Joseph M. Madden

Relationships Among Fear of Success, Fear of Failure, and Androgyny.

Fear of success, fear of failure, and sex role orientation were examined in engineering undergraduates using the Fear of Success Scale (FOSS; Zuckerman & Allison, 1976), the Debilitating Anxiety Scale (DAS; Alpert & Haber, 1960), and the Bem Sex-Role Inventory (BSRI; Bem, 1974), respectively. The correlation (r = .45) between fear of success and fear of failure supported the finding of Griffore (1977). BSRI subscale scores rather than BSRI sex role category scores increased the predictability of FOSS and DAS. Fear of success was found to be a sex-role-related construct whereas fear of failure was found to be a gender-related construct.

An indirect method of attitude measurement

In three experiments, attitudes were measured using a direct method and then measured using an indirect method of profile rating. In two of the experiments, interaction effects were detected, indicating that the hypothesized bias is not present as a main effect but is a function of contextual factors. In a third experiment, main effects not disclosed by a direct method were observed.The profile rating method appears useful for the detection of bias not revealed by direct methods and for specification of some of the complex conditions under which bias will occur.

An application of the policy-capturing method to the analysis of value systems

Measurement of value systems has been largely limited to the method of rank ordering. Some weaknesses of this method are suggested and a more powerful approach, policy capturing, is used to analyze value judgments. Subjects in four religious categories (including no religion) were found to possess value systems to the same average degree, with ranges from low to high. There was a high degree of similarity of value system structure revealed by the policy capturing method. At the same time, there were differences in value systems that also were depicted.

A note on policy capturing as a method for studying social desirability

Policy capturing was used to identify and quantify subjects’ use not only of relevant factors but of socially desirable factors as well. The technique revealed how a subject weighted a socially undesirable factor in a manner which he/she was either not willing or not able to convey in a more direct ranking procedure. Not only did policy capturing allow us to identify reliance on such a factor in terms of a significant beta weight, it also gave us an estimate of its relative contribution to the individual’s decision-making strategy.

Using policy capturing to measure prejudicial attitudes of women toward women

To overcome the problem of obtaining only the socially desirable responses that often are elicited with direct methods, policy capturing was used as an indirect method of attitude measurement. A common direct method did not detect prejudicial attitudes, but policy capturing detected prejudicial attitudes in 37% of the female subjects in the study.

Clinical judgment of nurses: Gravity of symptom configurations, quantity of symptoms, and extraneous variables

Nurses’ diagnostic decision making is discussed in terms of its importance and the lack of empirical research to determine training needs to prepare nurses for this function. Results of this investigation suggest that nurses base their diagnostic decisions on the number of symptoms present, independent of symptom gravity. Results also suggest that nurses are influenced by extraneous symptoms to various degrees, depending on the gravity or weakness of symptoms. It is concluded that formal training in diagnostic decision making should be an important part of nurses’ preparation.

Using an indirect method of attitude measurement to detect prejudicial attitudes of men toward women

An indirect method of attitude measurement was used to detect prejudicial attitudes towards women. Previous research revealed that a regression equation for each subject revealed that 20% of the raters exhibited prejudicial attitudes toward women. This study reports almost identical findings when all possible combinations of stimuli were used.