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Measuring Positive Emotions: an Examination of the Reliability and Structural Validity of Scores on the Seven Dispositional Positive Emotions Scales

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Journal of Well-Being Assessment

Abstract

The Dispositional Positive Emotions Scales (DPES) are seven separate research scales that measure joy, awe, amusement, pride, contentment, compassion, and love. Despite widespread use of these scales, no comprehensive examination of the psychometric properties of DPES scores has been conducted. In this paper, we examined the internal consistency and structural validity of DPES scores in four independent American samples. In Study 1, exploratory factor analyses indicated that scores on the seven scales had a 1-factor structure, and these scores were found to be internally consistent. In Study 2, confirmatory factor analyses provided evidence that DPES scores were structurally valid (although evidence was mixed on the Love scale) and that the seven scales were distinct constructs. In addition, DPES scores were found to be internally consistent. Finally, evidence of convergent validity and discriminant validity was also found via comparing DPES scores with those on the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule-Short Form.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Educational Psychology, Wayne State University, 339 College of Education, 5425 Gullen Mall, Detroit, MI, 48202, USA

    Dante D. Dixson

  2. Veterans Affairs Medical Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Craig L. Anderson

  3. Psychology Department, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA

    Dacher Keltner

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  1. Dante D. Dixson
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  2. Craig L. Anderson
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  3. Dacher Keltner
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Correspondence to Dante D. Dixson.

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Dixson, D.D., Anderson, C.L. & Keltner, D. Measuring Positive Emotions: an Examination of the Reliability and Structural Validity of Scores on the Seven Dispositional Positive Emotions Scales. J well-being assess 2, 115–133 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41543-019-00015-y

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