Psychological Reports, 1975, 37, 507-510. @ Psychological Reports 1975 NEEDS FOR STRUCTURE, TOLERANCE OF AMBIGUITY A N D DOGMATISM I N ADOLESCENTS DAVID J. CHABASSOL1 University of Victoria
AND
DAVID THOMAS University of British Columbia
Summary.-Meatures of structure needs, ambiguity tolerance, and dogrnawere given to a sample of urban adolescents in British Columbia. Structure need scores were significantly and negatively correlated with scores of ambiguity tolerance and significantly and positively correlated with scores of dogmatism (rs from .32 to -.45). Dogmatism and ambiguity tolerance scores were negatively correlated, as anticipated from MacDonald's work (1970). The findings are taken as evidence of construct validity for the structure inventory. tism
In 1970 MacDonald discussed the historical roots of the concept of tolerance of ambiguiry and also provided data on the reliability of a scale for its measurement. MacDonald quotes Budner ( 1962, p. 30) who states "An ambiguous situation may be defined as one which cannot adequately be categorized by the individual because of lack of sufficient cues. . . ." The Ambiguity Tolerance Scale (AT-20), devised by MacDonald, consists of the 16-item Rydell-Rosen test (1966) plus four items, two selected from the California Personality Inventory ( 1957 ) , and two From Barron's conformity scale ( 1953). The AT-20 was cro$s-validated on a sample of 789 undergraduates. Retest reliability was estimated at .63 ( p < .01) for a 6-mo. interval. As predicted by MacDonald the AT-20 scale related to a number of variables, including rigidity, dogmatism (Form E ) , and the F scale, all by Rokeach ( 1960). The Chabassol Adolescent Structure Inventory (1971) is an inventory for the measurement of structure in adolescence. "Structure" was defined as guidance, advice, information, clarity, or direction offered to the adolescent by an adult figure of authority. The inventory h s 20 items which determine whether the youth wants such guidance, advice, etc., and 20 more items which determine whether he has such structure. Thus separate wants-structure and has-structure scores are provided. Odd-even coefficients of reliability of .93 and .91 were obtained for the above sub-scales respectively. Several studies have been carried out to validate this inventory. The first of these (1973), involved 300 students in Grades 8 and 11 in urban British Columbia, with approximately equal numbers of both sexes. Mean ages for Ss in Grades 8 and 11 were 13 and 16 yr. respectively. A positive relationship was found between has-structure scores and scores on Rotter's I-E scale (1966). Also, Grade 8 boys had higher has-structure scores than did Grade 11 boys; that is, the former felt that they had less freedom from adult "interference" than 'First author
determined by coin toss.
508
D. J. CHABASSOL
&
D. THOMAS
did the latter. Has-structure scores for Grade 11 girls were significantly higher than for Grade 11 boys, suggesting that adults are more protective and concerned about the behaviour of adolescent girls than boys. Older boys had lower wantsstructure scores than younger boys, indicating stronger independence needs for the former. In a later study2the inventory was given to 80 urban Grade 9 males in B. C., in conjunction with the Adjective Check List ( 1965 ) and Rotter's I-E scale. Ss' mean age was 14 yr. Of the 18 correlations predicted for the three measures, 14 were significant and in the hypothesized directions. Wants-structure showed a negative relationship with I-E scores and with check list scales of Self-confidence, Dominance, Exhibitionism, Aggression, and Heterosexuality. Positive relationships were noted between wants-structure scores and check list scales of Abasement, Deference, and Counselling Readiness. All values were of small to moderate magnitude. The male teen-ager who wants structure seems diligent and concerned about his problems but doubtful of his ability to handle them on his own. He is retiring, unassuming, and suggestible. H e cooperates freely with others, accepting them uncritically. He does not feel that others are influencing him unduly; indeed, he may welcome even more external control. Significant, negative correlations were found between has-structure scores and two of the check list traits, Self-control and Intraception, and a significant and positive relationship was noted between has-structure and Autonomy. The latter finding, at first glance surprising, is understandable. The autonomous person is self-confident, independent, and somewhat opinionated. He might be expected to find his relationships with persons in authority restrictive and so see himself as receiving too much structure. Has-structure and I-Escores were positively correlated. The adolescent who sees himself as receiving much structure seems to be independent and self-willed even to the point of being unconcerned about others. He may be seen to be impulsive, complaining, and obnoxious. He is more interested in doing than in thinking and is concerned about the extent to which outside forces influence the events of his life. The present study was undertaken to provide further evidence of the validity of the Chabassol Adolescent Structure Inventory. It was decided to administer the structure inventory and the AT-20 and dogmatism scales to a sample of adolescents in order to test hypotheses derived from research cited above.
