Skip to main content

How to Measure Wisdom


Thinker

As you might guess, psychological scientists disagree on the definition of wisdom. Here's one definition with a list of features that captures some scientific thinking (from evidenced-based).



Psychologists are finding that societies do share an agreed understanding and conception of wisdom. Wisdom is a construct composed of the following traits:

  • Deep self-knowledge
  • Social intelligence and life skills
  • Broad compassion
  • Emotional management
  • Multi-model perspective-taking
  • Uncertainty navigation
Several scales have been developed to measure various characteristics. As with many psychological survey items, measures of wisdom rely on self-report. In this post, I will present one scale and provide links to information about additional wisdom scales.

3 D Wisdom Scale (3DWS)

Monika Ardelt is a professor of sociology at the University of Florida. She developed the Three-Dimensional Wisdom Scale (2003). Her model of wisdom included the following three dimensions:

Reflective: considers various perspectives when examining phenomena, which reduces excessive subjectivity and projection.

Cognitive: an ability to appraise reality and see how reality relates to intrapersonal and interpersonal aspects of life.

Affective: capacity to consider others with sympathy and compassion

Early Scale items

The 3DWS items were reduced from 132 to 39 items in research conducted in North and Central Florida. The number of items for the scales are: Reflective 12, Cognitive 14, and Affective 13.

Take the Wisdom Test Online:  Link to the 39-item scale online.


3DWS12: A Short Version

Monica Ardelt and her colleagues (Thomas, Bangen, Ardelt, & Jeste, 2017) created a short version with 12 items. The larger sample has 1,546 adults in the age range of 21 to 100 (M = 66). The authors report adequate consistency values (Coefficient Alpha).

Full Scale = .86 and subscales .69

Short 12-item version = .73 and subscales .63

Item sample for Short Scale (all rated as 1 (strongly agree) to 5 (strongly disagree).

Cognitive
A problem has little attraction for me if I don’t think it has a solution.

Reflective
When I look back on what has happened to me, I can’t help feeling resentful.

Affective 
I’m easily irritated by people who argue with me.

See the Thomas et al., 2017 article for details.

There are other measures of wisdom, which you can find at evidence-based wisdom.

Resource Link:  A – Z Test Index


References

Ardelt, M. (2003). Empirical assessment of a three-dimensional wisdom scale. Research on Aging, 25(3), 275-324.

Thomas, M. L., Bangen, K. J., Ardelt, M., & Jeste, D. V. (2017). Development of a 12-item abbreviated Three-Dimensional Wisdom Scale (3D-WS-12): Item selection and psychometric properties. Assessment, 24, 71-82.


Research Link evidence-based wisdom



Learn more assessment and statistical concepts in

Applied Statistics: Concepts for Counselors


AMAZON BOOKS


Learn how to add wisdom or other items to surveys


AMAZON Kindle and Paperback


Connections and Links to Resources

My Page    www.suttong.com
My Books   AMAZON
FACEBOOK   Geoff W. Sutton
TWITTER  @Geoff.W.Sutton
LinkedIN Geoffrey Sutton  PhD
Publications (many free downloads)
     Academia   Geoff W Sutton   (PhD)
     ResearchGate   Geoffrey W Sutton   (PhD)









Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Academic Self-Efficacy Scale ASE

  Overview The  Academic Self-Efficacy Scale is an application of Self-Efficacy Theory   to examine the relationship between self-efficacy and academic performance using 8-items rated on a 7-point scale. The work of Chemers et al. (2001) has been widely cited. Format The 8-items are rated on a 7-point Likert-type scale ranging from 1 = Very Untrue to 7 = Very True. Sample Items 2. I know how to take notes. 6. I usually do very well in school and at academic tasks.   Reliability, Validity, and Other Research notes In the article describing the development and use of the ASE, the authors observed: “As predicted, academic self-efficacy was significantly and directly related to academic expectations and academic performance.” (Chemers et al., 2001, p. 61)   Sutton et al. (2011) reported Cronbach's alpha of .83 in their study of academic self-esteem and personal strengths. ASE was highly positively correlated with ACT scores (.24) and GPA (.39)....
Post a Comment
Read more

Rotterdam Emotional Intelligence Scale (REIS)

  Scale name: Rotterdam Emotional Intelligence Scale (REIS) Scales overview : The Rotterdam Emotional Intelligence Scale (REIS) is a 28-item measure of emotional intelligence having four subscales. Authors: Pekaar, Keri A., Bakker, Arnold B., van der Linden, Dimitri, & Born, Marise Ph. Response Type: All items are rated on a 5-point Likert type scale ranging from 1 (totally disagree to 5 (totally agree). Subscales = 4   Following are the four subscales with a sample item. Self-focused emotion appraisal( 1. I always know how I feel.) Other-focused emotion appraisal ( 8. I am aware of the emotions of the people around me.) Self-focused emotion regulation ( 15. I am in control of my own emotions.) Other-focused emotion regulation ( 22. I can make someone else feel differently.)   Reliability and Validity “The results indicate that the REIS follows a four-factorial structure and can be reliably measured with 28 items. The REIS was strongly correl...
Post a Comment
Read more

Spiritual Bypass Scale (SBS-13)

  Assessment name:   Spiritual Bypass Scale-13 (SBS-13) Scale overview: To assess the observed spiritual bypassing phenomenon, Fox et al. (2017) developed the 13 item Spiritual Bypass Scale . Authors: Fox, Cashwell, and Picciotto    [ Read more about Spiritual Bypassing in Psychotherapy] Response Type: The 13 items are rated on a four-point scale of agreement. Scale items Data analyses from two ethnically diverse US adult samples supported two factors (Psychological Avoidance, PA; Spiritualizing, SP). PA example: When I am in pain, I believe God will deliver me from it SP example: When someone I know is in trouble, I believe it is because they have done something wrong spiritually.   Psychometric properties Cronbach’salphas: Total scale = .85, PA = .82; Sp = .75. The total SBS score was associated with the ASPIRES subscales except for connectedness. PA was associated with depression and SP with stress and anxiety (DASS-21). The over...
Post a Comment
Read more