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Correlates of Intra-Individual Response Variability

Author(s):
Hills, John R.; Raine, Walter J.
Publication Year:
1958
Report Number:
RB-58-09
Source:
ETS Research Bulletin
Document Type:
Report
Page Count:
17
Subject/Key Words:
Comparative Testing, Intra-Individual Variability, Personality Measures, Response Style (Tests), Sentence Completion Tests, Test Reliability

Abstract

In order to evaluate their equivalence and to ascertain their correlates, two measures of intra-individual response variability (Fiske's Type I and Type III) were correlated with 39 other motivation, flexibility, and miscellaneous personality variables and with LSAT scores and first-year law school grades of 43 entering law-school students. The data indicate that the two scores, variability in response to identical items from test to test and variability in response to similar items in the same test, are highly related. No correlation was found between the variability and either tolerance of complexity or preference for solitary activities, unlike previous findings by Fiske. The results of this study suggest two more lines of research 1) prediction of behavior in practically-important situations, and 2) exploration of relationships between variability and personality measures that are not based on self-report content to aid in understanding what variability means. (JGL)

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