The results of the preliminary validation of the Polish version of the Multiple Stimulus Types Ambiguity Tolerance Scale
Keywords:
tolerance of ambiguity; intolerance of ambiguity; measure
Abstract
This paper presents the Polish version of the Multiple Stimulus Types Ambiguity Tolerance Scale (MSTAT-II) developed by D. L. McLain: a short 13-item measure of an individual’s orientation, ranging from aversion to attraction, toward stimuli that are complex, unfamiliar, and insoluble. The aim of the study was to determine the validity and reliability of the scale. The participants in the study were 303 first-year students, aged 17 to 24: 234 women and 69 men. The authors chose this kind of sample because the significance of ambiguity tolerance should be particularly high in the case of the individual’s adaptation to the demands of a new and complex situation, such as the beginning of studies. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the hypothesized one-factor structure of the model of ambiguity tolerance. The study also revealed a moderate positive relationship between MSTAT-II/PL scores and scores on the Tolerance for Ambiguity Scale (TAS) by Herman and colleagues, measuring ambiguity tolerance; MSTAT-II/PL scores were positively related to extraversion, openness to experience, conscientiousness, positive affect, and satisfaction with life, as well as negatively related to neuroticism and negative affect. The results obtained support the use of the Polish version of the Multiple Stimulus Types Ambiguity Tolerance Scale as a reliable (Cronbach’s α = .85) and valid measure of ambiguity tolerance.
References
Andersen, S. M., & Schwartz, M. H. (1992). Intolerance of ambiguity and depression: A cognitive vulnerability factor linked to hopelessness. Social Cognition, 10(3), 271-298.
Arquero, J. L., & McLain, D. (2010). Preliminary validation of the Spanish version of the Multiple Stimulus Types Ambiguity Tolerance Scale (MSTAT-II). The Spanish Journal of Psychology,13(1), 476-484.
Bardi, A., Guerra, V. M., & Ramdeny, G. S. D. (2009). Openness and ambiguity intolerance: Their differential relations to well-being in the context of an academic life transition. Personality and Individual Differences, 47, 219-223.
Bedyńska, S., & Cypryańska, M. (2013). Statystyczny drogowskaz 1. Praktyczne wprowadzenie do wnioskowania statystycznego [Statistical signpost 1: A practical introduction to statistical inference].Warsaw, Poland: Wydawnictwo Akademickie Sedno.
Bedyńska, S., & Książek, M. (2012). Statystyczny drogowskaz 1. Praktyczny przewodnik wykorzystania modeli regresji oraz równań strukturalnych [Statistical signpost 1: A practical guide to the use of regression models and structural equations]. Warsaw, Poland: Wydawnictwo Akademickie Sedno.
Bors, D. A., Gruman, J. A., & Shukla, S. (2010). Measuring tolerance of ambiguity: Item polarity, dimensionality, and criterion validity. Revue Européenne de Psychologie Appliquée, 60, 239-245.
Boss, P. (2007). Ambiguous loss theory: Challenges for scholars and practitioners. Family Relations, 56 (April 2007), 105-111.
Budner, S. (1962). Intolerance of ambiguity as a personality variable. Journal of Personality, 30, 29-50.
Buhr, K., & Dugas, M. J. (2006). Investigating the construct validity of intolerance of uncertainty and its unique relationship with worry. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 20, 222-236.
Caligiuri, P., & Tarique, I. (2012). Dynamic cross-cultural competencies and global leadership effectiveness. Journal of World Business, 47(4), 612-622.
Cohen, J. (1992). Statistical power analysis. Current Directions in Psychological Sciences, 1(3), 98-101.
Diener, E. (1984). Subjective well-being. Psychological Bulletin, 95, 542-575.
Diener, E., Emmons, R. A., Larsen, R. J., & Griffin, S. (1985). The Satisfaction With Life Scale. Journal of PersonalityAssessment, 49, 71-75.
Emmons, R. A., Diener, E., & Larsen, R. J. (1986). Choice and avoidance of everyday situations and affect congruence: Two models of reciprocal interactionism. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51(4), 815-826.