METHOD In keeping with MacDonald's findings, it was assumed that a negative correlation would exist between scores of dogmatism and ambiguity tolerance. 'D. J. Chabassol, An arternpc to validate a measure of structure i n adolescence. lished srudy, 1973)
(Unpub-
NEED FOR STRUCTURE, TOLERANCE OF AMBIGUITY
509
Further, given the earlier definitions of ambiguity tolerance and struccure it seems obvious that Ss who can tolerate ambiguity will have low structure needs. Finally, youths high in struccure needs are uncertain, suggestible, and concerned about their ability to handle their own problems. Rokeach has noted, "Dogmatism and anxiety are clearly shown to emerge together as part of a single psychological factor . . ." (p. 349). Accordingly, it seems reasonable to assume that youths who want structure will score high on dogmacism. Three hypotheses were developed: scores on dogmatism and ambiguity tolerance will be negatively correlated; scores on wants-structure and ambiguity tolerance will be negatively correlated; scores on wants-structure and dogmatism will be positively correlated. Significance was determined at the .05 level for a one-tailed test. Four hundred adolescents were tested in 1973. Ss were in Grades 8 through 11, with males and females being equally represented. Mean age was 14.5 yr. All were from middle class backgrounds. The majority (258) were urban and the remainder (142) were from three rural areas. All Ss took the structure inventory, the AT-20, and Rokeach's dogmatism scale. Tests in the above order were given by class teachers at one sitting. RESULTS Correlations were obtained for all Ss on dogmacism and AT-20, and dogmatism and wants-structure scores (see Table 1 ) . Correlarions for only 170 Ss were available on wants-structure and AT-20 scores. These Ss came from four schools. Urban schools A and B contributed 46 and 39 students, while rural schools X and Y yielded 52 and 33 Ss respectively, for whom four correlations were obtained (see Table 2 ) . Values of r in Table 1 indicate negative, significant but low to moderate relationships between dogmatism and AT-20 and positive significant relationships of like magnitude berween dogmatism and wants-structure scores respectively. The correlations for the former pair are smaller than those of MacDonald, who reported correlations of -.42, -.39, and -.42 for his total, male, and female samples in that order. However, present data provide further evidence of the negative relationship between these two measures. The correlations between wants-structure and dogmatism scores TABLE 1 CORRELAT~ONS BETWEEN SCORES ON DOGMATISM AND AMBIGUITY TOLERANCE (AT-20) A N D CORRELATIONS BETWEEN SCORESON DOGMAT'ISM AND WANTSSTRUCTURE (WS) Urban Rural
Total Sample
Note.-+
< .O1 i n all cases.
Dogmatism-AT-20 -.37 -.36 -.37
Dogmatism-WS .32 .43 .36
D. J. CHABASSOL & D. THOMAS TABLE 2 CORRELATIONS BETWEENSCORES ON WANTS STRUCTUREAND AMBIGUITYTOLERANCE
Urban School A School B Note.-@
Rural
-.33 -.45
< .02 in
School X School Y
-.40
-.45
all cases.
are modest but consistent and support the contention that Ss who have a need for structure tend to be somewhat dogmatic, as that concept is measured by Rokeach. The first and last hypotheses are supported by the above findings. Correlations between wants-structure and AT-20 scores are significant and negatively correlated, supporting the second hypothesis. This finding provides some evidence of the construct validity of these two scales. This study was done to provide evidence of validity of the Chabassol Adolescent Structure Inventory. Some measure of success may be claimed, as all hypotheses were supported. Further attempts at validation are being carried out, particularly for che sub-scale, has-structure. REFERENCES BARRON, F. Some personality correlates of independence of judgment. Journal o f Per~ona~ity, 1953, 21, 287-297. BUDNER,S. Intolerance of ambiguity as a personality variable. Journal of Personality,
1962, 30, 29-50.
CHABASSOL,D. J. A scale for the evaluation of structure needs and perceptions in adolescence. Journal of Experimental Education, 1971, 40, 12-16. CHABASSOL, D . J. The measurement of some aspects of strucrure in adolescence. Journal of Educational Rerearch, 1973, 66, 247-250. GOUGH, H. California Personality Inventory, manud. Palo Alro, Calif.: Consulting Psychologists Press, 1957. GOUGH, H . G., & HEILBRUN, A. B. T h e Adjective Check Lirt, manual. Palo Alto, Calif.: Consulting Psychologists Press, 1965. MACDONALD,A. P., JR. Revised scale for ambiguity tolerance: reliability and validity. Psychological Reports, 1970, 26, 791-798. ROKEACH,M. T h e open and closed mind. New York: Basic Books, 1960. R o r r ~ J.~ , Generalized expectancies of internal versus external control of reinforcement. Psychological Monographs: General and Applied, 1966, 80, No. 1 (Whole No.
