The use of personality measures in cross-cultural research: A test of three personality scales across two countries.

This study explored the measurement equivalence of 3 commonly used psychological measures across samples of U.S. and Indian male and female respondents. Multiple groups structural equations modeling indicated that locus of control was measured equivalently across U.S. and Indian male and female groups, whereas measurement equivalence of a self-esteem scale and a higher order need strength scale was observed across U.S. men, U.S. women, and Indian men. Baseline models for self-esteem and for higher order need strength failed to fit in the Indian female sample, suggesting basic differences in how respondents from this group conceptualized scale items. The results underscore the potential importance of culture as a factor that may moderate the types of inferences that can be made from test scores in cross-cultural research applications.