Frenkel-Brunswik, E. (1949). Intolerance of ambiguity as an emotional and perceptual personality variable. Journal of Personality, 18, 108-143.
Frenkel-Brunswik, E. (1951). Personality theory and perception. In R. Blake & E. Ramsey (Eds.), Perception: An approach to personality (pp. 356-419). New York: Ronald.
Furnham, A. (1994). A content, correlational and factor analytic study of four tolerance of ambiquity questionnaires. Personality and Individual Differences, 16, 403-410.
Furnham, A., & Avison, M. (1997). Personality and preference for surreal paintings. Personality and Individual Differences, 23, 923-935.
Furnham, A., & Marks, J. (2013). Tolerance of ambiguity: A review of the recent literature. Psychology, 4(9), 717-728.
Geller, G., Tambor, E. S., Chase, G. A., & Holtzman, N. A. (1993). Measuring physicians’ tolerance for ambiguity and its relationship to their reported practices regarding genetic testing. Medical Care, 31(11), 989-1001.
Hearn, S., Saulnier, G., Strayer, J., Glenham, M., Koopman, R., & Marcia, J. E. (2012). Between integrity and despair: toward construct validation of Erikson’s eighth stage. Journal of Adult Development, 19,1- 20.
Herman, J. L., Stevens, M. J., Bird, A., Mendenhall, M., & Oddou, G. (2010). The Tolerance for Ambiguity Scale: Towards a more refined measure for international management research. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 34, 58-65.
Hornowska, E. (2014). Testy psychologiczne. Teoria i praktyka [Psychological tests: Theory and practice]. Warsaw, Poland: Wydawnictwo Naukowe Scholar.
Juczyński, Z. (2001). Narzędzia pomiaru w promocji i psychologii zdrowia [Measurement instruments in health promotion and psychology]. Warsaw, Poland: Psychological Test Laboratory of the Polish Psychological Association.
Judge, T. A., Thorensen, C. J., Pucik, V., & Welbourne, T. M. (1999). Managerial coping with organization change: A dispositional perspective. Journal of Applied Psychology, 84, 107-122.
Konarski, R. (2009). Modele równań strukturalnych. Teoria i praktyka [Structural equation models: Theory and practice]. Warsaw, Poland: Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN.
Kossowska, M. (2005). Umysł niezmienny. Poznawcze mechanizmy sztywności [The unchanging mind: Cognitive mechanisms of rigidity]. Cracow, Poland: Jagiellonian University Press.
MacDonald, A. P. (1970). Revised scale for ambiguity tolerance: Reliability and validity. Psychological Reports, 26, 791-798.
McCrae, R. R. (1996). Social consequences of experiential openness. Psychological Bulletin, 120, 323-337.
McCrae, R. R., & Costa, P. T. Jr (2005). Osobowość dorosłego człowieka [Personality in adulthood]. Cracow, Poland: Wydawnictwo WAM.
McLain, D. L. (1993). The MSTAT-I: A new measure of an individual tolerance for ambiguity. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 53, 183-189.
McLain, D. L. (2009). Evidence of the properties of an ambiguity tolerance measure: The Multiple Stimulus Types Ambiguity Tolerance Scale – II (MSTAT-II). Psychological Reports, 105, 975-988.
Merrotsy, P. (2013). Tolerance of ambiguity: A trait of creative personality. Creativity Research Journal, 25, 232-237.
Oleś, P. K. (2003). Wprowadzenie do psychologii osobowości [Introduction to the psychology of personality]. Warsaw, Poland: Wydawnictwo Naukowe Scholar.
Rajagopal, L., & Hamouz, F. L. (2009). Use of food attitudes and behaviors in determination of the personality characteristic of openness: A pilot study. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 33, 254-258.
Rosen, N. O., Ivanova E., & Knӓuper, B. (2014). Differentiating intolerance of uncertainty from three related but distinct constructs. Anxiety, Stress and Coping, 27(1), 55-73.
