| Abstract: | The Strong Vocational Interest Blank (SVIB) is one of the most widely used psychological instruments. The SVIB was developed by comparing the interests of men in specific occupations with a group of Men-in-General: To accomplish this it was, of course, necessary to collect completed SVIBs from men in a variety of occupations. For this purpose, between about 1925 and 1955, E. K. Strong, Jr., collected about 10,000 SVIBs from men scattered over roughly 50 occupations. Strong's materials constitute an immensely valuable treasure of data, useful for scientific purposes. For example, by using some inventories completed many years ago, it has been possible to study the stability of interests within an occupation over 30 years. As Strong was concerned with men who were successful and satisfied in their occupations, he inevitably collected SVIBs from prominent leaders in many fields. As time moves on, the characteristics of these men assume some historical significance. It is perhaps the first time that systematic psychometric data have been available on the outstanding leaders of earlier eras. This article discusses the representation of the psychology profession in the Strong files, and presents a detailed table reflecting the completed SVIB inventories for 50 of the past 70 APA presidents. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
