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A Quick Measure of Achievement Motivation
Author(s) -
SMITH J. M.
Publication year - 1973
Publication title -
british journal of social and clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.479
H-Index - 92
eISSN - 2044-8260
pISSN - 0007-1293
DOI - 10.1111/j.2044-8260.1973.tb00859.x
Subject(s) - carelessness , psychology , scale (ratio) , measure (data warehouse) , sample (material) , test (biology) , reliability (semiconductor) , need for achievement , test validity , social psychology , psychometrics , statistics , developmental psychology , mathematics , computer science , psychiatry , data mining , paleontology , power (physics) , chemistry , physics , chromatography , quantum mechanics , biology
Misleading experimental findings may emerge because experimenters fail to eliminate the effects of achievement motivation. It is suggested that few experimenters control for these effects because no convenient measure is available. The construction of a 10‐item scale of achievement motivation and a seven‐item ‘carelessness’ scale is reported. The scale's validity is assessed from correlations with McClelland's test and from correlations with other variables. In addition, the scale is shown to discriminate between a panel of volunteers and a sample of men drawn from Who's Who . The scale could also discriminate between subgroups in the Who's Who sample. The split‐half reliability of the measure is reported.