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)     

Description and validation of a procedure for the interpretation of an interest inventory score profile.

The rationale underlying a formal procedure to interpret interest inventory score profiles is discussed, and the procedure is described. I validated the proposed procedure by comparing its interpretation of the interests of 100 high school seniors and 50 young adults with the interpretations of 5 career counselors. The average agreement between the interpretation of the formal procedure and that of the counselors (about 90%) was almost as high as the agreement among the career counselors themselves (about 91%). The implications of this result are discussed. (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)     

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)     

A vocational interest scale for biologists.

A Biologist scale for the SVIB (Form M) was developed following procedures outlined by E. K. Strong, Jr. 4 groups were employed: (a) criterion (N = 251) systematically selected from Volume 2 of American Men of Science, (b) cross-validation (N = 89) selected at an American Institute of Biological Science convention, (c) 2 concurrent validation groups (Ns = 121, 306) selected from the Pennsylvania State University student body. Results indicated that the scale differentiated the interests of: (a) the biologists from Strong's men-in-general group (P1), (b) the biologists from the interests measured by 36 other SVIB scales, (c) the concurrent validation groups in the expected direction. Reliabilities of .88 (criterion) and .87 (cross-validation) were obtained. It was concluded that the scale has sufficient validity and reliability to be a useful counseling device. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ordinal position research related to vocational interest.

Reviews studies on the relationship of birth order to vocational interests in an attempt to support the hypotheses that firstborns are more directing, controlling, and organizing than laterborns, and that laterborns are more sociable, empathic, and sympathetic than firstborns. The research was inconsistent, contradictory, and speculative. Recommendations for further studies are presented, including (a) investigation of birth-order personality differences within rather than between vocations; (b) additional study of the influence of sibling associations on the development of interests and personality and the effect of personality on occupational preferences; (c) research using Adlerian concepts; and (d) continued emphasis on methodological and theoretical considerations. (50 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Factors associated with vocational interest profile stability.

Which of 12 types of information available about a college freshman are useful in predicting Strong Vocational Interest Blank profile permanence? The author's stability measure was significantly related with "number of P patterns and Depth index," but no high prediction of interest stability was found. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Validity studies of the Strong vocational interest inventories.

The concurrent validity of the Strong-Campbell Interest Inventory (SCII) and the predictive validity of the SVIB were studied in an 18-yr follow-up of a university counseling center group of male college graduates. Results were compared with a previous 12-yr follow-up of the same Ss using C. McArthur's method (1954). The SCII had concurrent validity greater than the SVIB (T399) even after correction was made for a higher percentage of high standard scores on occupational scales. Predictive validity for 18 yrs was not quite as good as for 12 yrs. Although group data were similar for the predictive validity studies, classifications of individuals between studies varied substantially. A 6-yr predictive validity study for the SVIB (T399) had validity comparable to predictive studies using an earlier edition of the SVIB. Job satisfaction and satisfaction with type of work were statistically different, but resulted in no practical difference when used as a correlate with standard occupational scale score. (21 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)     

Forced-choice vs. L-I-D response items in vocational interest measurement.

A forced choice form of an interest inventory was compared with an L-I-D form using the same items, for groups of Navy yeomen (clerical workers) and college students. Unit-weight and multiple weight keys were developed for each inventory to differentiate yeomen from students. The forced-choice keys were superior to the L-I-D keys in separating groups in seven of ten comparisons. The average superiority of forced-choice keys was a 5.9% decrease in overlapping. There was little difference in validity shrinkage for the two kinds of items. (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)     

An 11-year follow-up of measured interest and vocational choice.

408 university graduates were followed up 11 yrs after they had taken the SVIB, the American College Testing Programs Examination, and the Opinion, Attitude, and Interest Survey as freshmen. Expressed choice predicted future occupation more accurately than measured interest, and the accuracy of both was greatest when they were congruent. Congruence of either measured interest or expressed choice with future occupation was unrelated to occupational satisfaction. The predictive accuracy of the single highest occupational scale on the SVIB was greater than that obtained from a grouping of SVIB scales. The SVIB was as efficient a predictor for a group of undecided freshmen as it was for a group of decided students. The method used to predict future occupation from the SVIB profiles of freshmen yielded lower "hit rates" than the retrospective method used in most validity studies. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The predictive validity of measured interest for Navy vocational training.

