Psychometric Properties of the Intergroup-Intrasexual Competition Scale in Costa Rica

Abstract

Two studies were conducted to provide evidence of construct validity of the Intergroup-Intrasexual Competition Scale, developed by Klavina, Buunk y Park (2009), among Costa Rican university students between 17 and 31 years old (204 students, 45.7 % female, in the first study and 335 students, 50.4 % female, in the second), measures of Intergroup Intrasexual Competition were applied with other measures of psychosocial and evolutionary variables (Intrasexual Competition, Social Dominance Orientation, Sociosexual Orientation, Intergroup Contact, Inhibitory Control, Mate Value). Results of both studies showed that the scale can be considered as a measure of a one-dimension construct, correlating positively with measures of Intrasexual Competition, Sociosexual Orientation and Social Dominance Orientation, and negatively with measures of Mate Value, Perceived Contact Quality and Inhibitory Control, as predicted by theory and previous empirical data. The utility of this measure in the study of human behavior from social and evolutionary psychology is discussed