Definición y características de la evaluación

assessed for statistical significance via a correlation matrix. This matrix comprised of four sets of correlations: (1) relationships between the four measures of daydreaming: positive constructive daydreaming, guilt and fear of failure daydreaming, poor attentional control, and quality of daydreaming, (2) relationships among the three measures of life orientation: optimism, pessimism, and quality of life orientation, (3) relationships between measures of daydreaming and life orientation, and (4) relationships between measures of mental health, daydreaming, and life orientation. This correlation matrix comprised two forms of correlation coefficient: Pearson Coefficient and Spearman Rho Coefficient. A Pearson Coefficient is the correlation equivalent of a parametric test. It was calculated where the two measures entered in the correlation each had a normal distribution. A Spearman Coefficient is the non- parametric alternative to Pearson Coefficient. It was calculated where either of the measures entered in the correlation had a significant non-normal distribution. A separate matrix of these correlations was also performed controlling for the effect of age. The correlation matrices were computed separately for males and females. The identification of significant correlations was set at the significance level of .05.

Daydreaming

The significance of relationships between measures of daydreaming is presented in Table 24. This table also presents correlation coefficients reported in the first study. Table 24. Relationships Between Measures of Daydreaming for Males (n = 48)

and Females (n = 102).

Guilt & Fear Poor Attention Quality of Dayd. Positive Constructive

• Male .10 [ .16] -.04 [-.24] .58** [ .77**]

• Female .05 [ .01] .21 [ .16] .51** [ .67**]

Guilt & Fear of Failure

• Male .47** [.45**] -.67** [-.44**]

• Female .52** [.34**] -.69** [-.58**]

Poor Attention.

• Male -.65** [-.70**]

• Female -.58** [-.46**]

[ ] Correlation coefficients from the first study. * p < .05 (2-tailed)

** p < .01 (2-tailed)

Lower attentional control was significantly associated with more guilt and fear of failure daydreaming for males and females (as shown in Table 24). Neither of these two patterns of daydreaming was significantly associated with positive constructive daydreaming. These relationships did not alter after controlling for age. The matrix of correlations between daydream measures controlling for age is available in Appendix D. The significance of relationships recorded by the samples of males and females resemble those recorded by their respective samples from the first study.

Life Orientation

The significance of relationships between the three measures of life orientation is presented in Table 25.

Table 25. Relationships Between Measures of Life Orientation for Males (n = 50) and Females (n = 112).

Pessimism Quality of Life O. Optimism • Male -.36** .74** • Female -.57** .81** Pessimism • Male -.81** • Female -.92** ** p < .01 (2-tailed)

As can be seen in Table 25 lower pessimism was significantly associated with more optimism for males and females. This relationship remained significant when controlling for the effect of age. Quality of life orientation was significantly associated with both optimism and pessimism for males and females. This latter relationship was expected since the measure quality of life orientation was developed using the optimism and pessimism scores of the LOT-R (see page 112 for scoring of quality of life orientation). The matrix of correlations between measures of life orientation controlling for age is available in Appendix D.

Daydreaming and Life Orientation

The significance of relationships between measures of daydreaming and life orientation is presented in Table 26.

Table 26. Relationships Between Daydreaming and Life Orientation for Males (n = 48) and Females (n = 102).

Optimism Pessimism Quality of Life O.

r r r

Positive Constructive

• Male -.01 .04 .17

• Female .03 -.16 .15

Guilt & Fear of Failure

• Male -.08 .16 -.18

• Female -.14 .24* -.21

Poor Attentional Control

• Male -.17 .24 -.36* • Female -.10 .17 -.20 Quality of Daydreaming • Male .12 -.14 .30* • Female .23* -.34** .33** * p < .05 (2-tailed) ** p < .01 (2-tailed)

The correlations in Table 26 show that for females more pessimism was significantly associated with more guilt and fear of failure daydreaming. For males, ‘better’ attentional control was significantly associated with a higher quality of life orientation. For females, a higher quality of daydreaming was significantly associated with more optimism and lower pessimism. No measure of life orientation was significantly associated with positive constructive daydreaming for males or females.

