Comparison of Information Scales and Like‐indifferent‐dislike Scales as Measures of Interest

Abstract

The potential of information tests for the non-fakable measurement of interests was tested by observing the overlap of interest scales with information scales after partialling out verbal and numerical. abilit~T.Significant partial correlations between scales of the two tyPes of measures for secondary school~s led to a comparison of the respective capacities of the two instruments in predicting academic performance and self-initiated, extracurricular accompl.ishments in the arts and sciences.fuile interest scales predicted academic performance independently of measured aptitude for males, the information scales were not related to grades for either sex after partialling out verbal and numerical abilities. In correlations with self-initiated, extracurricular Science, Estheti c and Literary activities, inteir'est s cales did sho... , larger and more consistent relationships than information scales, but the presence of interest components in information scaies seems to have been established. COMPARISON OF IrWOID'~TION SCALES AND LIKE-INDIFFERENT-DISLIKE SCALES AS HEASURES OF IN1'EF'.ESTThe susceptibility of interest tests using some variant of the "LikeIndifferent-Dislike" (I1L_I_D") response format to response tendencies such as faking has placed serious limitations on the use of such inventories in selection and guidance. While the forced-choice item is used in the hope of eliminating variance due to different response tendencies, it too can be faked. In addition, the resulting "ipsative" scale does not allow subjects to be compared with one another with respect to the relative magnitude of their scores on a given interest (Cattell, 1944). The empirically derived item scale, which may include "non-transparent" items, is often dependent upon particular characteristics of the sample on which it was derived.Another approach to the measurement of interests is based upon the hypothesis that people accumulate more information about activities in ",hich they are interested. Cattell (1935) argued for such an "informational" approach to the measurement of interests and reported some promise for the use of information-interest tests. Super and Roper (1941) used a method similar to Cattell's and also reported positive results.Meenes (1935) obtained reports of interest in each of 25 activities and later administered four-item information tests about each activity.Although in 24 of the 25 areas~s who checked an area as interesting also received the higher mean information scores in that area, Meenes was not impressed by the magnitude of the differences and concluded that subjective measures of interest and information tests measured different qualities. French (1958) reported that a battery of information -2-tests designed to predi.ct college perfol~ance were excellent general predictors, but did not offer much potential for differential prediction because of their tendency to relate to all fields of academic performance.More recently Peel (1959) has reported extensive work on the measurement of interests via info...