Developing and Validating English Measures of Effort-based and Valence-based Belief in a Just World

Recently, researchers have proposed that the Belief in a Just World comprises two dimensions: Effort-based Belief in a Just World (EBJW), focusing on the relationship between effort and reward, and Valence-based Belief in a Just World (VBJW), centering on the association of good and bad behavior with consequences. This research aimed to develop and validate standardized measures of EBJW and VBJW in English. Following item generation and selection, an initial list was administered to a US sample (n = 311). Subsequently, a refined list was administered to a second US sample (n = 276). The final measures demonstrated excellent reliabilities and strong convergent, discriminant, and incremental validity. For instance, egocentric selfishness was negatively related to VBJW but not to EBJW, and VBJW explained variance in egocentric selfishness beyond what was accounted for by General Belief in a Just World. This underscores the potential of these concepts and measurements to elucidate mechanisms underlying various justice-related phenomena.