An experimental interest test, yielding scores on 5 homogeneous scales, was administered to a sample of recruits on their 3rd day in the Navy. Recruits were assigned to Naval school training, on the basis of expressed interest and aptitude test scores, by classification personnel who did not have access to interest test scores. Follow-up results are reported for 19,147 recruits assigned to 51 schools, each of which had a related scale on the interest test. For students in each of the 51 schools, the mean score on the related interest scale was significantly higher than the corresponding mean score for the general recruit population. For 41 schools, the related interest scales had statistically significant predictive validity against a school grade criterion. Related interest scales contributed significantly to operational aptitude tests in predicting school success. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Universality of vocational interest structure among racial and ethnic minorities.

Some multicultural theory holds that it is quite possible for subgroups within the United States to have such divergent thought patterns from the White majority that mainstream psychological inventories are inappropriate measures. Differences in the circular structure of J. L. Holland's (1959, 1997) Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional vocational interests were investigated across racial and ethnic groups (African Americans, Mexican Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and Caucasians; N?=?49,450), separated by sex. Three-way individual-differences scaling revealed that the 10 groups' responses reflected a markedly similar underlying structure, consistent with conventional interpretations of vocational interest patterns. The common structure of vocational interests is theoretically related to R. R. McCrae and P. T. Costa's (1997) claim of personality structure as a universal. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Validities of three vocational interest keys for U. S. Navy yeomen.

"Scores of a group of 135 Navy yeomen on the Office Worker key of the Strong Vocational Interest Blank and on the Yeoman and Shipping-Stock Clerk keys of the Minnesota Vocational Interest Inventory were analyzed to determine the validities of these keys for yeomen." Both the Yeoman and Shipping Clerk keys appeared to have high validity, as determined by mean differences and percent of overlapping of scores of the present yeoman group with scores of criterion and reference groups for each key. The Office Worker key of the Strong VIB did not seem to be as satisfactory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cluster analyses of interest inventory scales as tests of Holland's occupational classification.

Compared J. L. Holland's occupational categories with groups of occupations that resulted from the application of L. L. McQuitty and J. A. Clark's iterative intercolumnar correlational analysis to the scales of the Strong Vocational Interest Blank, the Minnesota Vocational Interest Inventory, and the Kuder Occupational Interest Survey for men and women. Results indicate that clusters of occupations exist that are internally consistent, and these usually agreed with the groups of occupations in Holland's classification. The hierarchical structure of the clusters followed the hexagonal ordering of Holland's occupational categories suggested in other studies. In addition, the usefulness of all 3 letters in Holland's occupational classification was supported. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ten-year follow-up of vocational interest scores of 1950 medical college seniors.

Using the Strong Vocational lnterest Blank (SVIB) and the Medical Specialists Preference Blank, interest scales for surgeon, internists, pathologists, and psychiatrists were administered to 783 seniors in 15 medical schools in 1950. 87% of this group returned questionnaires regarding then professional activities in 1960. 75% of the group were in specialized practice compared to less than 25% of all physicians in 1950. The specialist interest scales did not predict the specialty entered. A scale based on all the specialists did differentiate specialists from general practitioners. The SVIB Physician Scale did not differentiate among specialties or type of practice. Younger physicians appear to resemble psychiatrists in their interests. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personality traits and persistence of interest in teaching as a vocational choice.

MMPI scores were compared for "persistent" and "nonpersistent" male and female college students. "Persistent" meant completion of a program of teacher preparation and acceptance of a teaching position after graduation; "nonpersistent" meant making application for admission to a teacher preparation program but not enrolling in the program. Significant differences between persistent and nonpersistent females in mean scores were found on five of nine MMPI scales, but only one significant difference was found for the male groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Locus of control, consistency of vocational interest patterns, and academic achievement.

Administered the SVIB, the W. James I-E Scale, and the American College Testing Program Examination (ACT) to 356 male university freshmen. Ss were classified as internals or externals on locus of control and as consistents or inconsistents on vocational patterns based on J. Holland's classification schema for scales on the SVIB. ACT scores were used to control for ability. Internals had a significantly higher GPA than externals; consistents had a higher GPA than inconsistents, but no significant interaction effects between vocational interest patterns and locus of control were found. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)