G. Robert Ward

Relationships between Holland's VPI and Cattell's 16PF.

Abstract The Vocational Preference Inventory (VPI) and the Sixteen Personality Factors Questionnaire (16PF) were administered to 425 undergraduate students. The two instruments were compared using canonical analysis. The results indicated that the two instruments contained three pairs of related components. The contributions of the scales of the VPI and the 16PF to the three relationships supported Hollands theory of vocational choice. The results also supported the use of the VPI for personality assessment and the 16PF for vocational assessment.

Personality Measures as Predictors of Success in a Counselor Education Master's Degree Program

This study examined the predictive validity of the 18 scales of the California Psychological Inventory (CPI) and of two scales of the Opinion Scale relative to success criteria in graduate school as measured by grades in individual courses, performance on the Masters Comprehensive Examinations (MCE), and graduate grade-point average (GGPA). Subjects were 107 graduate students in a masters degree program in Counselor Education. Scores on CPI scales of Self-acceptance, Responsibility, Tolerance, Achievement via Independence, and Intellectual Efficiency were correlated .18, .19, .20, .21, and .19 (all p < .05), respectively, with MCE performance. Scores on the CPI scales of Psychological-Mindedness and Flexibility were correlated .24 (p < .01) and .27 (p < .01), respectively, with MCE performance. Significant correlations of .22, .17, and .19, respectively, were also found between scores on each of the factors of Tolerance, Achievement via Independence, and Psychological-Mindedness and grades in Educational Foundations (FED) courses—all significant at the .05 level. Standing on Dogmatism was correlated inversely (-.33) with FED course grades and -.39 with MCE performance—both coefficients being significant at the .001 level. Finally, Externality scores were inversely correlated with MCE performance and GGPA with both coefficients being -.22 (p < .05). It was concluded that psychological measures representing personality characteristics afford only limited promise as predictors of success in graduate programs. It was recommended that further research be conducted concerning use of other personality instruments and college populations.

Personality profiles and dogmatism in undergraduate teacher education students

A sample of 435 junior education majors in a large Southwestern university were given the 16 Personality Factor Questionnaire and the Opinion Scale. Correlations were computed between these two scales, and a profile of personality factors was developed which defined the nature of authoritarianism or dogmatism. A step-wise multiple regression analysis revealed that an accurate prediction formula for dogmatism could not be developed from the personality factor scores. Implications for teacher education programs include research to determine if treatment programs can be developed to change a students degree of dogmatism, and the importance of screening procedures which include an assessment of open-mindedness.

The Prediction of Performance of Olympic Athletes in Discus, Hammer, Javelin, and Shotput From Measures of Personality Characteristics

For each of four subsamples of Olympic-quality athletes—14 Discus, 8 Hammer, 11 Javelin, and 12 Shotput specialists—measures of 19 personality constructs yielded only two statistically significant validity coefficients (out of 76 possible significant indices) in the prediction of average length of throw. The conclusion was reached that the self-report personality measures employed afford little promise as predictors of success in the four Olympic events studied.

The Validity of a Composite of Nineteen Personality Variables in Differentiating Between American World Class Olympic Contenders and Undergraduate Education Majors

The differential validity of 19 personality variables was examined in a comparison of the affective characteristics of a sample of American World Class Olympic contenders (N = 48) with those of a group of undergraduate education majors (N = 63). A two-group discriminant analysis yielded a canonical correlation of .58 (p < .01). Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) provided a multivanate F calculated to be 2.38 (df = 19 and 91) significant at the .01 level. The analysis revealed that the variables predicted group membership with 83.8% and 69.8% accuracy, respectively, for the American World Class Olympic contenders and education undergraduates. The conclusion was that the composite of affective measures exhibited promising validity, although cross-validation studies are very much needed. It was also concluded that American World Class contenders appeared to be reserved, intellectual, critical, aloof, conservative, and traditional as compared to undergraduate education majors who tended to be outgoing, easy going, and liberal. Moreover, the undergraduates appeared to be more humble, mild, tough-minded, adaptable, group dependent, and relaxed, whereas the athletes seemed to be more aggressive, stubborn, tender-minded, self-sufficient, and tense.