Typescript (photocopy). / Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

D.Phil. / This study was done in order to investigate the presence and functioning of construct, item, and response bias across gender, ethnic, and language groups in a personality questionnaire. The Basic Traits Inventory (Taylor & De Bruin, 2006) was used as the personality assessment in this study, and is a South African-developed measure of the Big Five personality factors. This study made use of both traditional methods based on classical test theory and Rasch analysis from the item response theory genre. Comparison groups based on gender, ethnicity, and home language were specified for the analyses. The sample consisted of 6,112 students from a database of studies done using the Basic Traits Inventory. There were 2,080 men and 3,104 women in the sample, of which 1,240 were Black students and 1,139 were White students. The language groups were composed of English-speaking (n = 1,739), Afrikaans-speaking (n = 1,648), and Indigenous African language-speaking (n = 1,483) students. Some students did not indicate biographic details. The reliability of the Basic Traits Inventory was evaluated using both Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient and the person separation index (PSI) from the Rasch analysis. Both methods revealed similar indices of internal consistency. For the Big Five factors of the Basic Traits Inventory, the reliability estimates were similar across methods, and deemed satisfactory for the Extraversion (B = 0.90; PSI = 0.89), Neuroticism (B = 0.94; PSI = 0.93), Conscientiousness (B = 0.94; PSI = 0.92), Openness to Experience (B = 0.88; PSI = 0.85), and Agreeableness (B = 0.88; PSI = 0.86) scales. Three facet scales, namely Openness to Values, Straightforwardness, and Modesty, showed consistently lower than acceptable Cronbach alpha values across the comparison groups, indicating that scores on these facets should be interpreted with caution. From the Rasch analysis of each of the factors of the Basic Traits Inventory, it emerged that 35 of the 180 items showed some evidence of misfit, and specifically underfit. Of the 35 misfitting items, only 10 items showed signs of extreme underfit. iv There was very little evidence for item bias across all groups on each of the five factors of the Basic Traits Inventory. For the gender groups, there were three items with DIF contrast values larger than 0.5 logits across all five factors. For the ethnicity groups, eight of the items showed DIF contrast values larger than 0.5 logits. Only three items met the criteria for item bias in the language groups. Items O2 and O23 were judged to show item bias in both the ethnicity and language groups, and should be removed from future versions of the Basic Traits Inventory.

The purpose of this study was to show support that certain cultural characteristics of an individual could be identified based on the region where that individual was born and raised. These cultural characteristics were identified and defined, and strategies on understanding these cultural characteristics were reviewed. This study revealed that by focusing on this understanding, trust can be established quickly and it is this trust that is the basis of building any type of relationship. Several different macrocultural systems were examined in this study. These included the United States, Asia, Central and South America, India, the Middle East, and the European Union cultures. These are the largest and the fastest growing regions of the world as well as the locations where most of the newly established business relationships are being formed. / The study examined each macrocultural system individually by giving some background information on the culture and reasons for their recent explosive economic growth. Upon review of this study, any individual should be able to approach others with the realization that, with some degree of confidence, cultural characteristics of the individual being pursued can be predetermined based on a number of factors. The ability to recognize these factors facilitates a cultural competency that includes the skills and qualities that enable successful outcomes to happen in business contexts where different cultures are interacting. This predetermination will provide a type of blueprint to an individual's thoughts, tendencies, and even buying patterns. / These strategies will reveal ways of sidestepping everyone's natural tendency to say "no." By providing this insight into predisposed behavior patterns, most individuals will tend to lower their natural defense barriers and a smooth and effective conversation will follow. Personality types are recognized during or after a conversation, but cultural characteristics can be determined prior to the start of any conversation. Oftentimes, it is too late to try and figure out a personality type to adjust your sales approach or strategy in the middle of a conversation. There are ways to recognize cultural characteristics and incorporate certain strategies simply by knowing where a prospect was born and raised, as well as knowing their ethnicity. / by Walter N. Burton III. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2011. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2011. Mode of access: World Wide Web. FboU

Choi Suet Yung Jasmine. / "Running head: Development of team player behavior inventory." / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 57-63). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS --- p.2 / ABSTRACT --- p.5 / TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.3 / INTRODUCTION / Prevalence of teamwork --- p.7 / Objective of the present paper --- p.7 / Definition of team --- p.8 / Definition of good team-player --- p.8 / Criterion for measuring team functioning --- p.9 / Literature review on effective teams --- p.10 / Profile of a good team-player --- p.14 / Group assessment as the assessing method --- p.15 / Validation Procedures --- p.16 / METHOD / Participants --- p.17 / Item Development / Literature research --- p.17 / Empirical interviews --- p.18 / Item categorization --- p.19 / The seven dimensions --- p.20 / Rating method and observer training / Behavioral observation scale --- p.21 / Rating scale --- p.22 / Observer training --- p.23 / Procedure of the workshop / Two tasks / Build-a-tower --- p.25 / NASA Moon Survival Task --- p.25 / Personality assessments --- p.26 / Other measurements --- p.30 / Development workshop evaluation --- p.31 / Dependent variables --- p.31 / Control variables --- p.33 / RESULTS / Inter-rater reliability --- p.33 / Construct validity / Construct validity ´ؤ convergent and discriminant validity --- p.34 / Comparisons of observers ratings and participants mutual ratings --- p.35 / Construct validity - personality measurements --- p.37 / Correlational analyses of CPAI and TPBI --- p.40 / Predictive validity / Tower height --- p.42 / Completion time for tower task --- p.43 / Group score in NASA Moon Survival Journey --- p.43 / Completion time for NASA task --- p.44 / Project grade --- p.44 / Individual Criterion / NASA individual score --- p.45 / Process satisfaction --- p.48 / Process satisfaction controlled group acquaintances rating --- p.49 / Development workshop evaluation --- p.51 / GENERAL DISCUSSION / Brief summary --- p.51 / The seven dimensions --- p.51 / Possible uses of TPBI --- p.53 / Further research --- p.54 / REFERENCES --- p.57 / LIST OF TABLES --- p.64 / LIST OF FIGURES --- p.74 / APPENDIX / Appendix I Detail definitions of the 38-items --- p.78 / Appendix II Experimental procedures --- p.86 / Appendix III Standard script for the experiment --- p.87 / Appendix IV Experimental materials for NASA task --- p.92 / Appendix V Self-report measure --- p.94 / Appendix VI Correlation analyses of CPAI and TPBI --- p.103

Thesis (M.A.)--Denver Seminary, 2006. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 39-48).

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No description available.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Murdoch University, 1997. / Thesis submitted to the Division of Social Sciences, Humanities and Education. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 305-313).

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Teachers College, Columbia University, 1994. / Includes tables. Typescript; issued also on microfilm. Sponsor: Robert O. McCIintock. Dissertation Committee: Rene V. Arcilla. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 150-155).

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Kentucky, 2004. / Title from document title page (viewed Oct. 12, 2004). Includes clips from videos taken at various estate sales and interviews. Document formatted into pages; contains viii, 117 p. : ill. Includes abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 111-116).