IS THE INFLUENCE OF ACQUIESCENCE ON CATCH-PHRASE TYPE ATTITUDE SCALE ITEMS NOT SO MYTHICAL AFTER ALL

It is argued that the inherent ambiguity of the one‐word items in the Wilson C‐scale might make them particularly subject to acquiescent responding. When administered in classroom settings there is already some evidence that the Wilson scale is so affected. In a study of 110 Australian Army conscripts, the Wilson scale was found to show a correlation between its radical and conservative items of only ‐.199. Scored without reversals, it made an acquiescence scale with a reliability of .61. In a second study with 126 Australian Army officers, a revised C‐scale was used but the equivalent statistics were still‐.226 and .60. It is concluded that the Wilson scale may be valid and acquiescence‐free only when personal help is given with the answering of each item. 1979 Australian Psychological Society