Development and Linguistic Cue Analysis of the State-Trait Cheerfulness Inventory–Short Form

Abstract

The present study derived a short form of the State-Trait Cheerfulness Inventory-Trait Version (STCI-T30) using an item response theory framework. Latent trait test-retest correlations and reliability across the latent continuum in the STCI-T30 remained high. Moreover, the STCI-T30 showed external validity with criterion variables (e.g., playfulness) and a short writing task completed by these participants was rated by unacquainted judges to infer the author’s cheerfulness, seriousness, and bad-mood. Results suggested significant self-other and inter-judge agreement of cheerfulness, seriousness, and bad-mood and linguistic cues analysis suggested cheerfulness and bad-mood manifested through writing in tone, social processes, and affect.

Acknowledgments

The first author would like to acknowledge the Joseph-Armand Bombardier Doctoral Scholarship, Mary Ann Underwood Global Opportunities Award, the ThinkSwiss Scholarship 2017, Michael Smith Foreign Supplement, and Mitacs Globalink Scholarship for supporting the first author’s doctoral program research. The scholarship awards did not participate in study conceptualization, data collection, data analysis, or manuscript preparation.

Funding

The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, C.L., upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.