Substantial Internal Consistency Research Articles

Understanding and assessing the motivations of volunteers: a functional approach.

The authors applied functionalist theory to the question of the motivations underlying volunteerism, hypothesized 6 functions potentially served by volunteerism, and designed an instrument to assess these functions (Volunteer Functions Inventory; VFI). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses on diverse samples yielded factor solutions consistent with functionalist theorizing; each VFI motivation, loaded on a single factor, possessed substantial internal consistency and temporal stability and correlated only modestly with other VFI motivations (Studies 1, 2, and 3). Evidence for predictive validity is provided by a laboratory study in which VFI motivations predicted the persuasive appeal of messages better when message and motivation were matched than mismatched (Study 4), and by field studies in which the extent to which volunteers' experiences matched their motivations predicted satisfaction (Study 5) and future intentions (Study 6). Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Understanding and assessing the motivations of volunteers: A functional approach.

The authors applied functionalist theory to the question of the motivations underlying volunteerism, hypothesized 6 functions potentially served by volunteerism, and designed an instrument to assess these functions (Volunteer Functions Inventory; VFI). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses on diverse samples yielded factor solutions consistent with functionalist theorizing; each VFI motivation, loaded on a single factor, possessed substantial internal consistency and temporal stability and correlated only modestly with other VFI motivations (Studies 1, 2, and 3). Evidence for predictive validity is provided by a laboratory study in which VFI motivations predicted the persuasive appeal of messages better when message and motivation were matched than mismatched (Study 4), and by field studies in which the extent to which volunteers' experiences matched their motivations predicted satisfaction (Study 5) and future intentions (Study 6). Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

The Environmental Action Internal Control Index

Abstract The purpose of this research was to develop a reliable and valid instrument that could be used to assess the relationship between locus of control of reinforcement and environmentally responsible behavior in undergraduate students. The criterion variable comprised scores on an inventory of self-reported performance of environmental actions carefully selected from the literature on environmentally responsible behavior and assessed by a panel of judges for their appropriateness to six categories of environmental action taking. Using seven phases of development and employing a variety of statistical techniques, the authors created the Environmental Action Internal Control Index (EAICI) to serve as the predictor variable. Scores on the EAICI and the self-report inventory of environmentally responsible behavior were analyzed by a Pearson product-moment correlation and by discriminant analysis techniques. The goal was to determine what correlation existed between scores on the EAICI and the measure of reported behavior and if the EAICI could accurately predict the extent of environmentally responsible behavior performed by the respondents. The EAICI displayed substantial internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = .92); there was a moderate positive correlation between scores on the EAICI and scores on the self-report inventory of environmentally responsible behavior (r = .33, p < .01); and the EAICI successfully discriminated among individuals according to the extent of their participation in environmentally responsible behaviors in 82% of the cases (n = 850). The results suggest that the EAICI can accurately predict environmentally responsible behavior.

The Preoccupation with Alcohol Scale: development and validation.

The purpose of the present study was to develop a psychometrically sound measure of preoccupation with alcohol in a group of young, heavy drinking men and to examine some correlates of this drinking style. A brief Preoccupation with Alcohol Scale (PAS) was derived that exhibited substantial internal consistency. Data from a sample of the 67 males indicated that higher PAS scores were significantly related to alcohol consumption and frequency of intoxication within many different contextual circumstances. The PAS was also related to alcohol problems after controlling for average daily alcohol consumption and frequency of intoxication, suggesting that scores on the PAS are related to, but not redundant with, level of alcohol consumption. Results from a cross-validation sample provided additional support for these findings. The authors suggest that a preoccupation with alcohol may be a cognitive-behavioral risk factor for the development of severe alcohol problems and alcoholism.

Standardization of a scale for the study of children's learning styles: Structure, stability, and criterion validity

Conventional approaches to early assessment and intervention for young school children focus primarily upon notions of general intelligence, academic readiness, personality, and perceptual integrity. However, such concepts are grounded largely in hypothetical constructs that provide little information to those carrying out enrichment and remediation programs. Alternatively, the concept of learning style focuses upon the phenomenology of potentially changeable or teachable behaviors manifested in common learning situations. The 16-item Study of Children's Learning Styles rating scale was completed by teachers for 1,513 kindergarten children from diverse community, racial, socioeconomic, and religious backgrounds. Principal components factor analysis with varimax rotation revealed three distinct styles of learning-related behavior; i.e., Avoidant, Inattentive, and Overly Independent. These dimensions were found to retain substantial internal consistency, as well as retest and interobserver reliability. Learning styles were validated against the criteria of teacher-assigned grades and standardized achievement scores gathered one year later, and were compared to a concurrent measure of general intelligence. Each style was related to other behavioral dimensions not devoted exclusively to the learning process.

