Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Semester of Degree Completion
1977
Thesis Director
Clayton E. Ladd
Abstract
A total of 243 Mental Hygiene and Introductory Psychology students completed ratings of adjustment in January of 1976. In May of the same year, 65 of the original Mental Hygiene students and 110 of the Introductory students completed the post-testing under one of four procedures. The post-testing procedures were: 1) dependent testing (defined as post-testing with awareness of pre-testing results) with an option to change their original test; 2) independent post-tesing which was the traditional method; then completion of dependent rating; 3) testing of their recall of original ratings, then dependent testing; and 4) dependent testing without the option to change the original. Change measures were then computed and analysed. The results showed: 1) no significant differences between Mental Hygiene and Introductory students; 2) significantly lower amounts of change in the dependent procedure than in the independent procedure; 3) significant differences between original testing and its recall with recall being higher than the original rating was; and 4) no significant difference among any of the dependent procedures. Results were discussed as to the implications toward future research in the area of evaluating psychotherapy and toward the development of new methods of measuring change. It was suggested that the most valid measure of change might be obtained by showing the subject his original rating and asking for his best possible estimate of change.
Recommended Citation
Irwin, Pamela P., "A Comparison of Self Ratings of Change Done Dependently and Independently" (1977). Masters Theses. 3352.
https://thekeep.eiu.edu/theses/3352
