CONSTRUCTING PERSONALITY TESTS TO MEET A STRUCTURAL CRITERION - APPLICATION OF THE INTERPERSONAL CIRCUMPLEX

Construct validation of personality tests begins when items are select ed according to substantive and structural postulates; nevertheless, s ubstance has generally been emphasized to the neglect of structure. Th e present approach shows how a structural model-the interpersonal circ umplex-could be used to ensure that test items for measures of interpe rsonal problems (e.g., loneliness, nonassertiveness) faithfully mirror the theoretical characteristics of their constructs. New item statist ics are derived with applicability to item analysis and test construct ion, and the equivalence of item-curve fitting and circumplex scoring is illuminated.