Ensuring content validity in instrument development: The case of the Scenes for Social Information Processing in Adolesce

Abstract

The Scenes for Social Information Processing in Adolescence (SSIPA) proposes to evaluate several cognitive steps suggested by the social information processing model, in addition to considering emotional states that may interfere with such rational processing of information. Psychometric evaluation of this instrument points to its construct validity but very little information was given on its construction process so as to guarantee that, as claimed, it accurately reflects the adolescents’ unique social experiences. The current work presents detailed information on the three steps undertaken to develop the SSIPA: 1) three focus groups with a total of 23 adolescents and use of their verbalizations for item generation; 2) examination of the face validity of the items by 7 experts, who rated each item according to the content it was intended to evaluate, and 3) evaluation of test usability, understandability, and overall pertinence by a new sample of 23 adolescents. Focus groups and item evaluation procedures were considered optimal tools in helping to formulate items that surpass the initial acceptability threshold and accurately grasp the social information processing of adolescents, resulting in an innovative and psychometrically robust assessment instrument, potentially useful in clinical assessment and research.