed by cross-validation using two samples of twins and cotwins from the Minnesota Twin Family Study (n = 1,304, n = 1,305). Additional validation was conducted using a third sample of undergraduate students (n = 201).The resulting item-based scales (PEM-20, NEM-15, CON-15) demonstrated strong convergence with the established proprietary broad trait estimates. Furthermore, these abbreviated scales exhibited similar associations with the external measures of personality and psychopathology. Abbreviated item-based scales may have utility for efficient estimation of the same broadband personality dimensions assessed by longer forms of the MPQ. Public Significance Statement The study reports the development of abbreviated versions of the primary and broad trait scales of the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire (MPQ; 55 total items). These scales may facilitate efficient measurement of personality dimensions without proprietary algorithms or complete administrations of the entire MPQ-276 or MPQ-155 instruments.