Rydell, S. T., & Rosen, E. (1966). Measurement and some correlates of need-cognition. Psychological Reports, 19, 139-165.
Sobol-Kwapińska M. (2007). Żyć chwilą? Koncentracja na teraźniejszości a poczucie szczęścia [To live the moment? Focus on the present and the sense of happiness]. Lublin, Poland: Catholic University of Lublin Press.
Srivastava, S. (2007). Tolerance of ambiguity and locus of control as moderators for work stress among private sector managers. Abhigyan, 25(2), 48-53.
Swami, V., Stieger, S., Pietschnig, J., & Voracek, M. (2010). The disinterested play of thought: Individual differences and preference for surrealist motion pictures. Personality and Individual Differences, 48, 855-859.
Szymczak, W. (2015). Pojęcie wielkości efektu na tle teorii Neymana-Pearsona testowania hipotez statystycznych [The concept of effect size in the light of the Neyman–Pearson theory of testing statistical hypotheses]. Acta Universitatis Lodziensis Folia Psychologica, 19, 5-41.
Teoh, H. Y., & Foo, S. L. (1997). Moderating effects of tolerance for ambiguity and risk-taking propensity on the role conflict–perceived performance relationship: Evidence from Singaporean entrepreneurs. Journal of Business Venturing, 12, 67-81.
Tokuyoshi, Y., Suzuki, D., & Iwasaki, S. (2010). The relationship between MSTAT-II and attention functions. The preliminary validation of the Japanese version of the Multiple Stimulus Types Ambiguity Tolerance Scale (MSTAT-II). Symposium: Attention and Cognition, Tohoku University, September 18th, 2010.
Watson, D., Clark, L. A., & Tellegen, A. (1988). Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect: The PANAS scales. Journal of Personality and Social Psychol-ogy, 54, 1063-1070.
Wolfradt, U., Oubaid, V., Straube, E. R., Bischoff, N., & Mischo, J. (1999). Thinking styles, schizotypal traits and anomalous experiences. Personality and Individual Differences, 27, 855-859.
Yakhnich, L., & Ben-Zur, H. (2008). Personal resources, appraisal, and coping in the adaptation process of immigrants from the former Soviet Union. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 78, 152-162.
Zawadzki, B., Strelau, J., Szczepaniak, P., & Śliwińska, M. (1998). Inwentarz Osobowości NEO- -FFI Costy i McCrae. Adaptacja polska. Podręcznik. [The NEO-FFI personality inventory by Costa and McCrae: Polish adaptation. A manual] Warsaw, Poland: Psychological Test Laboratory of the Polish Psychological Association.
Zenasni, F., Besancon, M., & Lubart, T. (2008). Creativity and tolerance of ambiguity: An empirical study. Journal of Creativity Behavior, 42, 61-73.
Arquero, J. L., & McLain, D. (2010). Preliminary validation of the Spanish version of the Multiple Stimulus Types Ambiguity Tolerance Scale (MSTAT-II). The Spanish Journal of Psychology,13(1), 476-484.
Bardi, A., Guerra, V. M., & Ramdeny, G. S. D. (2009). Openness and ambiguity intolerance: Their differential relations to well-being in the context of an academic life transition. Personality and Individual Differences, 47, 219-223.
Bedyńska, S., & Cypryańska, M. (2013). Statystyczny drogowskaz 1. Praktyczne wprowadzenie do wnioskowania statystycznego [Statistical signpost 1: A practical introduction to statistical inference].Warsaw, Poland: Wydawnictwo Akademickie Sedno.
Bedyńska, S., & Książek, M. (2012). Statystyczny drogowskaz 1. Praktyczny przewodnik wykorzystania modeli regresji oraz równań strukturalnych [Statistical signpost 1: A practical guide to the use of regression models and structural equations]. Warsaw, Poland: Wydawnictwo Akademickie Sedno.
Bors, D. A., Gruman, J. A., & Shukla, S. (2010). Measuring tolerance of ambiguity: Item polarity, dimensionality, and criterion validity. Revue Européenne de Psychologie Appliquée, 60, 239-245.
