Measuring chronic regulatory focus with proverbs: The developmental and psychometric properties of a French scale. (1st March 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Faur, Caroline; Martin, Jean-Claude; Clavel, Céline
• Is Part Of: Personality and individual differences. Volume 107(2017)
• Page Start: 137
• Page End: 145
• Publication Date: 2017-03-01
• Subjects: Regulatory-focus -- Psychometrics -- Questionnaire; Personality -- Periodicals; Individuality -- Periodicals; Individuality -- Periodicals; Personality Development -- Periodicals; Personnalité -- Périodiques; Individualité -- Périodiques; 155.205
• DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2016.11.037
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0191-8869

Abstract

Abstract: The purpose of the present research is to design a new self-report questionnaire to assess individuals' orientations toward their goals based on the regulatory focus theory. This theory distinguishes self-regulation with a promotion focus from self-regulation with a prevention focus. Our questionnaire is different from the existing Regulatory Focus Questionnaire (RFQ) in that our questionnaire enables participants to self-report their actions with items that are proverbs and sayings. Three studies were conducted to examine the reliability and validity of the Regulatory Focus Questionnaire – Proverbs Form (RFQ-PF). The first study involved creating a list of items leading to a preliminary version of the RFQ-PF. In the second study, 343 French participants were surveyed to test the factor structure of the RFQ-PF and to select the final items leading to an 18-item inventory. This tool comprises two reliable subscales: (a) Prevention and (b) Promotion, with adequate internal consistency. Using confirmatory factor analysis, this two-factor structure was discussed in the third study ( n = 277). The RFQ-PF's convergent validity was also confirmed. These findings suggest that the RFQ-PF may be useful as a measure of dispositional regulatory focus in self-report models. Highlights: A French questionnaire assessing regulatory focus with proverbs is proposed. Analyses show good psychometric properties of promotion and prevention subscales. EFA and CFA yielded to a 3-factor model; implications are discussed. Convergent validity is confirmed; correlations with other measures are consistent.