An evaluation of the factor structure of the Self-Assessed Wisdom Scale (SAWS) and the creation of the SAWS-15 as a short measure for personal wisdom

Abstract

Objectives: Although wisdom is a desirable life span developmental goal, researchers have often lacked brief and reliable construct measures. We examined whether an abbreviated set of items could be empirically derived from the popular 40-item five-factor Self-Assessed Wisdom Scale (SAWS).

Design: Survey data from 709 respondents were randomly split into two and analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA).

Setting: The survey was conducted online in Australia.

Participants: The total sample consisted of 709 participants (Mage = 35.67 years; age range = 15-92 years) of whom 22% were male, and 78% female.

Measurement: The study analyzed the 40-item SAWS.

Results: Sample 1 showed the traditional five-factor structure for the 40-item SAWS did not fit the data. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) on Sample 2 offered an alternative model based on a 15-item, five-factor solution with the latent variables Reminiscence/Reflection, Humor, Emotional Regulation, Experience, and Openness. This model, which replicates the factor structure of the original 40-item SAWS with a short form of 15 items, was then confirmed on Sample 1 using a CFA that produced acceptable fit and measurement invariance across age groups.

Conclusions: We suggest the abbreviated SAWS-15 can be useful as a measure of individual differences in wisdom, and we highlight areas for future research.

Keywords: SAWS; SAWS-15; age group; invariance; measurement; reliability; wisdom.