Establishing the reliability and validity of a processing measure of big picture appraisal

Three separate studies established the psychometric properties of the Scrambled Sentences Test for Big Picture Appraisal (SST-BPA), a performance measure which entails viewing difficult situations and one’s reactions to them in terms of a larger context that includes perspectives such as extended time, one’s broader life, and common human struggles. Study 1 established the content validity of the SST-BPA by showing that judges rated SST-BPA items as consistent with a description of the construct. In Studies 2 and 3, participants completed paper- and computer-administered versions (respectively) of the SST-BPA along with self-report measures of similar and dissimilar constructs. Item-total correlations supported internal consistency and correlations with other measures supported convergent and discriminant validity of the SST-BPA.