title: Methodologically sound: Evaluating the psychometric approach to the assessment of human life history [reply to Copping, Campbell, and Muncer, 2014].
abstract: Copping, Campbell, and Muncer (2014) have recently published an article critical of the psychometric approach to the assessment of life history (LH) strategy. Their purported goal was testing for the convergent validation and examining the psychometric structure of the High-K Strategy Scale (HKSS). As much of the literature on the psychometrics of human LH during the past decade or so has emanated from our research laboratory and those of close collaborators, we have prepared this detailed response. Our response is organized into four main sections: (1) A review of psychometric methods for the assessment of human LH strategy, expounding upon the essence of our approach; (2) our theoretical/conceptual concerns regarding the critique, addressing the broader issues raised by the critique regarding the latent and hierarchical structure of LH strategy; (3) our statistical/methodological concerns regarding the critique, examining the validity and persuasiveness of the empirical case made specifically against the HKSS; and (4) our recommendations for future research that we think might be helpful in closing the gap between the psychometric and biometric approaches to measurement in this area. Clearly stating our theoretical positions, describing our existing body of work, and acknowledging their limitations should assist future researchers in planning and implementing more informed and prudent empirical research that will synthesize the psychometric approach to the assessment of LH strategy with complementary methods.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, School of Mind, Brain and Behavior, College of Science, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA..
authors.forename: Aurelio José
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Figueredo
authors.affiliation: Health Psychology, Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA..
authors.forename: Tomás
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Cabeza de Baca
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, School of Mind, Brain and Behavior, College of Science, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA..
authors.forename: Candace Jasmine
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Black
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, School of Mind, Brain and Behavior, College of Science, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA..
authors.forename: Rafael Antonio
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: García
authors.affiliation: Departamentos de Psicologia e de Genética, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil..
authors.forename: Heitor Barcellos Ferreira
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Fernandes
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and Centre for Social Science Research, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa..
authors.forename: Pedro Sofio Abril
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Wolf
authors.affiliation: Center Leo Apostel for Interdisciplinary Studies, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium..
authors.forename: Michael Anthony
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Woodley of Menie
mesh_terms: D035841:Behavioral Research / Q000379:methods; D001699:Biometry / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000379:methods*
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