An examination of the construct validity of the Generalized Pliance Questionnaire

Exploring the relationships between rule-governed behavior and adherence to guidelines aiming to reduce the spread of COVID-19

Research demonstrates that socially mediated consequences impact adherence to health mandates during pandemics. However, no published research has examined whether adherence varies based on the extent to which an individual relies on arbitrary social approval (i.e., displays generalized pliance). The present study explored the relationships between adherence to COVID-19 public health measures, two types of rule-following (pliance and tracking), and perceived peer behavior in a sample of adults (n = 288). Findings revealed that adherence was negatively correlated with generalized pliance and tracking was unrelated to adherence. Pliance did not moderate the relationship between peer adherence and individual adherence. Findings are discussed with reference to the need to develop easily adaptable and context sensitive measures of types of rule-following, in addition to a measure of social tracking.

Psychometric Properties of the Generalized Pliance Questionnaire in Spain

Abstract. Rule-governed behavior is a central concept to explain complex human behavior from a functional-analytic standpoint. Recently, a self-report measure of a functional type of rule-following called generalized pliance has been developed – the Generalized Pliance Questionnaire (GPQ). The GPQ has two versions with 18 and 9 items, respectively. This study aimed to analyze the factor structure and psychometric properties of both GPQ versions in a Spanish online sample ( N = 846). Confirmatory factor analyses showed that the one-factor model obtained an acceptable fit in the GPQ-18, but an inadequate fit in the GPQ-9. The GPQ-18 showed measurement invariance across gender, excellent internal consistency, and convergent construct validity. According to the results, the GPQ-18 showed good psychometric properties in Spanish samples.