Briggs and Cheek (1986) have suggested that the mean of inter-item correlations for a scale provides information about whether that scale is unidimensional or not. More information about the dimensionality of a scale is provided by the frequency distribution function of inter-item correlations. A method of examining the frequency distribution functions as a way of inferring dimensionality is described and illustrated. Using data from the NEO Personality Inventory, the method is employed to distinguish between uni- and multidimensional scales. This method represents a useful first step in data description that can orient a researcher to the kinds of qualities that underlie a scale.
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