609). RUDELL, S. T., 8: ROSEN,E. Measurement and some correlates of need-cognition. Psychological Reports, 1966, 19, 139-165. (Monogr. Suppl. 1-V19) Accepted June 30, 1975.
AND
DAVID THOMAS University of British Columbia
Summary.-Meatures of structure needs, ambiguity tolerance, and dogrnawere given to a sample of urban adolescents in British Columbia. Structure need scores were significantly and negatively correlated with scores of ambiguity tolerance and significantly and positively correlated with scores of dogmatism (rs from .32 to -.45). Dogmatism and ambiguity tolerance scores were negatively correlated, as anticipated from MacDonald's work (1970). The findings are taken as evidence of construct validity for the structure inventory. tism
In 1970 MacDonald discussed the historical roots of the concept of tolerance of ambiguiry and also provided data on the reliability of a scale for its measurement. MacDonald quotes Budner ( 1962, p. 30) who states "An ambiguous situation may be defined as one which cannot adequately be categorized by the individual because of lack of sufficient cues. . . ." The Ambiguity Tolerance Scale (AT-20), devised by MacDonald, consists of the 16-item Rydell-Rosen test (1966) plus four items, two selected from the California Personality Inventory ( 1957 ) , and two From Barron's conformity scale ( 1953). The AT-20 was cro$s-validated on a sample of 789 undergraduates. Retest reliability was estimated at .63 ( p < .01) for a 6-mo. interval. As predicted by MacDonald the AT-20 scale related to a number of variables, including rigidity, dogmatism (Form E ) , and the F scale, all by Rokeach ( 1960). The Chabassol Adolescent Structure Inventory (1971) is an inventory for the measurement of structure in adolescence. "Structure" was defined as guidance, advice, information, clarity, or direction offered to the adolescent by an adult figure of authority. The inventory h s 20 items which determine whether the youth wants such guidance, advice, etc., and 20 more items which determine whether he has such structure. Thus separate wants-structure and has-structure scores are provided. Odd-even coefficients of reliability of .93 and .91 were obtained for the above sub-scales respectively. Several studies have been carried out to validate this inventory. The first of these (1973), involved 300 students in Grades 8 and 11 in urban British Columbia, with approximately equal numbers of both sexes. Mean ages for Ss in Grades 8 and 11 were 13 and 16 yr. respectively. A positive relationship was found between has-structure scores and scores on Rotter's I-E scale (1966). Also, Grade 8 boys had higher has-structure scores than did Grade 11 boys; that is, the former felt that they had less freedom from adult "interference" than 'First author
determined by coin toss.
508
D. J. CHABASSOL
&
D. THOMAS
did the latter. Has-structure scores for Grade 11 girls were significantly higher than for Grade 11 boys, suggesting that adults are more protective and concerned about the behaviour of adolescent girls than boys. Older boys had lower wantsstructure scores than younger boys, indicating stronger independence needs for the former. In a later study2the inventory was given to 80 urban Grade 9 males in B. C., in conjunction with the Adjective Check List ( 1965 ) and Rotter's I-E scale. Ss' mean age was 14 yr. Of the 18 correlations predicted for the three measures, 14 were significant and in the hypothesized directions. Wants-structure showed a negative relationship with I-E scores and with check list scales of Self-confidence, Dominance, Exhibitionism, Aggression, and Heterosexuality. Positive relationships were noted between wants-structure scores and check list scales of Abasement, Deference, and Counselling Readiness. All values were of small to moderate magnitude. The male teen-ager who wants structure seems diligent and concerned about his problems but doubtful of his ability to handle them on his own. He is retiring, unassuming, and suggestible. H e cooperates freely with others, accepting them uncritically. He does not feel that others are influencing him unduly; indeed, he may welcome even more external control. Significant, negative correlations were found between has-structure scores and two of the check list traits, Self-control and Intraception, and a significant and positive relationship was noted between has-structure and Autonomy. The latter finding, at first glance surprising, is understandable. The autonomous person is self-confident, independent, and somewhat opinionated. He might be expected to find his relationships with persons in authority restrictive and so see himself as receiving too much structure. Has-structure and I-Escores were positively correlated. The adolescent who sees himself as receiving much structure seems to be independent and self-willed even to the point of being unconcerned about others. He may be seen to be impulsive, complaining, and obnoxious. He is more interested in doing than in thinking and is concerned about the extent to which outside forces influence the events of his life. The present study was undertaken to provide further evidence of the validity of the Chabassol Adolescent Structure Inventory. It was decided to administer the structure inventory and the AT-20 and dogmatism scales to a sample of adolescents in order to test hypotheses derived from research cited above.
