In response to Jackson's challenge: The comparative validity of personality scales constructed by the external (empirical) strategy and scales developed intuitively by experts, novices, and laymen

Abstract

Fifteen graduate students in psychology and 15 individuals with no formal psychology training were each paid to construct one 20-item scale to measure Sociability, Achievement, or Dominance. These 30 scales, plus the Personality Research Form and the California Psychological Inventory, were subsequently administered to 168 college females from seven living organizations. Average peer rankings were employed as criteria in order to compare the validity of personality scales constructed by different strategies. While the validity of Intuitive scales constructed by the average nonpsychologist was lower than that of the CPI External scales, the validity of scales constructed by the average psychology student and of the most reliable scales constructed by the nonpsychologists was essentially the same as that of the External scales. Moreover, the most reliable scales constructed by psychology students and the PRF scales were of approximately equal validity, considerably higher than that of any of the CPI scales.