Studies on death-attitude scales.

Abstract

The present paper reports the results from four analyses of data from a study of 199 female Ss enrolled in introductory psychology. Each S completed a sibling-position questionnaire and the death-scales of Lester (2 ) and Boyar ( 1 ) , not anonymously. (a) Half of the Ss completed the death scales in the order AB and half in the order BA. No significant differences were found in scores on either death scale as a function of order on a median test (x' = 0.42, df = 1 for the effect of the Boyar scale on the Lester scale and x2 = 0.99 for the effect of the Lester scale on the Boyar scale). Thus, completing death questions appears to have no effect on subsequent responses to death questions. (b) Ss who failed to complete one of the death scales were compared with Ss who did complete the scale on their responses to the second scale. No significant differences were found (for Ss taking the Lester scale xk 0.003, df = 1; for the Boyar scale Fisher exact 9 = 0.12). Thus, there is no evidence of subject bias from incompleced questionnaires (5). (c) The scores on both scales were correlated with the sibling position of Ss, the number of siblings in the family, and the sex of the siblings. No significant associations were found. (d) Lester (3) reported that Ss with more inconsistent attitudes toward death on his death scale had a higher fear of death than Ss who were less inconsistent. Lester (4) did not find this effect to be significant, although the association was in the same direction as reported earlier (3). In the present study the association was again not significant but it was in the same direction as before (on a median test x2 = 1.11, df = 1). Thus, the association between inconsistency in death attitudes and the fear of death may exist but, if it does, it is a weak one.