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Phoenix Opinion Survey (POS)

Author: David J. Simourd, Ph.D.

Purpose: Assess non-conformist attitudes.

Description: The psychological literature, particularly the adolescent developmental literature, indicates that a non-conformist attitude/orientation (broadly defined as a failure to abide by social standards) is linked to lifestyle dysfunction and/or criminal conduct. The POS is a self-report questionnaire that assesses non-conformity. The instrument consists of 46 items that are answered using a 5-point response format (e.g., strongly agree to strongly disagree). Items are summed to yield a Total Score with higher scores indicative of greater non-conformity.

Psychometric Information: A limited amount of normative data exists on the POS among adult inmates and college students. Internal consistency (i.e., Cronbach Alpha) estimates for the Total Score range between .62 and .85.

Applications: The POS can be used either for case classification contexts (e.g., intake, exit, or one-time assessments) and as a measure of treatment performance (e.g., pre-treatment and post-treatment comparisons).

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Last modified: 09/27/05 06:02 PM