Short Marital-Adjustment and Prediction Tests: Their Reliability and Validity

Author(s): Harvey J. Locke and Karl M. Wallace

Source: Marriage and Family Living, Vol. 21, No. 3 (Aug., 1959), pp. 251-255
Published by: National Council on Family Relations
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/348022 .
Accessed: 03/08/2013 11:32

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .
http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp

.
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of
content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms
of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected].

National Council on Family Relations is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to
Marriage and Family Living.

http://www.jstor.org

This content downloaded from 129.8.242.67 on Sat, 3 Aug 2013 11:32:22 AM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 Short Marital-Adjustmentand Prediction Tests:
Their Reliability and Validity
HARVEY J. LOCKE, University of Southern California
KARL M. WALLACE, Los Angeles State College

THIS study is an attempt to develop short, son Index of MaritalSatisfactionused 40 items.8

but reliable, and valid, marital-adjustmentand The Burgess-CottrellMarital-AdjustmentTest
predictiontests. Marital adjustmentis accomo- contains 26 items.9
dation of a husbandand wife to each other at a The various marital-predictiontests contain
given time. Maritalpredictionis forecastingthe the following numberof items, if all questions
likelihood of marital adjustment at a future in multiple items are counted: Burgess-Wallin,
time. 133 ;10 Terman, 182;11 Terman-Oden, 180-;12
Before consideringthe reliabilityand validity Locke, 155 for men and 158 for women;13
of the short tests, we shall discussthe length of Karlsson, 94 for men and 102 for women;14
previoustests, the study design, and the sample. and Burgess-Cottrell, 195.15
It seems to the authorsthat by using only the
PREVIOUS
TESTS most basic or fundamentalitems the length of
The first attempt to measuremarital success marital-adjustmentand prediction tests might
by a numericalscore was made by Hamilton.' be reducedwithout any appreciableloss in reli-
He used a relativelyshort test composedof only ability and validity. As early as 1941, the same
thirteen items. More recent tests of marital ad- viewpoint was expressed in a study sponsored
justmentand predictionhave used a very large by the Social ScienceResearchCouncil.l6
number of items. The length of these tests is
their main disadvantage. THE STUDYDESIGN
The Burgess-WallinMarital-SuccessSchedule The hypothesisof the study was that reliable
contains 892 numbered items, but several of and valid adjustmentand predictiontests can be
these have multiple subitems.3 Counting the constructedby using a limited number of the
multiplesubitems,it requiresanswersto a possi- most significantitems taken from studies made
ble maximum of 246 questions.4Enumerating prior to this one.
items on this basis, the TermanHappinessTest The specificpurposesof the study were: (1)
contains 75 items;5the modified Terman-Oden to criticallyreview marital-predictionstudies in
test contains 103 items.6 The Locke Marital- 8 Georg Karlsson, Adaptability and Communication in
AdjustmentTest contains50 items.7The Karls- Marriage: A Swedish Prediction Study of Marital Satisfaction,
Uppsala, Sweden: Almqvist and Wiksells, Boktrycheri Aktie-
1 Gilbert V. Hamilton, A Research in Marriage, New bolag, 1951, pp. 95-99 and question 53 on pp. 171-72. For
York: Albert and Charles Boni, 1929, pp. 60-76. wives it was 40.
2 One of these was not numbered. 9 Ernest W. Burgess and Leonard S. Cottrell, Predicting
a It was sometimes difficult on multiple-answer questions Success or Failure in Marriage, New York: Prentice-Hall,
to decide when an item should be counted as separate. 1939, pp. 64-65.
4 Ernest W. Burgess and Paul Wallin, Engagement and 10Ernest W. Burgess and Paul Wallin, oP. cit., pp. 801-
Marriage, Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Comp'any, 1953, 808.
pp. 485-502. For wives it was 242. 11 Lewis M. Terman, et. al., op. cit., pp. 122-41, 260-64,
6 Lewis M. Terman, et. al., Psychological Factors in 352-55.
Marital HaPPiness, New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 12 Lewis M. Terman and Melita H. Oden, op. cit.,
1938, p. 50. For wives it was 71. pp. 419-29.
6 Lewis M. Terman and Melita H. Oden, Genetic Studies 18
Harvey J. Locke, op. cit., pp. 319-38.
of Genius, Vol. IV, The Gifted Child Grows UP, Palo Alto: 14 Georg Karlsson, op. cit., pp. 136-49.
Stanford University Press, 1947, pp. 431-33. For wives it was 15 Ernest W.
Burgess and Leonard S. Cottrell, op. cit.,
106. pp. 420-29.
7 Harvey J. Locke, Predicting Adjustment in Marriage: A 16Paul Horst, Editor, The Prediction of Personal Adjust-
Comparison of a Divorced and a Happily Married Group, ment, New York: Social Science Research Council, 1941,
New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1951, pp. 48-52. Chapter 6.

