The Development and Validation of a Projective Measure of Interpersonal Values (University of California at Los Angeles, unpublished dissertation, 1972)
by Ralph H. Kilmann
From the Abstract
The concept of values has been utilized in every discipline within the social sciences. Along with this abundance of usage, come many different definitions of the term and many different methods of measuring values. For the purpose of deriving a unique concept of values, it was necessary to distinguish values from other related concepts. This was accomplished by viewing values as evaluative dimensions (e.g., good-bad, desirable-undesirable, appropriate-unappropriate, shoulds and oughts). SInce the focus of this study was interpersonal behavior, a concept of values was suggested that related to the evaluative dimensions of behavior in interpersonal settings. The concept is titled "interpersonal value construct" (IVC) and is defined as: a mental category through which an individual perceives and interprets the desirable and undesirable features of interpersonal behavior.
This concept was derived from a careful review of value lists vis-a-vis interpersonal behavior, as well as from a consideration of the method by which the concept could be measured. The literature suggested that the actual process of taking a value test involves an individual's evaluative judgments. An attempt was made to capitalize on this process.
Specifically, an instrument titled the "Kilmann Insight Test" (KIT) was devised to measure the interpersonal value constructs of individuals. This instrument is the major contribution of this study in that it seeks to assess this concept of values as it is being applied. The KIT is a projective test that requires an individual to differentiate eighteen "concerns" according to how relevant they are to a series of six ambiguous pictures of interpersonal behavior. These "concerns" are actually a list of interpersonal values chosen from the literature review. The basic assumption of the KIT is that individuals who use certain value constructs to construe interpersonal events will tend to see these "concerns" as more relevant to the pictures than other concerns. A factor analysis of the KIT's interpersonal value constructs resulted in two comprehensive factors: (1) Good Fellowship versus Functional Task Activity; and (2) Interpersonal Restraint versus Boldness. The factors exhibited very desirable conceptual and measurement properties.
Since the KIT is proposed as a method to assess interpersonal value constructs, considerable attention was given to the validity of the instrument, including an appreciation of projective versus self-report measures of psychological dynamics. Four research designs were assessed in order to investigate three components of construct validity: substantive validity, structural validity, and external validity.
The results of the validity investigations suggest the potential usefulness of the KIT in studying the manifestations of interpersonal values in social settings. For example, an individual's KIT scores were significantly related to several measures of his interpersonal behavior in sensitivity training groups. However, still more research is required to explicate the relationship between the projective assessment and actual interpersonal behavior.
To Find KILMANN'S DISSERTATION
Table of Contents
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Toward a Unique Concept of Values for Interpersonal Behavior
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Developing a Projective Measure of Values
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The Methodology of Instrument Development
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Validation of the Kilmann Insight Test (KIT)
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Summary and Conclusions
List of Tables
List of Figures
List of Exhibits
Acknowledgments
Vita
Abstract
Introduction
References
Appendix A
Appendix B
Appendix C