The Mehrabian Achieving Tendency Scale (MATS): Reliability, validity and relationship to demographic characteristics

The Mehrabian Achieving Tendency Scale (MATS) assesses individual motivatio nal characteristics that are associated with achievement (Mehrabian, 1993; 1994-1995). A survey of 130 males and 218 females was conducted to examine psychometric properties of the MATS in a sample of Australians between 18 a nd 75 years of age. MATS scores attained high reliabilities and were simila r to American samples. MATS scores were positively and significantly correl ated with the Schwartz Value Survey (1992) achievement values but were not correlated with benevolence values. The MATS had a single factor structure but marked differences in item loading patterns when compared with Mehrabia n and Blum (1996). Education and occupation were significantly associated w ith variations in MATS but gender and age were not.