On the Equivalence of Questionnaire and Rating Data

Recent criticism of the equivalence of Cattell's basic personality factors (2) derived from questionnaire (Q) and behavior rating (L) domains invites prompt examination of relevant experimental data (1). The High School Personality Quiz (HSPQ) (3) was administered to a group of 43 girls (M age = 16.2; SD = 1.2) in a training school for juvenile delinquents. Each S was also rated by her cottage parent on the 42 bipolar traits of Cattell's normal personaliry sphere. Trait ratings were combined into rating factor scores using Cattell's factor weights. Product-moment correlacions were then computed becween HSPQ and rating factor scores on 10 matching factors. The disappointingly low correlations, of which only those for Factors G, I, and J would meet a 5% significance criterion, are shown in Table 1.