When age was controlled, more male pessimism became significantly associated with lower attentional control, r (42) = .36, p < .05, and more guilt and fear of failure

daydreaming, r (42) = .31, p < .05. These correlations are presented here with caution:

there was a 13 percent reduction in the number of male cases entered when aged was controlled. The matrix of correlations (for males and females) between measures of daydreaming and life orientation controlling for age is available in Appendix D.

Mental Health, Daydreaming, and Life Orientation

The significance of relationships between mental health, daydreaming, and life orientation are presented in Table 27. This table also presents correlation coefficients reported in the first study between measures of mental health and daydreaming.

Table 27. Relationships Between Daydreaming, Life Orientation, and Mental Health for Males and Females.

Mental Health

Males Females

(n) r r (n) r r

SIPI Daydreaming Scales

• Positive-Constructive (47) -.11 [-.08] (94) .04 [-.08]

• Guilt & Fear of Failure (47) -.39** [-.51**] (94) -.12 [-.26**]

• Poor Attention. Control (47) -.38** [-.47**] (94) -.06 [-.23**]

• Quality of Daydreaming (47) .30* [ .32*] (94) .11 [ .17*]

•

LOT-R Life Orientation

• Optimism (49) .19 (103) .23*

• Pessimism (49) -.24 (103) -.31**

• Quality of Life O. (49) .30* (103) .27**

[ ] Correlation coefficients from the first study. * p < .05 (2-tailed)

** p < .01 (2-tailed)

As shown in Table 27, lower mental health of males was significantly associated with both lower attentional control and more guilt and fear of failure daydreaming. The mental health of males was not significantly associated with positive constructive daydreaming or life orientation (optimism or pessimism). The significant relationships between male mental health and daydreaming resemble those found in the first study. For females, lower mental health was significantly associated with more pessimism and lower optimism. The mental health of females was not significantly associated with patterns of daydreaming, which does not resemble that reported in the first study.

When age was controlled, lower mental health of males became significantly associated with more pessimism, r (42) = -.32, p < .05, while lower mental health of

females was no longer significantly associated with lower optimism, r (87) = .18, p >

.05. These correlations are again presented here with caution: there was a 14 percent reduction in the number of cases entered for males and 16 percent for females when aged was controlled. The matrix of correlations between measures of mental health, daydreaming, and life orientation controlling for age is available in Appendix D.

Summary of Relationships

The mental health of males was associated with patterns of daydreaming, but not life orientation (optimism or pessimism). Specifically, lower male mental health was associated with two interrelated patterns of daydreaming: lower attentional control and more guilt and fear of failure daydreaming. The mental health of males was not associated with positive constructive daydreaming. In addition, lower attentional control was not associated with less (or more) positive constructive daydreaming.

The mental health of females was associated with optimism and pessimism, but not patterns of daydreaming. Lower female mental health was associated with more pessimism and less optimism. These two dimensions of life orientation were interrelated: lower pessimism was associated with more optimism. More pessimism among females was also associated with more guilt and fear of failure daydreaming. However, more optimism was not associated with more positive constructive daydreaming.

Implications of Preliminary Analyses

There were no sex differences in mean scores on the measures of mental health, daydreaming, and life orientation. There were, however, important sex differences in relationships between measures. These differences suggest that separate multivariate models might apply to males and females in the prediction of mental health. There was also evidence to suggest that age might be important to the mental life of females: older age was associated with ‘better’ attentional control and less positive constructive daydreaming. The findings of preliminary analyses suggest that patterns of daydreaming might be important to male mental health whereas life orientation might be important to female mental health. Specifically, lower mental health of males might be predicted by lower attentional control and more guilt and fear of failure daydreaming. Lower mental health of females might be predicted by more pessimism and lower optimism.

MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS OF RELATIONSHIPS: