A typological analysis of the relations between measured vocational interests and abilities

Abstract

This investigation focused on an alternative methodology to study the relations between measured vocational interests and abilities. Correlational studies had not found strong relations between the two domains. High point profile analysis was used to study the relations between the six Holland (1966, 1973, 1985) vocational personality types, as measured by the General Occupational Theme (GOT) scale scores of the SVIB-SCII ( Campbell, 1974; Campbell & Hansen, 1981) and the eight ability scale scores of the General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB; U.S. Department of Labor, 1970). The sample was 846 vocational assessment clinic clients who were tested between 1978 and 1985. The interest types that emerged from the analysis had generally higher abilities in areas predicted by Holland's theory of vocational personality types. The results indicate that there are relations between typologies derived from measured vocational interests and abilities. A theoretically coherent typology of individuals who received vocational assessment services has been derived.