The Social Reticence Scale: An Objective Instrument to Measure Shyness

The development of a 22-item measure of shyness, the Social Reticence Scale, is described. Shyness is a common but often seriously limiting constellation of feelings and attitudes experienced in social situations. Research on shyness has been hampered by the lack of a valid, reliable and easily administered instrument with which to measure shyness. The Social Reticence Scale was found to have substantial internal consistency and test-retest reliability and several assessments of criterion and construct validity suggested that the scale was a valid measure of shyness. Preliminary evidence regarding discriminant validity is also presented as well as the factor structure of the scale.

Alcohol dependence syndrome: measurement and validation.

The alcohol dependence syndrome proposed by Edwards and Gross in 1976 is a central concept in the World Health Organization classification of alcoholism. The present study focused on the measurement and validation of this syndrome using a sample of 225 individuals with alcohol-related problems. A brief 29-item Alcohol Dependence Scale was derived that exhibited substantial internal consistency reliability (.92). Scale scores conformed quite closely to a normal distribution, which supports a quantitative (existing in degrees) interpretation of the syndrome. Higher levels of alcohol dependence were associated with social consequences from drinking as well as with greater quantities of alcohol consumed. As alcohol dependence increased, clients were less likely to show up for their first treatment appointment. The degree of alcohol dependence was directly related to psychopatholo gy (thinking disorder, hypochondriasis, persecutory ideas, anxiety, depression) and also to physical symptoms of the nervous, cardiovascular, and digestive systems. Given the high correlation between alcohol dependence and adverse consequences from drinking, the Alcohol Dependence Scale provides important information for treatment planning and may be especially relevant when deciding between goals of total abstinence versus controlled drinking.

The desirability of control

The psychological construct of desirability of control was related to several theoretical statements (e.g., Kelley, 1971; White, 1959) and areas of current research (e.g., Glass & Singer, 1972; Deci, 1975) in psychology. A scale designed to measure individual differences in the general level of motivation to control the events in one's life was presented. The Desirability of Control Scale was found to have substantial internal consistency (.80) and test-retest reliability (.75), as well as discriminant validity from measures of locus of control (Rotter, 1966) and social desirability (Crowne & Marlowe, 1960). The results of an “illusion of control” study (cf. Langer, 1975) provided construct validation: only subjects high in the desire for control displayed a belief in personal control over chance outcomes. Construct validation was also provided from studies on learned helplessness and hypnosis. The practical, as well as theoretical, value of the instrument was discussed.

Mental rotations, a group test of three-dimensional spatial visualization.

A new paper-and-pencil test of spatial visualization was constructed from the figures used in the chronometric study of Shepard and Metzler (1971). In large samples, the new test displayed substantial internal consistency (Kuder-Richardson 20 = .88), a test-retest reliability (.83), and consistent sex differences over the entire range of ages investigated. Correlations with other measures indicated strong association with tests of spatial visualization and virtually no association with tests of verbal ability.

An optimum A-B scale of psychotherapist effectiveness.

On the basis of the original Whitehorn-Betz data collected over a 16-year period, it is shown that all previously derived A-B scales of psychotherapist effectiveness using Strong Vocational Interest Blank (SVIB) items are deficient in terms of correlation with the original criterion and, frequently, in terms of reliability as well. The reasons for these deficiencies are discussed, and a new experimental A-B scale is formulated and tested for adequacy. This scale is shown to possess substantial internal consistency reliability and to have a high degree of correlation with the criterion even after the removal of possible contaminating factors such as use ofancillary teatments, differences in patient prognosis, and changing practices and interest over time. It is further shown that none of the A-B scales has any validity with respect to female therapists in the original data pool. Exploration of the factor-analytic structure of this new scale and two other widely used A-B measures in terms of the occupationa scales of the SVIB reveals differential loadings on four dimensions labeled verbal/comceptual vs. manual/practical, scientific vs. sales, social concern, and artistic vs. business-oriented. It is concluded that although male therapists' scores on the best of the A-B scales may , under certain circumstances,be related to short term judged improvement in patients treated, there is little evidence that high scoring therapists are more likey than low scoring ones to have a favorable, long range impact on diagnosed schizophrenics.