High scales on the Strong Vocational Interest Blank and the Kuder Occupational Interest Survey using Holland's occupational codes.

Compared the arrays of high-interest occupations produced by the Strong Vocational Interest Blank, T-399, and the Kuder Occupational Interest Survey (Form DD) when the instruments were administered to the same Ss (60 male college students). Holland-type summary codes were devised from the arrays of occupations and were analyzed by correlated t tests and Pearson r correlations. A frequency percentage count showed 85% of the pairs of summary codes had 2 identical characteristics, and some support was found for J. L. Holland's hexagon. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sex and the single interest inventory: The empirical validation of sex-balanced interest inventory items.

Provides empirical evidence to show that it is possible to construct a valid interest inventory consisting primarily of items that have been pretested for sex balance. Potentially sex-balanced items were developed and pretested with 220 college-bound high school seniors. Items from the pretest that were sex-balanced and that showed "good" item characteristics were included on the sex-balanced Unisex Interest Inventory (Uni-II). Both the Uni-II and the American College Testing Interest Inventory (ACT-IV) were then administered to a national sample of 1,902 students. Comparisons were made between the 2 inventories on item and scale sex balance. The items on the Uni-II were more sex-balanced than those on the ACT-IV. Similarly, the Uni-II exhibited superior scale sex balance. Same-scale item homogeneity, correlational analysis, and spatial configural analysis supported the concurrent and construct validity of the Uni-II. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Item subtlety in personality inventory scales.

The study investigated the relationship between the discriminating power and subtlety of items in inventory scales validated against external criteria. The Hy, Pd, and Sc scales of the MMPI were used. Item discrimination was based on differentiation between a normal group (N = 541) and 3 hospitalized clinical groups (N from 40-100). Item subtlety was in terms of the judgments of 2 samples of 33 and 25 advanced doctoral students in clinical and counseling psychology. A significant relationship was found between subtlety and discrimination for the items of each scale, at the .01 level for the Hy and Pd scales and the .05 level for the Sc scale. Only about 40% of the most subtle Hy and Pd scale items discriminated (the Sc scale contained few extremely subtle items) as contrasted to over 90% of the most obvious items in each of the 3 scales. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Selecting items for interest inventory keys.

Several methods of scoring an interest inventory so as to maximize the separation of workers in an occupation from workers in general were applied to samples of electricians (compared with civilian workers) and aviation machinists' mates (compared with Navy men-in-general.) Criteria of a good key were (a) its ability to separate groups (per cent overlap), and (b) its test-retest reliability. It was found that (1) using unit item weights an optimum number of items can be found for scoring, (2) units weights with an optimum number of items yielded more discriminating keys than Strong scoring weights, (3) selecting items by a method designed to increase item heterogeneity, the validity of the key is increased but test-retest reliability is somewhat decreased. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Integrative interpretation of vocational interest inventory results.

Examined the effectiveness of 3 procedures for interpretation of vocational interest inventory results. After completing the Strong-Campbell Interest Inventory, 83 undergraduates participated in a 1-hr test interpretation and responded to 2 sets of dependent measures—(a) Counselor Evaluation Inventory and the Counselor Rating Form, and (b) the Career Choice Inventory and the Career Decision Scale. Three different approaches to relate test information to clients were represented by the experimental groups: (a) traditional individual interpretation (with test materials), (b) integrative individual interpretation (without test materials), and (c) traditional group interpretation (with test materials). Two control conditions were also employed. The dependent measures assessed clients' self-knowledge of vocational interest patterns, degree of vocational choice certainty, and ratings of counselor performance and of the counseling experience. The data provide limited support for the hypotheses that (a) integrative interpretation would be most effective and (b) significant interactions would exist between counselors and interpretation procedures. Failure to find significant differences between the traditional–individual and traditional–group approaches suggests that the more economical group technique could be used effectively. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A personality inventory employing occupational titles.

The hypothesis that "a useful personality inventory might be constructed from occupational or interest test content" was explored further with the Holland Vocational Preference Inventory. 10 scales survived cluster analysis, using 300 college freshmen, and to these were added masculinity-femininity, status, infrequency, and acquiescence scales. Estimated retest reliability after 4 months had a median of .75. Differentiation was obtained between matched control and psychiatric samples. Profiles of university freshmen on the basis of college choice were also differentiated. 15 references. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparison of Roe's and Holland's occupational classifications: Diverse ways of knowing.

