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Decision-Making as a Latent Construct and its Measurement Invariance in a Large Sample of Adolescent Cannabis Users

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 May 2019

Ileana Pacheco-Colón Open the ORCID record for Ileana Pacheco-Colón [Opens in a new window] ,
Samuel W. Hawes ,
Jacqueline C. Duperrouzel ,
Catalina Lopez-Quintero  and
Raul Gonzalez
Ileana Pacheco-Colón*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Center for Children and Families, Florida International University,Miami, FL 33199, USA
Samuel W. Hawes
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Center for Children and Families, Florida International University,Miami, FL 33199, USA
Jacqueline C. Duperrouzel
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Center for Children and Families, Florida International University,Miami, FL 33199, USA
Catalina Lopez-Quintero
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
Raul Gonzalez
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Center for Children and Families, Florida International University,Miami, FL 33199, USA
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to: Ileana Pacheco-Colón, Department of Psychology, Center for Children and Families, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th Street, AHC1 Rm. 140, Miami, FL 33199, USA. E-mail: ipach008@fiu.edu
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Abstract

Objective: Relative to the vast literature that employs measures of decision-making (DM), rigorous examination of their psychometric properties is sparse. This study aimed to determine whether three measures of DM assess the same construct, and to measure invariance of this construct across relevant covariates. Method: Participants were 372 adolescents at risk of escalation in cannabis use. DM was assessed via four indices from the Cups Task, Game of Dice Task (GDT), and Iowa Gambling Task (IGT). We used confirmatory factor analysis to assess unidimensionality of the DM construct, and moderated nonlinear factor analysis (MNLFA) to examine its measurement invariance. Results: The unidimensional model of DM demonstrated good fit. MNLFA results revealed that sex influenced mean DM scores, such that boys had lower risk-taking behaviors. There was evidence of differential item functioning (DIF), such that IQ and age moderated the IGT intercept and GDT factor loading, respectively. Significant effects were retained in the final model, which produced participant-specific DM factor scores. These scores showed moderate stability over time. Conclusions: Indices from three DM tasks loaded significantly onto a single factor, suggesting that these DM tasks assess a single underlying construct. We suggest that this construct represents the ability to make optimal choices that maximize rewards in the presence of risk. Our final DM factor accounts for DIF caused by covariates, making it comparable across adolescents with different characteristics. (JINS, 2019, 25, 661–667)

Keywords

Psychometricsfactor analysissex differencesdifferential item functioningdecision-makingcannabis use
Type
Regular Research
Information
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society , Volume 25 , Issue 7 , August 2019 , pp. 661 - 667
Copyright
Copyright © INS. Published by Cambridge University Press, 2019. 

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