METHOD In keeping with MacDonald's findings, it was assumed that a negative correlation would exist between scores of dogmatism and ambiguity tolerance. 'D. J. Chabassol, An arternpc to validate a measure of structure i n adolescence. lished srudy, 1973)
(Unpub-
NEED FOR STRUCTURE, TOLERANCE OF AMBIGUITY
509
Further, given the earlier definitions of ambiguity tolerance and struccure it seems obvious that Ss who can tolerate ambiguity will have low structure needs. Finally, youths high in struccure needs are uncertain, suggestible, and concerned about their ability to handle their own problems. Rokeach has noted, "Dogmatism and anxiety are clearly shown to emerge together as part of a single psychological factor . . ." (p. 349). Accordingly, it seems reasonable to assume that youths who want structure will score high on dogmacism. Three hypotheses were developed: scores on dogmatism and ambiguity tolerance will be negatively correlated; scores on wants-structure and ambiguity tolerance will be negatively correlated; scores on wants-structure and dogmatism will be positively correlated. Significance was determined at the .05 level for a one-tailed test. Four hundred adolescents were tested in 1973. Ss were in Grades 8 through 11, with males and females being equally represented. Mean age was 14.5 yr. All were from middle class backgrounds. The majority (258) were urban and the remainder (142) were from three rural areas. All Ss took the structure inventory, the AT-20, and Rokeach's dogmatism scale. Tests in the above order were given by class teachers at one sitting. RESULTS Correlations were obtained for all Ss on dogmacism and AT-20, and dogmatism and wants-structure scores (see Table 1 ) . Correlarions for only 170 Ss were available on wants-structure and AT-20 scores. These Ss came from four schools. Urban schools A and B contributed 46 and 39 students, while rural schools X and Y yielded 52 and 33 Ss respectively, for whom four correlations were obtained (see Table 2 ) . Values of r in Table 1 indicate negative, significant but low to moderate relationships between dogmatism and AT-20 and positive significant relationships of like magnitude berween dogmatism and wants-structure scores respectively. The correlations for the former pair are smaller than those of MacDonald, who reported correlations of -.42, -.39, and -.42 for his total, male, and female samples in that order. However, present data provide further evidence of the negative relationship between these two measures. The correlations between wants-structure and dogmatism scores TABLE 1 CORRELAT~ONS BETWEEN SCORES ON DOGMATISM AND AMBIGUITY TOLERANCE (AT-20) A N D CORRELATIONS BETWEEN SCORESON DOGMAT'ISM AND WANTSSTRUCTURE (WS) Urban Rural
Total Sample
Note.-+
< .O1 i n all cases.
Dogmatism-AT-20 -.37 -.36 -.37
Dogmatism-WS .32 .43 .36
D. J. CHABASSOL & D. THOMAS TABLE 2 CORRELATIONS BETWEENSCORES ON WANTS STRUCTUREAND AMBIGUITYTOLERANCE
Urban School A School B Note.-@
Rural
-.33 -.45
< .02 in
School X School Y
-.40
-.45
all cases.
are modest but consistent and support the contention that Ss who have a need for structure tend to be somewhat dogmatic, as that concept is measured by Rokeach. The first and last hypotheses are supported by the above findings. Correlations between wants-structure and AT-20 scores are significant and negatively correlated, supporting the second hypothesis. This finding provides some evidence of the construct validity of these two scales. This study was done to provide evidence of validity of the Chabassol Adolescent Structure Inventory. Some measure of success may be claimed, as all hypotheses were supported. Further attempts at validation are being carried out, particularly for che sub-scale, has-structure. REFERENCES BARRON, F. Some personality correlates of independence of judgment. Journal o f Per~ona~ity, 1953, 21, 287-297. BUDNER,S. Intolerance of ambiguity as a personality variable. Journal of Personality,
1962, 30, 29-50.
CHABASSOL,D. J. A scale for the evaluation of structure needs and perceptions in adolescence. Journal of Experimental Education, 1971, 40, 12-16. CHABASSOL, D . J. The measurement of some aspects of strucrure in adolescence. Journal of Educational Rerearch, 1973, 66, 247-250. GOUGH, H. California Personality Inventory, manud. Palo Alro, Calif.: Consulting Psychologists Press, 1957. GOUGH, H . G., & HEILBRUN, A. B. T h e Adjective Check Lirt, manual. Palo Alto, Calif.: Consulting Psychologists Press, 1965. MACDONALD,A. P., JR. Revised scale for ambiguity tolerance: reliability and validity. Psychological Reports, 1970, 26, 791-798. ROKEACH,M. T h e open and closed mind. New York: Basic Books, 1960. R o r r ~ J.~ , Generalized expectancies of internal versus external control of reinforcement. Psychological Monographs: General and Applied, 1966, 80, No. 1 (Whole No.
609). RUDELL, S. T., 8: ROSEN,E. Measurement and some correlates of need-cognition. Psychological Reports, 1966, 19, 139-165. (Monogr. Suppl. 1-V19) Accepted June 30, 1975.
