INTERITEM CORRELATION FREQUENCY-DISTRIBUTION ANALYSIS - A METHOD FOR EVALUATING SCALE DIMENSIONALITY

Briggs and Cheek (1986) have suggested that the mean of inter-item cor relations 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-ite m correlations. A method of examining the frequency distribution funct ions as a way of inferring dimensionality is described and illustrated . Using data from the NEO Personality Inventory, the method is employe d 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.