A basic structure approach is proposed for obtaining multidimensional scale values for attitude, achievement, or personality items from response data. The technique permits the unconfounding of scale values due to response bias and content and partitions item indices of popularity or difficulty among a number of relevant dimensions. (Author/BH)

A self-assessment scale was administered to adults in a high school equivalency program. After ten weeks, the scores of those who persisted were compared to those of dropouts. The self-concept of dropouts was found to be significantly different from that of persisters, providing a personality portrait useful in the identification of potential…

A stratified random sample of male and female faculty members from two universities was surveyed regarding traits of the ideal colleague. The results were analyzed according to the respondent's sex, tenure status, private or state university position, and academic discipline. Also diagnosed was the masculine or feminine value of each trait. (JMD)

The underlying structure of the Depression scale of the revised Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-2) was studied using dichotomous Rasch model and factor analysis with the normative sample of 2,600 subjects. Results reveal two distinct subscales (mental depression and physical depression) in place of a homogenous set of items. (SLD)

This study surveyed a sample of nationally certified executive search recruiters (N=114), with the use of the NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI). Chi-square test analyses revealed that this sample differed significantly from adult norms on four of the five NEO-FFI scales: Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness, and Conscientiousness. Implications of…

Reviews the literature on children who are overly successful, perfectionistic, and hard-driving (Type A) so as to provide an assessment of Type A behavior in elementary school children. Provides a trait checklist for assessment purposes and discusses ways counselors can address the emotional needs of these children. (Appendix lists parallels…

This study examined whether item overlap, or measurement confounding, accounts for the correlation between temperament and behavior problem symptoms in children. Experts rated items on Children's Behavior Questionnaire and Preschool Behavior Questionnaire for their fit to both constructs, and then these items were factor analyzed with longitudinal…

Eysenck's model of personality maintains that personality differences can be expressed in terms of neuroticism, extraversion, and psychoticism. A sample of 298 female undergraduates in Israel demonstrated that a more positive attitude towards computers was associated with higher scores on psychoticism (impersonality) and lower scores on…

Professors--obsessed with being perfect, eager to criticize, disillusioned after years of sacrifice in graduate school--may be making themselves emotionally ill. Something in the academic environment contributes to the personality profile that David F. Machell has developed. (MLW)

Examines second-order factors that emerge from the results of the High School Personality Questionnaire (HSPQ) when given to Zimbabwean male students. Determines that the nonemergence of the personality factor of independence lends support to the notion that this factor is lacking among adolescents, while providing evidence of cross-cultural…

Mothers provided personality assessments of 350 ethnically diverse 12- and 13-year-old boys using the California Child Q-set procedure to allow the development of scales to measure 5 personality dimensions: extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness to experience. The resulting nomological network related these…

Ten Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) fake-bad scales/indexes are reviewed with respect to their potential usefulness in evaluation of feigning mental illness, and a meta analysis of the MMPI is performed. One scale and two indexes were superior when effect sizes were calculated. (SLD)

A device for organizing practitioners' observations, the Maternal Characteristics Scale is used here to identify traits that distinguish samples of Caucasian neglectful mothers from those who are not neglectful. This replication of the scale supported earlier findings that relatedness, impulse control, confidence, and verbal accessibility were…

A confirmatory factor analysis of 61 published data sets from multitrait-multimethod studies provides estimates of the trait, method, and error variances of measures used in the social and behavioral sciences. Traits accounted for less than 50 percent of the variance among construct measures overall. Implications for testing are discussed. (SLD)

Discusses the construct of career maturity, and reviews research that identifies factors associated with it. Describes six measurement instruments and reviews their uses and psychometric properties. Summarizes information about these measures in two tables. Discusses issues associated with the assessment of career maturity. (Author/EMK)