Record Details
Three measures of similarity in values
ScholarsArchive at Oregon State University
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Title | Three measures of similarity in values |
| Names |
Hofstetter, Merlin Ivan
(creator) Simmons, Helen (advisor) |
| Date Issued | 1965-06-22 (iso8601) |
| Note | Graduation date: 1966 |
| Abstract | The study is based on a frame of reference for comparing characteristics of ordered pairs of members of small groups ("relators" in relation to "co-relatives"). An attempt is made to replicate selected findings from a study of the acquaintance process reported by Theodore Newcomb. The effectiveness of three measures of the similarity of values of pairs of persons are compared with respect to efficacy of prediction of attraction of relators to co-relatives in each ordered pair. Value-similarity is measured (1) by comparing subjects; self-made rankings of descriptions of six "values" or "interests", (2) by comparing each relator's self-made ranking with that relator's "objective" judgment of the rank-order of the same values for the co-relative, and (3) by comparing by pairs the consensus rankings derived for subjects by statistical combination of all the objective evaluations made by a given subjects peers. Subjects lived in two home management houses with seven members in each house. Living arrangements were similar to those found in other college co-operative living organizations. All members were women, advanced home economics majors, of approximately equal age and having highly similar formal rights and duties in the group. When familiarity was held constant by partial correlation, the prediction of attraction by the three measures of value-similarity increased in the order in which the three measures are described above. Newcomb's findings concerning the positive association of both value-similarity and familiarity with attraction were supported by findings of the present study. Familiarity was found to be more highly correlated with attraction than was value-similarity. There was a trend towards group consensus on the relative importance of six values in each of the two groups studied. It was concluded that a strategy employing trained, non-participant observers would combine strengths of the two most effective strategies used to measure value-similarity in the present study, while at the same time providing an opportunity to study the step-by-step interpersonal interaction occurring in the acquaintance process. |
| Genre | Thesis/Dissertation |
| Topic | Attitude (Psychology) |
| Identifier | http://hdl.handle.net/1957/48085 |
