The Turkish Adaptation of the Dispositional Self-Control (DSC) Scale and Examination of Its Psychometric Properties
Abstract
This study aimed to adapt the Dispositional Self-Control (DSC) Scale to Turkish and evaluate its psychometric properties. The DSC Scale measures individuals' ability to resist two types of temptation — Doing Right (DW) and Not Doing Right (NDR) — through the dimensions of yielding and overriding. In the study with a methodological design, the data were collected from 337 participants aged between 18 and 65 (agex ̅=24.84, sd=6.81). The majority of the participants were psychology students or graduates (74.5%). The adaptation of the scale into Turkish was carried out using the translation-back translation method and revised in line with expert opinions. The structure of the scale was examined using Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Multidimensional Scaling (MDS) methods. Reliability was evaluated using internal consistency coefficients (Cronbach's alpha) and correlations with relevant scales. EFA revealed that the scale has a two-factor structure and explains 39.66% of the variance. The items were grouped under DW and NDR. Multidimensional scaling confirmed the four-dimensional theoretical model of the scale, and the model fit indices (S-Stress = 0.01, Tucker’s Coefficient of Congruence = 0.996) were found to be excellent. The overall Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the scale was 0.88, while the alpha coefficients of the subscales ranged from 0.70 to 0.80. Correlations with the Impulsiveness, Self-Regulation, and Behavioral System scales supported the construct validity of the scale. The lower DSC scores of individuals experiencing economic difficulties or failing to achieve their dietary goals demonstrate the sensitivity of the scale. The Turkish adaptation of the DSC Scale can be used as a valid and reliable measurement tool. The scale can be used to examine self-control behaviors in various contexts.
Keywords
Self-Control, Validity, Reliability
Ethical Statement
This study was approved by the Scientific Research and Publication Ethics Committee of Afyon Kocatepe University, Social and Humanities Sciences (Decision date: February 8, 2021; Number: 5727).
References
- Alpar, R. (2022). Uygulamalı istatistik ve geçerlik-güvenirlik [Applied statistics and validity and reliability] (7th Ed.). Detay Yayıncılık.
- Ariely, D., & Wertenbroch, K. (2002). Procrastination, deadlines, and performance: Self-control by pre-commitment. Psychological Science, 13(3), 219–224. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9280.00441
- Barratt, E. S. (1959). Anxiety and impulsiveness related to psychomotor efficiency. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 9(2), 191–198. https://doi.org/10.2466/pms.9.3.191-198
- Carver, C. S. & White, T. L. (1994). Beha¬vioral inhibition, behavioral activation, and affective responses to impending reward and punishment: The BIS/BAS Scales. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 67(2), 319-333.
- Clark, L. A., & Watson, D. (1995). Construct validity: Basic issues in objective scale development. Psychological Assessment, 7(3), 309–319. https://doi.org/10.1037/1040-3590.7.3.309
- Ding, C. S. (2018). Fundamentals of applied multidimensional scaling for educational and psychological research. Springer.
- Dugard, P., Todman, J., & Staines, H. (2010). Approaching multivariate analysis: A practical introduction (2nd ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003343097
- Duyan, V., Gülden, Ç., & Gelbal, S. (2012). Öz-Denetim Ölçeği - ÖDÖ: Güvenirlik ve geçerlik çalışması [Othering behaviors scale: Validity and reliability study]. Toplum ve Sosyal Hizmet, 23,1, 25-38.
- Ein-Gar, D., Goldenberg, J., & Sagiv, L. (2008). Taking control: An integrated model of dispositional self-control and measure. Advances in Consumer Research, 35, 542–550.
- Ein-Gar, D., & Sagiv, L. (2014). Overriding "doing wrong" and "not doing right": validation of the Dispositional Self-Control Scale (DSC). Journal of Personality Assessment, 96(6), 640–653. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223891.2014.889024