The College Women's Assertion Sample (CWAS): A Cross-Validation

Abstract

Two studies were conducted to evaluate the cross-validity of the College Women's Assertion Sample (CWAS), a controlled observational measure of behavioral assertion. The face and content validities of the instrument were cross-validated in Study 1. In Study 2, 74 undergraduate women were tested with a complement of measures designed to assess two behavior constructs, assertion and anxiety, by using two assessment methods, direct observation and self-report. The results supported both the convergent and discriminant cross-validities of the CWAS and suggested certain circumstances in which CWAS data might be preferable to data generated from employing the self-report assertion measures included in this study.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Alexander, S. and Husek, T. R. (1962). The anxiety differential: Initial steps in development of a measure of situation anxiety. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 22, 325-348.

Anastasi, A. (1982). Psychological testing (5th ed.). New York, NY: Macmillan.

Campbell, D. T. and Fiske, D. W. (1959). Convergent and discriminant validation by the multitrait-multimethod matrix. Psychological Bulletin, 56, 81-105.

Edwards, A. L. (1957). The social desirability variable in personality assessment and research. New York, NY: Dryden.

Endler, N. S. , Hunt, J. McV. , and Rosenstein, A. J. (1962). An S-R inventory of anxiousness. Psychological Monographs, 76 (17, (Whole No. 536).

Hathaway, S. R. (1964). MMPI: Professional use by professional people. American Psychologist, 19, 204-210.

Hathaway, S. R. , and McKinley, J. C. (1951). The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, revised. New York, NY: Psychological Corporation.

Jackson, D. N. (1967). Personality Research Form manual. Goshen, NY: Research Psychologists Press.

MacDonald, M. L. (1975). A behavioral assessment methodology applied to the measurement of assertion. Dissertation Abstracts International, 35, 6101B. (University Microfilms No. 75-11, 819).

10.

MacDonald, M. L. (1978). Measuring assertion: A model and method. Behavior Therapy, 9, 889-899.

11.

MacDonald, M. L. (1982). Assertion training for women. In J. P. Curran and P. M. Monti (Eds.), Social skills training. New York, NY: Guilford.

12.

MacDonald, M. L. (1983). Assessment of women clients for out-come evaluation in research and psychotherapy. In E. A. Blechman (Ed.), Behavior modification with women. New York, NY: Guilford.

13.

McFall, R. M. and Lillesand, D. B. (1971). Behavior rehearsal with modeling and coaching in assertion training. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 77, 313-323.

14.

Nelson, R. O. (1983). Behavioral assessment: Past, present, and future. Behavioral Assessment, 5, 195-206.

15.

Osgood, C. E. , Suci, G. J. , and Tannenbaum, P. H. (1957). The measurement of meaning. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press.

16.

Rathus, S. S. (1973). A 30-item schedule for assessing assertive behavior. Behavior Therapy, 4, 398-406.

17.

Salter, A. (1949). Conditioned reflex therapy. New York, NY: Capricorn.

18.

Wiggins, J. S. (1973). Personality and prediction: Principles of personality assessment. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.

19.

Wolpe, J. and Lazarus, A. A. (1966). Behavior therapy techniques. New York, NY: Pergamon.