Boss, P. (2007). Ambiguous loss theory: Challenges for scholars and practitioners. Family Relations, 56 (April 2007), 105-111.
Budner, S. (1962). Intolerance of ambiguity as a personality variable. Journal of Personality, 30, 29-50.
Buhr, K., & Dugas, M. J. (2006). Investigating the construct validity of intolerance of uncertainty and its unique relationship with worry. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 20, 222-236.
Caligiuri, P., & Tarique, I. (2012). Dynamic cross-cultural competencies and global leadership effectiveness. Journal of World Business, 47(4), 612-622.
Cohen, J. (1992). Statistical power analysis. Current Directions in Psychological Sciences, 1(3), 98-101.
Diener, E. (1984). Subjective well-being. Psychological Bulletin, 95, 542-575.
Diener, E., Emmons, R. A., Larsen, R. J., & Griffin, S. (1985). The Satisfaction With Life Scale. Journal of PersonalityAssessment, 49, 71-75.
Emmons, R. A., Diener, E., & Larsen, R. J. (1986). Choice and avoidance of everyday situations and affect congruence: Two models of reciprocal interactionism. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51(4), 815-826.
Frenkel-Brunswik, E. (1949). Intolerance of ambiguity as an emotional and perceptual personality variable. Journal of Personality, 18, 108-143.
Frenkel-Brunswik, E. (1951). Personality theory and perception. In R. Blake & E. Ramsey (Eds.), Perception: An approach to personality (pp. 356-419). New York: Ronald.
Furnham, A. (1994). A content, correlational and factor analytic study of four tolerance of ambiquity questionnaires. Personality and Individual Differences, 16, 403-410.
Furnham, A., & Avison, M. (1997). Personality and preference for surreal paintings. Personality and Individual Differences, 23, 923-935.
Furnham, A., & Marks, J. (2013). Tolerance of ambiguity: A review of the recent literature. Psychology, 4(9), 717-728.
Geller, G., Tambor, E. S., Chase, G. A., & Holtzman, N. A. (1993). Measuring physicians’ tolerance for ambiguity and its relationship to their reported practices regarding genetic testing. Medical Care, 31(11), 989-1001.
Hearn, S., Saulnier, G., Strayer, J., Glenham, M., Koopman, R., & Marcia, J. E. (2012). Between integrity and despair: toward construct validation of Erikson’s eighth stage. Journal of Adult Development, 19,1- 20.
Herman, J. L., Stevens, M. J., Bird, A., Mendenhall, M., & Oddou, G. (2010). The Tolerance for Ambiguity Scale: Towards a more refined measure for international management research. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 34, 58-65.
Hornowska, E. (2014). Testy psychologiczne. Teoria i praktyka [Psychological tests: Theory and practice]. Warsaw, Poland: Wydawnictwo Naukowe Scholar.
Juczyński, Z. (2001). Narzędzia pomiaru w promocji i psychologii zdrowia [Measurement instruments in health promotion and psychology]. Warsaw, Poland: Psychological Test Laboratory of the Polish Psychological Association.
Judge, T. A., Thorensen, C. J., Pucik, V., & Welbourne, T. M. (1999). Managerial coping with organization change: A dispositional perspective. Journal of Applied Psychology, 84, 107-122.
Konarski, R. (2009). Modele równań strukturalnych. Teoria i praktyka [Structural equation models: Theory and practice]. Warsaw, Poland: Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN.
Kossowska, M. (2005). Umysł niezmienny. Poznawcze mechanizmy sztywności [The unchanging mind: Cognitive mechanisms of rigidity]. Cracow, Poland: Jagiellonian University Press.
MacDonald, A. P. (1970). Revised scale for ambiguity tolerance: Reliability and validity. Psychological Reports, 26, 791-798.
McCrae, R. R. (1996). Social consequences of experiential openness. Psychological Bulletin, 120, 323-337.
McCrae, R. R., & Costa, P. T. Jr (2005). Osobowość dorosłego człowieka [Personality in adulthood]. Cracow, Poland: Wydawnictwo WAM.
