Description

The Prejudice Across Contexts (PAC-10) scale is a psychometric tool designed to measure prejudicial attitudes across various social contexts. This 10-item scale is concise yet comprehensive, aiming to capture the nuances of prejudice in different situations and towards various social groups. It is often used in social psychology research to assess the generalizability and intensity of prejudicial attitudes among individuals.

Analysis and Use of Data

The PAC-10 scale consists of 10 statements that respondents rate, typically on a Likert scale (e.g., from 1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree). The items are designed to be adaptable to different contexts, allowing researchers to measure prejudice against various groups (e.g., based on race, gender, sexual orientation) and in different scenarios (e.g., at work, in social settings).
Analysis:
Reliability: Cronbach’s alpha is commonly used to assess the internal consistency of the PAC-10 scale. A high alpha (typically above 0.70) indicates that the items reliably measure a common underlying construct—prejudice across contexts.
Factor Analysis: Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses are used to determine whether the scale measures a single dimension of prejudice or multiple dimensions corresponding to different contexts or groups.
Mean Scores: Researchers often calculate mean scores for each participant to represent their overall level of prejudice, which can then be compared across different groups or correlated with other variables (e.g., education level, political orientation).
Contextual Variability: By applying the scale in different contexts or towards different groups, researchers can examine whether individuals’ prejudices are consistent across situations or vary depending on the target group or context.
Use of Data:
Research: The PAC-10 scale is frequently employed in studies examining the relationship between prejudice and other psychological or social variables, such as empathy, authoritarianism, or intergroup contact.
Intervention Evaluation: It can also be used to assess the effectiveness of interventions designed to reduce prejudice, by comparing scores before and after the intervention.
Cross-Cultural Comparisons: The scale’s adaptability makes it suitable for cross-cultural research, allowing for comparisons of prejudice levels across different countries or cultural settings.

Calibration

Calibration of the PAC-10 scale involves ensuring that the scale accurately measures what it is intended to measure in different contexts and for different populations. This can involve:
Pilot Testing: Administering the scale to a small, diverse sample to refine items based on feedback and preliminary data analysis.
Item Response Theory (IRT): Analyzing the scale using IRT to understand how each item functions across different levels of prejudice, ensuring that items are appropriately challenging for all respondents.
Cross-Validation: Testing the scale in various samples to confirm that it reliably measures prejudice across different populations and contexts.

Bibliography

Wright, S. C., & Taylor, D. M. (2007). “Prejudice and the intergroup dynamics: The impact of social context on the expression of intergroup bias.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 93(4), 710–727.
Dovidio, J. F., Gaertner, S. L., & Kawakami, K. (2010). “Intergroup bias.” In The Handbook of Social Psychology (pp. 1085-1124). New York: Wiley.
Pettigrew, T. F., & Tropp, L. R. (2006). “A meta-analytic test of intergroup contact theory.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 90(5), 751–783.
Swim, J. K., Aikin, K. J., Hall, W. S., & Hunter, B. A. (1995). “Sexism and racism: Old-fashioned and modern prejudices.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 68(2), 199–214.
Zick, A., Küpper, B., & Hövermann, A. (2011). “Intolerance, Prejudice, and Discrimination: A European Report.” Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung. Berlin.