Validity of the PAI Interpersonal Scales for Measuring the Dimensions of the Interpersonal Circumplex

Abstract

Two studies evaluated the validity of the interpersonal scales, Dominance (DOM) and Warmth (WRM), from the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI; Morey, 1991, 2007) to measure the 2 dimensions of the interpersonal circumplex (IPC). In Study 1, 114 college freshmen completed the PAI and the Interpersonal Adjectives Scale (IAS; Wiggins, 1995). In Study 2, 170 college students completed the PAI and the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems–Short Circumplex (IIP–SC; Soldz, Budman, Demby, & Merry, 1995). The results of both studies supported the convergent validity of DOM and WRM, although discriminant validity was stronger using the IIP–SC as the criterion. Circumplex projections placed DOM and WRM in the appropriate segments of both the IAS and IIP–SC. These findings provide additional support for the validity of the PAI interpersonal scales as measures of the primary dimensions of the IPC.

Acknowledgments

This research was supported in part by a Research Support Grant from Villanova University. The authors are grateful to Aaron Pincus for comments on an earlier draft, and to Mallary Bileau, Allie Kurti, Matthew Litke, Amy Pastva, and Amanda Sizemore for assistance with data collection and management.

Notes

¹Many assessments of the interpersonal circumplex employ the structural summary method, which results in an omnibus R ² coefficient. However, in our anlayses we used dimensional scores (not octant scores) to estimate correlations for each octant (R ² values are not reported using this method; see Gurtman, 1992, 1994). approach When creating a curve using predicted correlations, there is no reason to also compute an R ² (M. Gurtman, personal communication, May 28, 2010).