The psychometric properties of Davis’ (1980) Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) in Chile were assessed. The IRI was applied to a sample of 435 college students. Appropriate internal consistencies and test-retest stability resulted. The instrument’s validity was evidenced by the interrelations among the scales, in addition to its correlations in the predicted direction to other related psychological constructs, and sex differences emerged in three of its dimensions. A confirmatory factor analysis corroborated the theoretical structure of the IRI in Chile, and the suitability of both the four-factor model and a second order factor that integrates three of the dimensions . The implications and comparison of the results with other adaptations of the IRI are discussed.

The present study is the first to investigate the relationship between vagal tone level and event-related potentials (ERPs) in adults. Numerous studies have shown a relationship between vagal tone and the individual differences between a variety of psychophysiological, affective, and social outcomes. This suggests that vagal tone can be related to how people process relevant affective social information at the brain level. This study aimed to assess whether the ERP response varies between high and low vagal tone groups, in the face of salient affective information. In the experimental cohort, two groups were separated according to their vagal tone level. ERPs were recorded while individuals performed an affective picture task that included positive, neutral, and negative emotional stimuli. Differences between the high and low vagal tone groups were observed at the early posterior negativity for both positive and negative valences, and at the late positive potential for all the categories. It can be concluded that differences between high and low vagal tone levels are related to differences in the ERPs at early, middle, and late latencies. The results are discussed with respect to the effect of differences between the vagal tone conditions on various stages of information-processing.

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Intrasexual competition can be defined as the struggle between members of one sex to increase their access to members of the other sex as sexual partners. In our species, height is a sexually dimorphic trait probably involved in both intrasexual and intersexual selective processes. In the present research, we examined the relationship between height and individual differences in intrasexual competitiveness (i.e., the tendency to view same-sex interactions in general in competitive terms) in two populations of adolescents and adults of both sexes in Chile. According to our first prediction, among both adolescent and adult men, height was negatively associated with intrasexual competitiveness. In contrast, among women, height was not linearly nor quadratically related with intrasexual competitiveness as previously reported. Finally, adolescent men and women showed increased levels of intrasexual competitiveness compared to adult same-sex counterparts. Our results suggest that height is a relevant trait in mating competition among men. The lack of relationship between height and intrasexual competitiveness in women may suggest that the role of height in women mating competition may be more complex and mediated by other variables.

The Adult Attachment Revised Scale is a measure of relationship attachment that contains three dimensions: closeness, dependence and anxiety. In Study 1, the scale was translated and applied to a sample of 420 university students in order to assess reliability. In addition, the scale criterion validity was estimated through measures of self-perception and affectivity. The results of Study 1 supported the internal consistency of two dimensions of attachment, but dependence was lower than expected (α = .62). A confi rmatory factor analysis was conducted and failed to reach a convergent fi t, thus demonstrating that two of the items in dependence were considered problematic. In Study 2, diffi cult items in Study 1 were reworded and the new version of the scale was applied to 81 participants. The results of two subsequent CFAs showed adequate fi t of the scale and increased internal consistency with this new wording (α > .73), which replaced the expression "depend on others" by "getting help from others", which is a better construct representation of the meaning of dependence in the context of attachment closeness. Therefore, not only did we adapt the three dimensions of the attachment scale, but also provided evidence of its validity related to locally adapted instruments. Keywords: Attachment, close relationships, psychometrics. ResumoA Escala Revisada de Apego Adulto é uma medida de apego relacional com três dimensões: proximidade, dependência e ansiedade. No Estudo 1, traduzimos a escala e a aplicamos em uma amostra de 420 universitários, visando avaliar sua confi abilidade. Estimamos ainda o critério de validade da escala mediante comparação com medidas de auto-percepção e afetividade. Os resultados do Estudo 1 apoiam a consistência interna inicial de duas das dimensões do apego, porém a da dependência foi mais baixa do que o esperado (α = 0,62). Realizamos uma análise fatorial confi rmatória que não atingiu um ajuste convergente, indicando dois itens da dimensão de dependência como problemáticos. No Estudo 2, reformulamos os itens problemáticos do Estudo 1, e aplicamos a nova versão da escala em 81 participantes. Os resultados das duas AFC subsequentes mostraram um ajuste adequado da escala e um incremento da consistência interna com a nova redação (α > 0,73), a qual substituiu a expressão "depender dos demais" por "conseguir ajuda dos demais". Dessa forma, conseguimos não só efetuar uma adaptação dos três construtos da escala, como também encontramos evidências da sua validação por meio da comparação com as outras escalas. Palavras-chave: Apego, relacionamentos próximos, psicometria.