title: Taxometric analysis of the antisocial features scale of the personality assessment inventory in federal prison inmates.
abstract: The Antisocial Features (ANT) scale of the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) was subjected to taxometric analysis in a group of 2,135 federal prison inmates. Scores on the three ANT subscales-Antisocial Behaviors (ANT-A), Egocentricity (ANT-E), and Stimulus Seeking (ANT-S)-served as indicators in this study and were evaluated using the following taxometric procedures: mean above minus below a cut (MAMBAC), maximum eigenvalue (MAXEIG), and latent mode factor analysis (L-Mode). Objective and subjective evaluation of the results revealed consistent support for a dimensional interpretation of latent structure across the di ferent taxometric procedures as well as across gender, race, and security level. As a dimensional construct, antisocial personality disorder arranges respondents along one or more quantitative dimensions (degree of antisociality), rather than assigning them to qualitatively distinct categories (antisocial or not antisocial).
authors.affiliation: Federal Correctional Institution, Schuylkill, Pennsylvania 17954-0700, USA. gwalters@bop.gov
authors.forename: Glenn D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Walters
authors.forename: Pamela M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Diamond
authors.forename: Philip R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Magaletta
authors.forename: Matthew D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Geyer
authors.forename: Scott A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Duncan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000987:Antisocial Personality Disorder / Q000145:classification*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011329:Prisoners / Q000523:psychology*