# indexConflict2: Conflict measure for grids (Bassler et al., 1992) based on... In markheckmann/OpenRepGrid: Tools to Analyze Repertory Grid Data

## Description

Conflict measure as proposed by Bassler et al. (1992).

## Usage

 1 indexConflict2(x, crit = 0.03) 

## Arguments

 x repgrid object. crit Sensitivity criterion with which triads are marked as unbalanced. A bigger values willl lead to less imbalanced triads. The default is 0.03. The value should be adjusted with regard to the researchers interest.

## Details

The function calculates the conflict measure as devised by Bassler et al. (1992). It is an improved version of the ideas by Slade and Sheehan (1979) that have been implemented in the function indexConflict1. The new approach also takes into account the magnitude of the correlations in a traid to assess whether it is balanced or imbalanced. As a result, small correlations that are psychologically meaningless are considered accordingly. Also, correlations with a small magnitude, i. e. near zero, which may be positive or negative due to chance alone will no longer distort the measure (Bassler et al., 1992).

Description of the balance / imbalance assessment:

1. Order correlations of the triad by absolute magnitude, so that r_max > r_mdn > r_min.

2. Apply Fisher's Z-transformation and devision by 3 to yield values between 1 and -1

3. Check whether the triad is balanced by assessing if the following relation holds:

• If Z_max x Z_mdn > 0, the triad is balanced if Z_{max} Z_{mdn} - Z_{min} <= crit Z_max x Z_mdn - Z_min <= crit .

• If Z_max x Z_mdn < 0, the triad is balanced if Z_{min} - Z_{max} Z_{mdn} <= crit Z_min - Z_max x Z_mdn <= crit .

## Personal remarks (MH)

I am a bit suspicious about step 2 from above. To devide by 3 appears pretty arbitrary. The r for a z-values of 3 is 0.9950548 and not 1. The r for 4 is 0.9993293. Hence, why not a value of 4, 5, or 6? Denoting the value to devide by with a, the relation for the first case translates into a Z_{max} Z_{mdn} <= \frac{crit}{a} + Z_{min} a x Z_max x Z_mdn =< crit/a + Z_min. This shows that a bigger value of a will make it more improbabale that the relation will hold.

Mark Heckmann

## References

Bassler, M., Krauthauser, H., & Hoffmann, S. O. (1992). A new approach to the identification of cognitive conflicts in the repertory grid: An illustrative case study. Journal of Constructivist Psychology, 5(1), 95-111.

Slade, P. D., & Sheehan, M. J. (1979). The measurement of 'conflict' in repertory grids. British Journal of Psychology, 70(4), 519-524.

See indexConflict1 for the older version of this measure; see indexConflict3 for a measure based on distances instead of correlations.
  1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 ## Not run: indexConflict2(bell2010) x <- indexConflict2(bell2010) print(x) # show conflictive triads print(x, output = 2) # accessing the calculations for further use x$total x$imbalanced x$prop.balanced x$prop.imbalanced x\$triads.imbalanced ## End(Not run)