Development and initial validation of social interaction questionnaire

This paper presents the findings of the study that was initiated to develop and standardize a measure of Social Interaction (SI). The items were split into five different types of social interaction: exchange, competition, conflict, cooperation and accommodation. The systematic process that was used to construct and validate the tool is delineated in this study. The theoretical foundation for the questionnaire was carried out through a literature review. The item pool was generated with each statement reflecting the different aspects of interaction. Initially, experts in the field of social psychology reviewed the items for content validity and refined the items. The preliminary version of the questionnaire was tested using a pilot study. A larger validation was done with a larger population to confirm the factor structure using Confirmatory Factor Analysis. The model fit indices were good for the obtained model (CFI = 0.929, IFI = 0.930, TLI = 0.920, RMSEA = 0.053), confirming that the model structure is robust. The final questionnaire has 26 items with a reliable and valid measure.