Ratings of interpersonal conduct in small groups by aggregated peers and self: replicated factor analyses.

Abstract

After participating in 32 small, interpersonal learning groups, 258 young adult, U.S. students twice rated each same-group member's conduct on brief, bipolar measures of self-acceptance and acceptance of others. These ratings had medium effect-size shifts toward the expressive, shows feelings, dominant, active, and warm anchors of the bipolar subscales. Separate principal components analyses of how the men and women were rated at each time by both aggregated others and self revealed very similar factorial structures, despite the shifts, the gender and status (leader vs. member) effects, the largely positive intermeasure correlations, and the intervening discussions of the first sets of ratings. Wholly composed of subscales addressing self-acceptance, Factor 1 was best marked by active vs. passive, and the Accepts Others vs. Rejects Others subscale best marked Factor 2. These measures appear to have a robust internal structure and to represent the 2 salient dimensions of interpersonal behavior.