title: Psychometric evaluation and experimental validation of the statistics anxiety rating scale.
abstract: The Statistics Anxiety Rating Scale (STARS) was adapted into German to examine its psychometric properties (n = 400). Two validation studies (n = 66, n = 96) were conducted to examine its criterion-related validity. The psychometric properties of the questionnaire were very similar to those previously reported for the original English version in various countries and other language versions. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated 2 second-order factors: One was more closely related to anxiety and the other was more closely related to negative attitudes toward statistics. Predictive validity of the STARS was shown both in an experimental exam-like situation in the laboratory and during a real examination situation. Taken together, the findings indicate that statistics anxiety as assessed by the STARS is a useful construct that is more than just an expression of a more general disposition to anxiety.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Biological Psychology Unit, Karl-Franzens University, Graz, Austria. ilona.papousek@uni-graz.at
authors.forename: Ilona
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Papousek
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ruggeri
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Macher
authors.forename: Manuela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Paechter
authors.forename: Moritz
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Heene
authors.forename: Elisabeth M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Weiss
authors.forename: Günter
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schulter
authors.forename: H Harald
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Freudenthaler
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000175:diagnosis*; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires