Objectivism in Information Utilization: Theory and Measurement

• Published in: Journal of personality assessment Vol. 50; no. 1; pp. 32 - 43
• Main Authors: Leary, Mark R., Shepperd, James A., McNeil, Michael S., Jenkins, T. Brant, Barnes, Byron D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Philadelphia, PA Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc 01.03.1986; Taylor & Francis; Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers, etc
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Personality. Affectivity; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Psychometrics; Human; Evaluation scale; Decision making; Interindividual comparison; Information processing; Psychometrics; Cognition; Personality; Objectivity subjectivity; Cognitive style
• ISSN: 0022-3891; 1532-7752
• DOI: 10.1207/s15327752jpa5001_5

A self-report scale was constructed and validated that measures individual differences in objectivism-the tendency to base one's judgments and beliefs on empirical information and rational considerations. Validity data showed that, compared to people who score low on the Objectivism Scale, highly objective individuals enjoy thinking more, rely more on observable facts when making decisions, and place less emphasis on subjective and intuitive styles of decision making. Among graduate students in psychology, objectivism correlated positively with ratings of research-oriented careers, but negatively with ratings of mental health careers; also, highly objective students were more critical of nonobjective psychological assessment techniques and placed greater importance on research. Objectivism also predicted preferences for newspaper articles, college course selections, and the criteria respondents use when making decisions.