NCJ Number
7338
Date Published
1967
Length
189 pages
Annotation
DEVELOPMENT OF A RATING SCALE TO IDENTIFY PERSONALITY DIMENSIONS ALONG WHICH PRISONERS' INTERPERSONAL AND SOCIAL BEHAVIOR VARIES.
Abstract
THIS STUDY WAS CONCEIVED AS A FIRST STEP TOWARD THE DEVELOPMENT OF RATING SCALES WHICH WOULD BE USEFUL IN ASSESSING THE BEHAVIOR OF PRISONERS AT VARIOUS POINTS IN THEIR INSTITUTIONALIZATION. IN ADDITION, IN AN EFFORT TO ESTABLISH SOME CONSTRUCT VALIDITY FOR THE DIMENSIONS, AN ATTEMPT WAS MADE TO RELATE INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES ON THESE DIMENSIONS TO CERTAIN DEVELOPMENTAL AND DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF INMATES SUCH AS AGE, RACE, EARLY HOME SITUATION, INTELLIGENCE AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT GRADE LEVEL, TYPE OF CRIME, LENGTH OF PRESENT SENTENCE, AND AGE AT FIRST ARREST. ONE HUNDRED SUPERVISORS AT THE UNITED STATES NORTHEASTERN PENITENTIARY AT LEWISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, RATED 192 INMATES WHO WERE BEST KNOWN TO THEM ON FIVE 100-ITEM GROUPS USING A FOUR-POINT CONTINUUM RANGING FROM ALMOST NEVER TO ALMOST ALWAYS. THE RESULTS WERE PRESENTED TO THE COMPUTER FOR FACTOR ANALYSIS. THE APPENDED MATERIAL INCLUDES A BIBLIOGRAPHY, THE COMPLETE RATING SCALE, AND THE DATA MATRICES. AUTHOR ABSTRACT