Skip to main content
Log in

Chinese Short Form of the Personal Attributes Questionnaire: Construct and Concurrent Validity

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Sex Roles Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This paper evaluated the construct and concurrent validity of a Chinese short form of the Personal Attributes Questionnaire, which measures instrumentality and expressivity as independent traits. In Study 1, 293 Hong Kong Chinese undergraduates completed the scale. Factor analysis revealed two independent factors, instrumentality and expressivity. In Study 2, 269 Hong Kong Chinese undergraduates completed the scale together with the dominance and nurturance scales of the Personality Research Form and Gudykunst’s Self-Construal Scale. Exploratory factor analysis replicated the bidimensional structure of the scale. Instrumentality correlated with independent self-construal and dominance, whereas expressivity correlated with interdependent self-construal and nurturance. Gender differences in item scores overall conformed to theoretical expectations. The findings indicate that the scale produces valid and reliable scores.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bakan, D. (1966). The duality of human existence. Chicago: Rand McNally.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bem, S. L. (1974). The measurement of psychological androgyny. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 42, 152–162.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brannon, L. (2005). Gender: Psychological perspectives (4th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chang, H. C., & Holt, R. G. (1994). A Chinese perspective on face as inter-relational concern. New York: State University of New York Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cheng, C., & Cheung, M. W. L. (2005). Processes underlying gender-role flexibility: Do androgynous individuals know more or know how to cope? Journal of Personality, 73, 645–673.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cheung, K. F. M. (1996). Cultural adjustment and differential acculturation among Chinese new immigrant families in the US. In S. Lau (Ed.), Growing up the Chinese way (pp. 321–356). Hong Kong: Chinese University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Choi, N., & Fuqua, D. R. (2003). The structure of the bem sex role inventory: A summary report of 23 validation studies. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 63, 872–887.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Costa, P. T., Terraciano, A., & McCrae, R. R. (2001). Gender differences in personality traits across cultures robust and surprising findings. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 81, 322–331.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Francis, L. J., & Wilcox, C. (1998). The relationship between Eysenck’s personality dimensions and Bem’s masculinity and femininity scales revisited. Personality and Individual Differences, 25, 683–687.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gudykunst, W. B., & Lee, C. M. (2003). Assessing the validity of self construal scales. A Response to Levine et al. Human Communication Research, 29, 253–274.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gudykunst, W. B., Matsumoto, Y., Ting-Toomey, S., Nishida, T., Kim, K., & Heyman, S. (1996). The influence of cultural individualism-collectivism, self construals, and individual values on communication styles across cultures. Human Communication Research, 22, 510–543.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gurtman, M. B. (1992). Construct validity of interpersonal personality measures: The interpersonal circumplex as a nomological net. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 63, 105–118.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jackson, D. N. (1989). Personality research form manual (4th ed.). Port Huron: Sigma Assessment Systems, Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jackson, D. N., & Helmes, E. (1979). Personality structure and the circumplex. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 37, 2278–2285.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hall, J. A., & Taylor, M. C. (1985). Psychological androgyny and the masculinity x femininity interaction. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 49, 429–435.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Helmreich, R. L., Spence, J. T., & Wilhelm, J. A. (1981). A psychometric analysis of personal attributes questionnaire. Sex Roles, 7, 1097–1108.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Henson, R. K., & Roberts, J. K. (2006). Use of exploratory factor analysis in published research: Common errors and some comment on improved practice. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 66, 393–416.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keyes, S. (1984). Measuring sex-roles stereotypes: Attitudes among Hong Kong Chinese adolescents and the development of the Chinese sex-role inventory. Sex Roles, 10, 129–140.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leung, C., & Moore, S. (2003). Individual and cultural gender roles: A comparison of Anglo-Australians and Chinese in Australia. Current Research in Social Psychology, 8. Retrieved from http://www.uiowa.edu/∼grpproc.

  • Li, M. C. (1981). The construction of sex trait inventory and the comparisons of four sex trait categories on achievement motive and attitudes toward marriage, career and sex. Chinese Journal of Psychology, 23, 23–37.

