Die gebruik van spreekwoorde en uitdrukkings in verbloemde persoonlikheidsmeting

Abstract

English: Despite the large-scale use of the questionnaire method for personality assessment and the fact that it is regarded as an objective measuring instrument, it causes numerous problems. One of the main problems is the style of response. The study endorses the viewpoint that response styles are undesirable and their influence should be curbed. In an effort to develop a test free of distortion, Bass ( 1956) compiled a questionnaire of proverbs and idiomatic expressions to combine the characteristic of disguised projection techniques with the objectivity of the score key of questionnaires. The purpose of the study was to investigate the possibility of using a collection of idiomatic expressions as items in disguised personality assessment, like Bass did. Two preliminary versions of a collection of 252 idiomatic expressions were compiled. In one the meaning of the particular idiomatic expressions and proverbs was given in brackets, and in the other it was left out to investigate to what extent the respondents were acquainted with the expressions. Two randomly selected groups of 100 each indicated their concurrence with these proverbs in the two different versions. The variances of the 252 items of both tests as well as the percentage of respondents who selected the unknown response category were calculated. On the basis of the data obtained it was decided that the version without explanations was the best test as far as usefulness, applicability and the time of application were concerned. To eliminate the less well-known items and items with low variances, all items in the first version to which 6% or more respondents selected the unknown response category and/or which had a variance lower than 1,00, were excluded. Where two proverbs were variants of the same idea, the one with the smallest variance was left out. According to this method 65 of the original 252 items were retained. During the final application a questionnaire consisting of 65 items was used along with Cattell's sixteen-factor personality questionnaire (16-PF). The test sample consisted of 239 first-year students at the UOFS and 180 National Servicemen. Thereafter the 65 items of this questionnaire were correlated, the eigenvalues of the correlation matrix obtained were calculated and a main factor analysis (first-order factor analysis) was done. Five factors were withdrawn and rotated to simple structure by means of a varimax rotation. Significant loads (0,30 and higher) were found on only three of the five factors. It appears that the first factor reflects a concurrence with general knowledge of the world, the second factor represents an element of cynicism and the third factor reflects a measure of.conservatism and prudence. The reliability quotients were 0,87 (Factor I), 0, 77 (Factor II) and 0, 75 (Factor III) respectively. For each respondent a score was calculated on each of these factors and these scores along with their scores on the 16-PF scales, which had to serve as marker variables, were correlated and subjected to a second-order factor analysis. Subsequently eight factors were retained, which were rotated to simple structure by means of the direct oblimin procedure. The three proverb factors showed high loads on the same factor whereas none of the 16-PF scales registered similar loads. It suggests that the proverb factors define an own factor independent of the 16-PF factors. Thus the study does not suggest that concurrence with idiomatic expressions can be successfully used to assess personality.

Afrikaans: Ten spyte van die feit dat die vraelysmetode van persoonlikheidsmeting op groot skaal gebruik word, en dit as 'n objektiewe meetinstument beskou word, gaan dit mank aan velerlei probleme. Een van die vernaamste probleme is responsstyle. Die onderhawige studie sluit aan by die gesigspunt dat responsstyle ongewens is en die invloed daarvan bekamp moet word. In 'n poging om 'n distorsievrye toets te ontwikkel, het Bass (1956) 'n vraelys van spreekwoorde en idiomatiese uitdrukkings saamgestel om die eienskap van verbloeming van projeksietegnieke met die objektiwiteit van die nasiensleutel van vraelyste te kombineer. Die doel met die onderhawige ondersoek was om die moontlikheid te ondersoek om, soortgelyk as Bass, 'n versameling idiomatiese uitdrukkings as items in verbloemde persoonlikheidsmeting te gebruik. Twee voorlopige weergawes van 'n versameling van 252 idiomatiese uitdrukkings is saamgestel. In die een is die betekenis van die betrokke idiomatiese uitdrukkings en spreekwoorde in hakies aangedui, en in die ander een is dit weggelaat om te ondersoek in watter mate proefpersone met die betekenis van die uitdrukkings vertroud was, Twee ewekansige groepe van 100 elk het hul instemming met die gesegdes in die twee onderskeie weergawes aangetoon. Die variansies van die 252 items van beide toetse is bereken asook die persentasie van proefpersone wat die onbekenderesponskategorie geselekteer het. Op grond van die verkree gegewens is besluit dat die weergawe sonder die verduidelikings ~die beste toets was betreffende bruikbaarheid, toepaslikheid en toepassingstyd. Om die minder bekende items en items met lae variansies te elimineer, is alle items in die eerste weergawe waarop 6% of meer proefpersone die onbekende-responskategorie geselekteer het, en/of wat 'n variansie laer as 1,00 gehad het, uitgeskakel. Waar twee spreekwoorde variante van dieselfde gedagte was, is die een met die kleinste variansie weggelaat. Hiervolgens is 65 van die oorspronklike 252 items behou. Tydens die finale toepassing is 'n vraelys bestaande uit die 65 items saam met Cattell se Sestienfaktor- persoonlikheidsvraelys (16-PF) afgeneem. Die steekproef het bestaan uit 239 UOVSeerstejaarstudente en 180 Nasionale Dienspligtiges. Vervolgens is die 65 items van die hierdie vraelys gekorreleer, die eigenwaardes van die verkree korrelasiematriks bereken en 'n hooffaktorontleding (eerste-orde-faktorontleding) daarop uitgevoer. Vyf faktore is onttrek en na eenvoudige struktuur geroteer met behulp van 'n varimaksrotasie. Beduidende beladings (0,30 en hoer) is op slegs drie van die vyf faktore gevind. Dit blyk dat die eerste faktor 'n instemming met algemene lewenswyshede reflekteer, die tweede faktor 'n element van sinisme verteenwoordig en die derde faktor 'n mate van behoudendheid en versigtigheid weerspieel. Die betroubaarheidskoeffisiente was onderskeidelik 0,87 (Faktor I), 0,77 (Faktor II) en 0,75 (Faktor III). Vir elke proefpersoon is 'n telling op elk van hierdie drie faktore bereken en hierdie tellings tesame met bul tellings op die 16-PF-skale, wat as merkerveranderlikes moes dien, is gekorreleer en aan 'n tweede-orde-faktorontleding onderwerp. Hiervolgens is agt faktore behou wat na eenvoudige struktuur geroteer is deur die "direct-oblimin" -prosedure. Die drie spreukfaktore bet op dieselfde faktor hoe beladings getoon waarop geeneen van die 16-PF-skale soortgelyke ladings geregistreer bet nie. Dit suggereer dat die spreukfaktore 'n eie faktor definieer wat onafhanklik van die 16-PFfaktore is. Die onderhawige ondersoek suggereer dus nie dat instemming met idiomatiese uitdrukkings suksesvol as persoonlikheidsmeting aangewend kan word nie,