Rene V. Dawis

A Theory of Work Adjustment

Theory of work adjustment has been proposed, which might contribute to the development of a “science of the psychology of occupational behavior.” It builds on the basic psychological concepts of stimulus, response, and reinforcement, and provides a research paradigm for the generation of testable hypotheses. The proper subject matter for vocational psychology, as well as general psychology, is the individual as a responding organism. The individual as a responding organism is assumed to have a set of response potentials, the upper limits of which, with respect to range and quality, are determined by heredity. The individual would respond when his response potentials make responding possible, and when the environment permits and/or stimulates responding. As the individual responds, his responding becomes associated with reinforcers in his environment. Reinforcers are environmental conditions that maintain responding, that is, which are associated with the continuance of responding. Specific reinforcers in the environment become associated with specific responses of the individual.

Work values: Genetic and environmental influences.

The Minnesota Importance Questionnaire (MIQ), measuring work values, was administered to 23 monozygotic and 20 dizygotic reared-apart twin pairs to test the hypothesis that genetic factors are associated with work values. Both univariate and multivariate analyses were performed. In the univariate analysis, intraclass correlations were computed to estimate the proportion of variability in work values associated with genetic factors for each of the 20 MIQ scales and for the 6 higher order work value scales. The multivariate analysis used maximum likelihood estimation to separate the genetic and environmental factors for the correlated higher order scales. Results from both analyses indicated that, on average, 40% of the variance in measured work values was related to genetic factors.

Values as second-order needs in the theory of work adjustment

Abstract Values, as importance dimensions, are conceptualized in the context of the theory of work adjustment as reference dimensions for the description of needs. Factor analyses of Minnesota Importance Questionnaire data are presented to operationalize this conceptualization. Six value dimensions: Safety, Comfort, Aggrandizement, Altruism, Achievement, and Autonomy are identified. These six value dimensions are organized further in terms of broader classes of reinforcement preferences (related to external environment, people, and self) and approach to the work situation (as competitive or noncompetitive).

3 – Scale Construction and Psychometric Considerations

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the construction of scales. Scales are common features of social science research, reflecting the belief that data in the social sciences should be quantitative in form. This chapter focuses on the construction of self-report scales, which include personality scales, interest inventories, measures of attitudes, opinions, needs and values, and many of the ad hoc measures constructed or used by scholars in the social sciences for various purposes other than the testing of ability and achievement. This chapter concludes with two observations and a prescription. First, the list of published self-report scales is too long and is growing longer at an alarming rate. Second, the .50 barrier on validity coefficients appears to be alive and well. Furthermore, to understand better the correlation between construct scale and criterion scale, it is recommended that validity be examined at the item level. Finally, in scale construction—to paraphrase a saying from another field of endeavor—validity is not the only thing, it is everything.

The Influence of Test Context on Item Difficulty.

Item analysis techniques commonly assume that item difficulties are stable over varying test contexts. The current emphasis on information-efficiency and individualized selection of items has made context stability a critical assumption. The simple item difficulties and Rasch log easiness values of 15 verbal analogy items were compared over seven internally consistent analogy tests. The results indicate that 60% of the items varied over contexts and that context difficulty was a factor for 27% of the items. The general applicability of item-parameter-invariant models is questioned by the finding of contextual interaction for parameter estimates.

A Note on the Dynamics of Work Adjustment.

Abstract The process of work adjustment, as derived from the Theory of Work Adjustment, is presented in a systems-type model. The model integrates the original propositions of the theory with the more recent work on personality-style dimensions. The mechanisms of adjustment to work are discussed to emphasize the dynamic nature of the complete work-adjustment process. The constructs of Work Behavior and Organizational Behavior are introduced as intervening variables in the adjustment process. It is also shown that the forecasting of work adjustment requires the addition of the constructs of Abilities and Ability Requirements.

An Investigation of the Rasch Simple Logistic Model: Sample Free Item and Test Calibration.

This research investigated the use of the Rasch simple logistic model in item and test calibration. Tests employing word, picture, symbol, and number analogies were administered to high school students, college students, civil service clerical employees, and clients of the Minnesota Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. The results indicated that Rasch item easiness ratios and z item difficulty ratios were invariant with respect to the ability of the calibrating sample when an adequate sample was employed and the test design did not incorporate biasing factors. The invariance of the Rasch item easiness ratios was shown to be related to the goodness-of-fit of the items to the Rasch model in that the deletion of items with low Rasch probabilities increased the invariance of the Rasch item easiness ratios. The estimation of the amount of ability indicated by the raw scores on a test was also shown to be invariant with respect to the ability of the calibrating sample for tests of 25 or more items, even when samples of fewer than 100 subjects were studied.

The structure(s) of occupations: Beyond RIASEC.

Abstract Three studies reviewed here contribute to the robust replication of Hollands RIASEC hexagon model. Fouad and Dancer (1992) and Swanson (1992) show that hexagon order, but not shape, is invariant across different population samples. Prediger and Vansickle (1992) show that a two-dimensional map (with axes, People/Things and Data/Ideas) can be used to plot occupations according to similarity of RIASEC interests. The author contends that with a two-dimensional map (a) the RIASEC hexagon is logically unnecessary and (b) the map is more effective than the hexagon for determining person-environment fit. The author further contends that Predigers map represents vocational interests but not necessarily other vocational attributes such as abilities and reinforcer preferences. The structural representation of occupations may require more than just one structure, even one as robustly replicated as Hollands RIASEC model.

Estimating Occupational Prestige.

Abstract The occupational prestige literature provides evidence of prestige hierarchies that have remained relatively intact for over 60 years. This article draws from the occupational prestige literature in describing the development of prestige estimates for occupations contained in the Minnesota Occupational Classification System III (MOCS III). The first phase of development consisted of an empirical study that involved ranking three sets of 25 occupations. The results provided prestige estimates for 60 occupations and a comparison of prestige scores for 8 “benchmark” occupations. The second phase of development involved testing the comparability of these results with a larger data base. The third phase of development extended the ability to estimate occupational prestige by using a regression equation that allows for assigning prestige estimates to approximately 20,000 occupations. Potential use of the prestige score in the MOCS III is discussed in relation to vocational counseling.

Test-Free Person Measurement with the Rasch Simple Logistic Model.

This research investigated the use of the Rasch simple logistic model in obtaining test-free ability estimates. Two tests each of word, picture, symbol, and number analogies were administered to college and high school students. Differences between scores on each pair of tests were analyzed to deter mine whether the ability estimates were independ ent of the tests employed. The results indicate that raw-score ability estimates are influenced by the difficulty of the items used in measurement but that Rasch ability estimates are relatively independ ent of the difficulty of these items. The need is dis cussed for additional research in which an indi vidualized item-presentation procedure is used with the Rasch model.