    Google Scholar 

  • McCreary, D. R., & Steinberg, M. (1992). The personal attributes questionnaire in Britain: Establishing construct validity. British Journal of Social Psychology, 31, 369–378.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moneta, G. B., & Wong, F. H. Y. (2001). The construct validity of the Chinese adaptation of four thematic scales of the personality research form. Social Behavior and Personality, 29, 459–476.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moneta, G. B., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2003). Internalized gender role attributes and motivational dispositions in talented teenagers. Psychology, The Journal of the Hellenic Psychological Society, 10, 181–191.

    Google Scholar 

  • Murray, H. A. (1938). Explorations in personality. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shifren, K., & Bauserman, E. (1996). The relationship between instrumental and expressive traits, health behaviors and perceived physical health. Sex Roles, 34, 841–864.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spence, J. T., Helmreich, R. L., & Stapp, J. (1974). The personal attributes questionnaire: A measure of sex role stereotypes and masculinity-femininity. JSAS: Catalog of Selected Documents in Psychology, 4, 43–44. Ms. No. 617.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spence, J. T., Helmreich, R. L., & Stapp, J. (1975). Ratings of self and peers on sex role attributes and their relation to self-esteem and conceptions of masculinity and femininity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 32, 29–39.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Spence, J. T., & Helmreich, R. L. (1978). Masculinity and femininity: Their psychological dimensions, correlates, and antecedents. Austin: University of Texas Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sugihara, Y., & Katsurada, E. (2002). Gender role development in Japanese culture: Diminishing gender role differences in a contemporary society. Sex Roles, 47, 443–452.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Young, F. W. (2003). ViSta: “The Visual Statistics System” [Computer software]. Retrieved from http://forrest.psych.unc.edu/research/index.html

  • Ward, C. A. (2000). Models and measurements of psychological androgyny: a cross-cultural extension of theory and research. Sex Roles, 43, 529–552.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ward, C. A., & Sethi, R. R. (1986). Cross-cultural validation of the Bem sex role inventory. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 17, 300–314.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wiggins, J. S. (1982). Circumplex models of interpersonal behavior in clinical psychology. In P. C. Kendall & J. N. Butcher (Eds.), Handbook of research methods in clinical psychology (pp. 183–221). New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wiggins, J. S., & Broughton, R. (1985). The interpersonal circle: A structural model for the integration of personality research. In R. Hogan & W. H. Jones (Eds.), Perspectives in personality (Vol. 1, pp. 1–47). Greenwich: JAU.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, J. E., & Best, D. L. (1982). Measuring sex stereotypes: A thirty nation study. Newbury Park: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, F. R., & Cook, E. P. (1984). Concurrent validity of four androgyny instruments. Sex Roles, 11, 813–837.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wong, C. S., Tinsley, C., Law, K. S., & Mobley, W. H. (2003). Development and validation of a multidimensional measure of Guanxi. Journal of Psychology in Chinese Societies, 4, 43–69.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, J., Norvilitis, J. M., & Jin, S. (2001). Measuring gender orientation with the Bem sex role inventory in Chinese culture. Sex Roles, 44, 23–251.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Giovanni B. Moneta.

Appendix

Appendix

The Chinese translation of the 16 items of the short form of the Personal Attributes Questionnaire (PAQ).

English Item

Chinese Item

Warm in relation with others (E)

待人親切

Helpful to others (E)

幫助別人

Understanding of others (E)

明白他人

Kind (E)

仁慈

Aware of feelings of others (E)

察覺別人的感受

Emotional (E)

感情豐富

Able to devote self completely to others (E)

與人相處時能全情投入

Gentle (E)

溫柔

Self-confident (I)

自信

Can make decisions easily (I)

決斷

Competitive (I)

富競爭性

Independent (I)

獨立

Feels superior (I)

高人一等

Stands up well under pressure (I)

善於處理壓力

Never gives up (I)

永不放棄

Active (I)

活躍

Note. E = expressivity item; I = instrumentality item.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Moneta, G.B. Chinese Short Form of the Personal Attributes Questionnaire: Construct and Concurrent Validity. Sex Roles 62, 334–346 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-009-9730-5

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-009-9730-5

Keywords

Navigation