title: Measuring Hostile Interpretation Bias: The WSAP-Hostility Scale.
abstract: Hostile interpretation biases are central to the development and maintenance of anger, yet have been inconsistently assessed. The Word Sentence Association Paradigm (WSAP) was used to develop a new measure of hostile interpretation biases, the WSAP-Hostility. Study 1 examined the factor structure and internal consistency of the WSAP-Hostility, as well as its relationship with trait anger. Study 2 provided convergent and divergent validity data by examining its associations with trait anger, aggression, depression, and anxiety. Study 3 examined the relationship between WSAP-Hostility and another measure of hostile interpretation biases, as well as another word sentence association measure, in a sample of community participants. Study 4 also used a sample of community participants to offer further evidence of convergent validity. Across the studies, the WSAP-Hostility demonstrated convergent and divergent validity and internal consistency, supporting its use as a measure of hostile interpretation biases.
authors.affiliation: Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Kirsten H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Dillon
authors.affiliation: Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Nicholas P
authors.initials: NP
authors.lastname: Allan
authors.affiliation: Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA cougle@psy.fsu.edu.
authors.forename: Jesse R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Cougle
authors.affiliation: Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Frank D
authors.initials: FD
authors.lastname: Fincham
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000374:Aggression; D000786:Anger; D001007:Anxiety; D003863:Depression; D005260:Female; D006791:Hostility; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D015983:Selection Bias
keywords: aggression; anger; hostile interpretation bias; hostility