The Use of Exploratory Graph Analysis to Validate Trust in Relationships Scale

Abstract

Today, various methods have been developed with a purpose to determine the number of factors underlying a construct. However, there is no definitive agreement on which techniques to be preferred to extract the underlying dimensions. To this end, Exploratory Graphical Analysis (EGA), a recently proposed method, has been compared with traditional methods and the results have revealed that the EGA is less affected from conditions like sample size and inter-dimensional correlation. Besides, it provides more stable results across different conditions. Considering the attractive opportunities it offers, this method has taken its place in the literature as a remarkable alternative to traditional methods. The EGA provides unique outputs compared to other factor extraction techniques. Considering this, interpreting the results obtained within this new and promising framework is assumed to contribute to validation studies. Based on this reality, this study aims to apply the EGA method to Trust in Relations Scale (TRS) and therefore to contribute to its validity. The investigation of TRS’s reliability and validity has already been documented, presenting research opportunities to researchers in the field of positive psychology. The results revealed that, the EGA produces dimensionality structures identical to confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and exploratory factor analysis (EFA). In addition, further psychometrical indicators within the framework of network analysis are provided. The findings of the study are believed to contribute to the validity of the already existing Trust in Relationships Scale.

Keywords

• trust in relationships
• exploratory graph analysis
• network psychometrics

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