Compares the processes by which A. Roe (1956) and J. L. Holland (1966) developed their structural representations of occupations. Roe, using almost exclusively nonempirical means, formulated an 8-group circumplex, which is virtually identical to Holland's 6-group hexagonal configuration that resulted from empirical research spanning 11 yrs. The similarity in the 2 resultant classifications is taken as evidence that there are valid diverse methods of arriving at a state of knowledge. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Structure of occupational interests in New Zealand and America on Holland's typology.

Compared the correlations of scores on the Campbell-Holland Interest Scale for 150 American men and women, half of whom were psychology undergraduates, and 147 New Zealand psychology undergraduates. The factor structure was shown to be similar in the 2 samples. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

High school tests and measurements as predictors of occupational status.

Tests and measurements collected in 1943 on 97 male high school students were correlated with occupational status in 1953. Included in the measures were high-school grade-point average, Kuhlman-Anderson Intelligence Test, Stanford Achievement Test, Detroit Mechanical Aptitude Test, Minnesota Paper Form Board, and Bell Adjustment Inventory. The best single predictor was high-school grade-point average. The best battery included HSGPA and the Bell Adjustment Inventory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A suggested revision in the classification of nonprofessional occupations in Holland's theory.

Reports that, in a test among 268 males in 4 mining occupations (laboratory, process, extraction, and mining), J. L. Holland's theory of vocational choice was not as predictive as previously demonstrated for professional and technical occupations. Contrary to Holland's theory, the 4 groups which were classified within the realistic type did not exhibit similar personalities. Significant differences were found between the 4 groups on 16 of 38 life history questionnaire items, and only 3 of 8 tested traits supported the classification of all 4 nonprofessional occupational groups into the realistic type. It is suggested that data from members of nonprofessional occupations may be used to test and revise Holland's primary classification of these occupations. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Work satisfaction and scores on a picture interest inventory.

Men in 6 different occupational groups were given the Geist Picture Interest Inventory (GPII) and the Hoppock Job Satisfaction Survey. Correlations were computed between job satisfaction variables and scores on relevant scales of the GPII. Additional data were gathered in regard to satisfaction and dissatisfaction with work. With the exception of the Clerical and Outdoor scales, the scales of the GPII used in this study appear to be valid, using work satisfaction as a criterion of validity. Median correlations of the other groups range from .209 (social workers) to .866 (artists). "Freedom" and "intellectual stimulation" were the 2 most prominent reasons for satisfaction while "lack of appreciation by colleagues and administrators" and "bad physical working conditions" were most prominent for disliking work. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Structural validation of Holland's hexagonal model: Vocational classification through the use of biodata.

Assessed the structural validity of J. L. Holland's (1973) hexagonal model by treating it as a traditional personnel-classification paradigm. Biodata factor scores were used to predict the vocational type (realistic, investigative, artistic, social, enterprising, and conventional) of 379 males and 437 females enrolled in undergraduate classes who were classified on the basis of Vocational Preference Inventory scores. Correlation and multiple discriminant analyses supported the model's hexagonal structure. Correct classification rates of 40.4% for males and 51.8% for females were found, and misclassifications systematically decreased in frequency as the predicted vocational types in the model were removed farther from the actual type. However, differential classification decision accuracy was evidenced across vocational types and sex. Results are discussed in the context of previous research on the structure of Holland's model and the application of personnel classification research methods to vocational typologies. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effectiveness of SVIB academic interest scales in predicting college achievement.

Determined the effectiveness of various SVIB academic interest scales in predicting 1st semester grades for 388 freshman males. Both the R. M. Rust and F. J. Ryan (see 29:4) and the D. P. Campbell and C. B. Johansson (see 41:3) scales contributed to a multiple correlation coefficient consisting of high school rank and Scholastic Aptitude Test scores in predicting academic performance. A single-item, self-evaluation rating scale failed to predict GPA significantly. Although the degree of relationship between the interest scales and grades tended to be somewhat greater for "marginal" students, the r's were not significantly different from those obtained with more able students. The use of modified, "placement" instructions did not greatly affect the mean scores or the magnitude of the correlations. (26 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

High school students' occupational interest as a function of projected sex ratios in male-dominated occupations.