McLain, D. L. (1993). The MSTAT-I: A new measure of an individual tolerance for ambiguity. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 53, 183-189.
McLain, D. L. (2009). Evidence of the properties of an ambiguity tolerance measure: The Multiple Stimulus Types Ambiguity Tolerance Scale – II (MSTAT-II). Psychological Reports, 105, 975-988.
Merrotsy, P. (2013). Tolerance of ambiguity: A trait of creative personality. Creativity Research Journal, 25, 232-237.
Oleś, P. K. (2003). Wprowadzenie do psychologii osobowości [Introduction to the psychology of personality]. Warsaw, Poland: Wydawnictwo Naukowe Scholar.
Rajagopal, L., & Hamouz, F. L. (2009). Use of food attitudes and behaviors in determination of the personality characteristic of openness: A pilot study. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 33, 254-258.
Rosen, N. O., Ivanova E., & Knӓuper, B. (2014). Differentiating intolerance of uncertainty from three related but distinct constructs. Anxiety, Stress and Coping, 27(1), 55-73.
Rydell, S. T., & Rosen, E. (1966). Measurement and some correlates of need-cognition. Psychological Reports, 19, 139-165.
Sobol-Kwapińska M. (2007). Żyć chwilą? Koncentracja na teraźniejszości a poczucie szczęścia [To live the moment? Focus on the present and the sense of happiness]. Lublin, Poland: Catholic University of Lublin Press.
Srivastava, S. (2007). Tolerance of ambiguity and locus of control as moderators for work stress among private sector managers. Abhigyan, 25(2), 48-53.
Swami, V., Stieger, S., Pietschnig, J., & Voracek, M. (2010). The disinterested play of thought: Individual differences and preference for surrealist motion pictures. Personality and Individual Differences, 48, 855-859.
Szymczak, W. (2015). Pojęcie wielkości efektu na tle teorii Neymana-Pearsona testowania hipotez statystycznych [The concept of effect size in the light of the Neyman–Pearson theory of testing statistical hypotheses]. Acta Universitatis Lodziensis Folia Psychologica, 19, 5-41.
Teoh, H. Y., & Foo, S. L. (1997). Moderating effects of tolerance for ambiguity and risk-taking propensity on the role conflict–perceived performance relationship: Evidence from Singaporean entrepreneurs. Journal of Business Venturing, 12, 67-81.
Tokuyoshi, Y., Suzuki, D., & Iwasaki, S. (2010). The relationship between MSTAT-II and attention functions. The preliminary validation of the Japanese version of the Multiple Stimulus Types Ambiguity Tolerance Scale (MSTAT-II). Symposium: Attention and Cognition, Tohoku University, September 18th, 2010.
Watson, D., Clark, L. A., & Tellegen, A. (1988). Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect: The PANAS scales. Journal of Personality and Social Psychol-ogy, 54, 1063-1070.
Wolfradt, U., Oubaid, V., Straube, E. R., Bischoff, N., & Mischo, J. (1999). Thinking styles, schizotypal traits and anomalous experiences. Personality and Individual Differences, 27, 855-859.
Yakhnich, L., & Ben-Zur, H. (2008). Personal resources, appraisal, and coping in the adaptation process of immigrants from the former Soviet Union. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 78, 152-162.
Zawadzki, B., Strelau, J., Szczepaniak, P., & Śliwińska, M. (1998). Inwentarz Osobowości NEO- -FFI Costy i McCrae. Adaptacja polska. Podręcznik. [The NEO-FFI personality inventory by Costa and McCrae: Polish adaptation. A manual] Warsaw, Poland: Psychological Test Laboratory of the Polish Psychological Association.
Zenasni, F., Besancon, M., & Lubart, T. (2008). Creativity and tolerance of ambiguity: An empirical study. Journal of Creativity Behavior, 42, 61-73.
Published
2019-04-08
Issue
Section
Articles
Copyright (c) 2017 Roczniki Psychologiczne
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
