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Preliminary Examination of a Cartoon-Based Hostile Attributional Bias Measure for Urban African American Boys

  • Original Article
  • Published:
American Journal of Community Psychology

Abstract

The current study illustrates how researchers developed and validated a cartoon-based adaptation of a written hostile attributional bias measure for a sample of urban, low-income, African American boys. A series of studies were conducted to develop cartoon illustrations to accompany a standard written hostile attributional bias vignette measure (Study 1), to determine initial psychometric properties (Study 2) and acceptability (Study 3), and to conduct a test–retest reliability trial of the adapted measure in a separate sample (Study 4). These studies utilize a participatory action research approach to measurement design and adaptation, and suggest that collaborations between researchers and key school stakeholders can lead to measures that are psychometrically strong, developmentally appropriate, and culturally sensitive. In addition, the cartoon-based hostile attributional bias measure appears to have promise as an assessment and/or outcome measure for aggression and bullying prevention programs conducted with urban African American boys.

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Notes

  1. Results from this portion of the study are not reported as they go beyond the purpose of the current manuscript.

  2. The Institutional Review Board approved all phases of the studies described in the manuscript. While in Studies 1–3 of the research active parent permission was obtained for participants, in Study 4 researchers and camp leaders collaborated such that the completion of the measures were integrated within the typical camp day. Given this, and that it is extremely challenging to obtain parent permission within the urban summer camp format, parents were informed of the study through flyers and meetings but did not have to sign permission forms for their child’s participation. Enrollment in the study was stopped after 70 boys had participated during the first administration.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by two NIMH grants to the first author, R34MH072982 and R01MH075787, and by cooperative agreement number 5 U49 CE001093 from The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Its contents are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This research was made possible, in part, by the School District of Philadelphia. Opinions contained in this report reflect those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the School District of Philadelphia. The authors wish to thank Elizabeth Woodburn for her work on this project and Michael Grossman for his cartoon illustrations of each vignette.

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  1. Department of Pediatric Psychology, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Rm. 1480 at CHOP North; 3405 Civic Center Blvd., Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA

    Stephen S. Leff, Elizabeth K. Lefler, Gagan S. Khera, Brooke Paskewich & Abbas F. Jawad

  2. The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Stephen S. Leff & Abbas F. Jawad

  3. The Philadelphia Collaborative Violence Prevention Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Stephen S. Leff

  4. University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA, USA

    Elizabeth K. Lefler

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  1. Stephen S. Leff
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Correspondence to Stephen S. Leff.

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Leff, S.S., Lefler, E.K., Khera, G.S. et al. Preliminary Examination of a Cartoon-Based Hostile Attributional Bias Measure for Urban African American Boys. Am J Community Psychol 49, 332–346 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10464-011-9461-y

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