The measurement of values: Effects of different assessment procedures

Abstract

In a study involving 382 Ss in introductory psychology, rating and pair‐comparison procedures for assessing the importance of terminal and instrumental values were compared with the standard ranking procedure developed by Rokeach. Effects of order of presentation of the value sets (terminal/instrumental versus instrumental/terminal) were also investigated. Results indicated that assessment procedure per se had little effect on the average value systems that were obtained. Nor were there replicable order effects across procedures. Some sex differences in the importance assigned to particular values were, however, replicated. Advantages and disadvantages of ranking, rating, and pair‐comparison procedures for assessing the importance of values were discussed.