The TAT has long been considered the measure of choice for capturing operant aspects of achievement motivation. Not only does the psychometric integrity of the TAT continue to be challenged, but the instrument is cumbersome and inefficient for use in a research setting. Thus, there remains a need for a measure of achievement motivation that is easy to administer, is psychometrically sound, and has the interpretive depth of a projective test. The Life Activities Achievement Scale (LAAS), based on an act-frequency approach, was developed to meet this need. A sample of 414 undergraduates completed the LAAS and a variety of other person and performance measures, including the TAT. The results showed certain LAAS scales to correlate significantly with TAT scores and with other operant and respondent achievement criteria. The act-frequency approach is seen as offering a promising method for assessing operant motivation.
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