ACTIVELY DEALING WITH GOOD FORTUNE? CONFIRMATORY FACTOR ANALYSIS AND GENDER INVARIANCE OF THE PERCEIVED RESPONSES TO CAPITALIZATION ATTEMPTS (PRCA) SCALE

Capitalization is the process through which people share good news with the partner, who in turn responds in an "active" way to maximize the benefits of the event. The study aimed at analyzing the reliability and factorial structure of the Perceived Responses to Capitalization Attempts (PRCA; Gable, Reis, Impett, & Asher, 2004) scale, both through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, its criterion-related validity, measurement invariance across genders, and differences as a function of demographic variables. The instrument is a 12-item scale and assesses the perceptions of the partner's typical responses when a positive event is shared. The sample was composed of 239 couples. Both EFA and CFA supported a four-factor structure according to the theoretical model of the scale. Multigroup CFA showed that the scale structure was gender invariant. The scale also showed good criterion-related validity. Finally, gender and relationship duration had an impact on partners' capitalization responses.