August, 1959 MARRIAGE AND FAMILY LIVING 251

This content downloaded from 129.8.242.67 on Sat, 3 Aug 2013 11:32:22 AM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
order to select the most basic or fundamental cate other included items, and (3) would cover
items; (2) to utilize these items, with minor the importantareas of marital adjustmentand
modifications,in the constructionof short mari- predictionas judged by the authors.
tal-adjustmentand predictiontests; and (3) to Fifteen items were selected for the adjust-
test the reliability and validity of these by ap- ment test, and thirty-fivefor the predictiontest.
plying them to a new sample. The possible scores for the adjustment test
First, adjustmentand predictionitems, which ranged from 2-158 points; for the prediction
had proved significant in the original studies, test the score ranged from 0-532 for men, and
were recorded.Then those items were selected from 0-502 for women.
which (1) had the highest level of discrimina- The short marital-adjustmenttest is as fol-
tion in the original studies, (2) did not dupli- lows:

TEST
MARITAL-ADJUSTMENT
1. Check the dot on the scale line below which best describes the degree of happiness, everything considered,
of your present marriage. The middle point, "happy," represents the degree of happiness which most
people get from marriage, and the scale gradually ranges on one side to those few who are very unhappy
in marriage, and on the other, to those few who experience extreme joy or felicity in marriage.

0 2 7 15 20 25 35
* * * 0

Very Happy Perfectly

Unhappy Happy
State the approximate extent of agreement or disagreement between you and your mate on the following
items. Please check each column.
Almost Almost
Always Always Occasionally Frequently Always Always
Agree Agree Disagree Disagree Disagree Disagree
2. Handling family finances 5 4 3 2 1 0
3. Matters of recreation 5 4 3 2 1 0
4. Demonstrations of affection 8 6 4 2 1 0
5. Friends 5 4 3 2 1 0
6. Sex relations 15 12 9 4 1 0
7. Conventionality (right, good,
or proper conduct) 5 4 3 2 1 0
8. Philosophy of life 5 4 3 2 1 0
9. Ways of dealing with in-laws 5 4 3 2 1 0
10. When disagreements arise, they usually result in: husband giving in 0 , wife giving in 2 , agree-
ment by mutual give and take 10
11. Do you and your mate engage in outside interests together? All of them 10 , some of them 8
very few of them 3 , none of them 0 .
12. In leisure time do you generally prefer: to be "on the go" - , to stay at home - ? Does your mate
generally prefer: to be "on the go" - , to stay at home ? (Stay at home for both, 10 points; "on
the go" for both, 3 points; disagreement, 2 points.)
13. Do you ever wish you had not married? Frequently 0 , occasionally 3 , rarely 8 , never 15
14. If you had your life to live over, do you think you would: marry the same person 15 , marry a differ-
ent person 0 , not marry at all 1 ?
15. Do you confide in your mate: almost never 0 , rarely 2 , in most things 10 , in everything
10 ?

