TITLE:
Adaptation of the CAD Scale to Japanese Parents: The Domains for Moral Violations in the CAD Triad Hypothesis
AUTHORS:
Ayako Hada, Yuriko Usui, Yukiko Ohashi, Toshinori Kitamura
KEYWORDS:
CAD Hypothesis, Moral Ethics, Factor Structure, Validity, Parents
JOURNAL NAME:
Psychology,
Vol.15 No.1,
January
24,
2024
ABSTRACT:
Background: The domains for moral emotions are still open to debate. Rozin et al.’s (1999) CAD triad hypothesis assumed selective, corresponding ties between three
moral codes (community [C], autonomy [A], and divinity [D]) and three
other-critical emotions (contempt [C], anger [A], and disgust [D]). Objective: To identify domains for violations of the big three moral codes in the CAD
Scale and to examine the robustness of its 3-factor structure among a Japanese
population. Methods: We used the data for a group of Japanese parents (n
= 260) to whom the CAD Scale was distributed on the web. Each domain for the
CAD hypothesis was analysed separately. Correlations between CAD Scale items
and the total scores of the three domains, and alpha coefficients of the items
belonging to each domain were calculated. Items with the highest correlation
with another domain were deleted. A one-factor exploratory factor analysis
(EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of the items for each domain for
the 1-factor model were performed. Because 1-factor models did not reach
satisfactory levels, we examined parcelled CFAs. Results: All items
showed the highest correlation with the domain assumed by the CAD hypothesis
except for items 8, 10, 15, 22, and 41. In the EFAs, all factor loadings showed
higher than 0.33, and alpha coefficients of the C, A, and D domains were 0.937,
0.881, and 0.949, respectively. The CFAs of the 1-factor model for the C, A,
and D domains did not show an acceptable fit. Parcelled models for each domain
showed a perfect fit to the data in each domain of the CAD scale (χ2 = 0.000, CFI = 1.000, RMSEA = 0.000). Conclusion: These results support
the 3-factor structure of the CAD Scale.