A semantic differential (SD) instrument, modified by replacing words or noun phrases with phrases describing a behavior, was administered to male freshmen students. Six items discriminated between two groups, 97 science majors and 161 non-science majors, on three axes, labelled as evaluation, potency, and activity. To test whether the instrument…

Factor analyses of semantic differentials completed by 445 college students produced two factors for self concept and three factors for ideal self concept, with no simple correspondence in scale loadings. These results raised doubts about computing differences between self and ideal self concepts. (Author/DHK)

A stochastic postulate is given for the multiple-item, successive-intervals scaling of populations. The logistic equivalent of this postulate provides an aggregate item response model in which a unidimensional submodel may be nested. Subtractive conjoint measurement of items and generalized least square methods are incorporated. (TJH)

Reports on a cross-cultural investigation of semantic relations, including antonyms, synonyms, and class inclusion, among bilingual adult subjects in the United States, England, Italy, Greece, Yugoslavia, Pakistan, and Hong Kong. Found significant agreement across cultures, especially for antinomy. Results in general support theories of linguistic…

A method of testing semantic differential scales for bipolarity is developed using a new conception of bipolarity that does not require unidimensionality. Assessment of Fielder's Least Preferred Coworker instrument with 63 college student subjects using multidimensional scaling revealed its significant departures from bipolarity. (SLD)

Review of studies using the Aging Semantic Differential to measure attitudes toward the elderly identified problems: familiarity and variety of objects, men-only design, and age of the instrument. Ways to refine it include updating adjectives and their positions, identifying attitudinal objects, and accounting for gender differences. (SK)

Twenty-five HIV-negative late adolescents (13 women and 12 men) who had lost a parent to AIDS generated vignettes in which the characters were deciding whether to use a condom (condom scripts). Two clinically trained judges rated the interpersonal tone of the condom scripts on 17 semantic differential scales. Three other clinically trained raters…

The development of a 20-item semantic differential assessment instrument for measuring student attitudes toward the subject of chemistry is described (Attitude toward the Subject of Chemistry Inventory-ASCI). Instrument subscales and survey items pertain to interest and utility, anxiety, intellectual accessibility, emotional satisfaction, and…

A study investigated the reciprocal relationship between colors and semantic terms--just as certain semantic terms elicit thoughts of particular colors, so those colors may also elicit their reciprocal semantic terms. Twenty-six students were each shown 18 words: 3 each of bipolar pairs that expressed evaluation, activity, or potency. The students…

A semantic differential containing two concepts and seven bipolar adjective scales consisting entirely of evaluative adjectives was used to obtain evaluative feedback on instructional materials from 193 deaf, first year college students. A factor analysis of the responses yielded a single factor labeled Evaluation when each adjective scale was…