Take a look at some of your favorite empirical research, and you will almost certainly find a case where the authors have “adapted” one or more of the measures used in their research.

Scale adaptation is a catch-all term that is used to indicate that the authors changed something about the scale: the number of items, the situational context of the items, the organizational-level of the construct, the response scale, etc. It is such a common practice that it doesn’t even seem to rise to the level of awareness when we read (or review) an article. But we should be aware of and, in fact, be concerned; scale adaptation can have important consequences on the validity of the scales we use.

In this presentation, Eric Heggestad will discuss  research to document the commonness of scale adaptation and to identify the key ways authors are adapting scales. He will  also talk through the results of a survey of journal reviewers and psychometrics experts, documenting their levels of concern regarding various forms of scale adaptation (e.g., shortening a scale, changing the context, changing the time-frame, etc.).

Heggestad will provide a demonstration of an application to help authors shorten scales (a very common form of adaptation) for their research.

About the Speaker

Eric Heggestad is an industrial and organizational psychologist. His expertise and professional interests are associated with how organizations can best hire and develop their employees. He enjoys conducting scientific research on these issues, as well as working with companies to improve their processes.