To demonstrate that the sexual composition of a field influences a woman's career interests and preferences, a study was designed to determine the effects of projected shifts in the sexual composition of 2 occupations presently dominated by males. 144 male and female high school students were led to believe that the proportion of women in one of those occupations would be 10% (token), 30% (minority), or 50% (equal) in 15 yrs. Results indicate that, as predicted, projections of more-balanced sex ratios encouraged greater occupational interest among women; however, a totally balanced sex ratio was shown to reduce the degree of occupational interest expressed by men. (6 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Holland's RIASEC model as an integrative framework for individual differences.

Using data from published sources, the authors investigated J. L. Holland's (1959, 1997) theory of interest types as an integrative framework for organizing individual differences variables that are used in counseling psychology. Holland's interest types were used to specify 2- and 3-dimensional interest structures. In Study 1, measures of individual characteristics and, in Study 2, measures of environmental demands were successfully integrated into a 2-dimensional circumplex interest structure using the technique of property vector fitting. In Study 3, cognitive abilities were successfully integrated into a 3-dimensional interest structure. Obtained results illustrate the potential utility of interest-based structures for integrating a wide range of information. This represents a 1st step toward the development of an Atlas of Individual Differences, mapping the interrelations among individual-differences measures to facilitate their integrative use in career counseling and other applied settings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A note on measurement scales and statistical tests.

The author defends the use of parametric tests (Boneau, 1960), and has been challenged on more than one occasion to justify the use of the t test in many typical psychological situations where there are measurement considerations. Intelligence is often given as an instance, the point being that intelligence is actually measured by an ordinal scale, that equal differences between scores represent different magnitudes at different places on the underlying continuum. This is seen as somehow invalidating the use of the t test with such scores. Burke (1953) has presented an argument which should have ended further discussion, but, in view of the present concern, a restatement of the argument and the addition of a few comments would seem indicated. The present concern seems to have been stimulated by the publication by psychologists of two texts in the field of statistics (Senders, 1958; Siegel, 1956) both of which are organized around Stevens' (1951) system of classifying measurement scales. Siegel and Senders belabor the point that parametric statistics, specifically the t and F tests should be avoided when the measurement scales are no stronger than ordinal, a state of affairs purportedly typical in psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparison of the effectiveness of four methods of reporting interest inventory results.

Compared 4 methods of test reporting (counselor, audiovisual, combination, and control) of the Strong-Campbell Interest Inventory to 100 high school students. ANOVA showed all groups receiving test reporting methods were more accurate in recall of test information and had higher student satisfaction than the control group. Results support the use of an audiovisual device as an effective approach for disseminating and reporting test information. (9 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Applying vocational interest models to naturally occurring occupational perceptions.

The authors examined the structure of naturally occurring occupational perceptions. They first assessed the stability of individuals' perceptions of 18 occupational titles, both across time and 2 samples. They then tested whether J. L. Holland's (1992) spatial model, D. J. Prediger's (1982) dimensional model, or I. Gati's (1979) classificatory model could be identified in the data. Findings are discussed in light of previous research and suggest the marked stability of the occupational perceptual structure as well as support for Gati's (1979) classificatory model. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On the consistency of individual classification using short scales.

Short tests containing at most 15 items are used in clinical and health psychology, medicine, and psychiatry for making decisions about patients. Because short tests have large measurement error, the authors ask whether they are reliable enough for classifying patients into a treatment and a nontreatment group. For a given certainty level, proportions of correct classifications were computed for varying test length, cut-scores, item scoring, and choices of item parameters. Short tests were found to classify at most 50% of a group consistently. Results were much better for tests containing 20 or 40 items. Small differences were found between dichotomous and polytomous (5 ordered scores) items. It is recommended that short tests for high-stakes decision making be used in combination with other information so as to increase reliability and classification consistency. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personality and vocational interests: The relation of Holland's six interest dimensions to five robust dimensions of personality.

Relations between interest-based personality dimensions from J. L. Holland's (1985) theory of vocational personalities and 5 robust factors of personality (R. R. McCrae and O. P. John; see record 1993-01496-001) were examined. Results for 479 male and 246 female US Navy trainees imply that the 6 theoretical scales of the Vocational Preference Inventory and 20 scales of the NEO Personality Inventory share 2–4 significant factors. Social and Enterprising vocational preferences were positively correlated with Extraversion; Investigative and Artistic preferences were positively correlated with Openness; and Conventional preferences were correlated with Conscientiousness. Examinations of correlations for instruments with scales that are assumed to represent facets of 5 general personality factors usually supported these interpretations. Despite their regularity, the vocational–personality correlations were too low to suggest that either form of assessment is a dependable substitute for the other. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)