An Empirical Examination of the Esteem for Least Preferred Co-Worker (Lpc) Construct

Summary

On the basis of a “value-attitude” interpretation of the esteem for least preferred co-worker (LPC) score, it was hypothesized that task-oriented (low-LPC) persons are more extreme in attitudes toward both positive and negative attitude objects than are relationship-oriented (high-LPC) persons. Attitudes of 51 male and 59 female undergraduates were measured toward four stimulus objects on 22-item semantic differential scales: self, best friend, psychology professor, and most disliked student. A LPC × Stimulus Person interaction provided significant support for the hypothesis when Total LPC scores (p < .002) or Task LPC factor scores (p < .001) were used to classify task-oriented and relationship-oriented Ss, but not when the Social LPC factor scores were used for this purpose.