The short marital-predictiontest is as follows:

252 MARRIAGE AND FAMILY LIVING August, 1959

This content downloaded from 129.8.242.67 on Sat, 3 Aug 2013 11:32:22 AM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
 MARITAL-PREDICTION
TEST
1. Circle the number which represents the highest grade of schooling which you had completed at the time
of your marriage:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
Grade School High School College Postgraduate
(0) (5) (10) (20)
2. Check the number which represents your age at the time of marriage: 19 and under 0 , 20-24
H,2;W,5 ; 25-30 10 ; 31 and over 8 .
3. How long did you "keep company" with your mate before marriage? (check) 1 to 3 months 0 ;
3 to 6 months 2 ; 6 months to 1 year 4 ; 1 to 2 years 7 ; 2 to 3 years 10 ; 3 years or
longer 15 .
4. How long had you known your mate at the time of your marriage? (check) 1 to 3 month 0 ; 3 to
6 months 2 ; 6 months to 1 year 4 ; 1 to 2 years 7 ;2 to 3 years 10 ; 3 to 5 years 15 ;
5 years or longer 20 ; since childhood 25 .
5. My father and mother (check) both approved my marriage 15 ; both disapproved my marriage 0 ;
father disapproved H,0;W,5 ; mother disapproved 5 .
6. My childhood and adolescence, for the most part, were spent in: (check) open country 20 ; a town
of 2,500 population or under 15 ; a city of 2,500 to 10,000 10 ; 10,000 to 50,000 3 ; 50,000
and over 0 .
7. Did you ever attend Sunday school or other religious school for children and young people? (check)
Yes ; no H,5;W,0 . If answer is yes, at what age did you stop attending such a school? Before
10 years old H,10;W,5 ; 11 to 18 years H,15;W,10 ; 19 and over H,25;W,20 ; still attending
H,25;W,20 .
8. Religious activity at time of marriage: (check) never attended church 0 ; attended less than once pel
month 3 ; once per month H,8;W,5 ; twice H,12;W,7 ; three times H,15;W,10 ; four
times H,15;W,10 ; more than four times H,15;W,10 .
9. Indicate the number of your friends of the same sex before marriage: (check) almost none 0 ; a few
H,5;W,10 ; several H,10;W,15 ; many H,15;W,20 .
10. Before your marriage how much conflict was there between you and your father? (check) None H,2'5;
W,20 ; very little H,20;W,15 ; moderate H,15;W,10 ; a good deal H,5;W,3 ; almost con-
tinuous 0 .
11. Before your marriage how much attachment was there between you and your father? (check) None 0 ;
very little 5 ; moderate 7 ; a good deal H,15;W,10 ; very close H,25;W,15 .
12. Before your marriage how much conflict was there between you and your mother? (check) None H,25;
W,20 ; very little H,20;W,15 ; moderate H,15;W,10 ; a good deal H,5;W,3 ; almost con-
tinuous 0 .
13. Before your marriage how much attachment was there between you and your mother? (check) None
0 ; very little 5 ; moderate 7 ; a good deal H,15;W,10 ; very close H,25;W,15 .
14. Give your appraisal of the happiness of your parents' marriage: (check) very happy 45 ; happy 30 ;
about averagely happy 15 ; unhappy 3 ; very unhappy 0
15. My childhood on the whole was: (check) very happy 35 ; happy 20 ; about averagely happy
10 ; unhappy 3 ; very unhappy 0
16. In my childhood I was (check) punished severely for every little thing 0 ; was punished frequently
2 ; was occasionally punished 10 ; rarely 15 ; never 15
17. In my childhood the type of training in my home was: (check) exceedingly strict 5 ; firm but not
harsh 20 ; usually allowed to have my own way 5 ; had my own way about everything 3 ;
irregular (sometimes strict, sometimes lax) 0 .
18. What was your parents' attitude toward your early curiosities about birth and sex? (check) Frank and
encouraging 15 ; answered briefly 10 ; evaded or lied to me 3 ; rebuffed or punished me 0 ;
I did not disclose my curiosity to them 5
19. My general mental ability, compared to my mate's is: (check) very superior to his (hers) 0 ;
somewhat greater H,5;W,0 ; about equal H,15;W,20 ; somewhat less H,5;W,10; considerably
less 0 .
20. Before marriage what was your general attitude toward sex? (check) One of disgust and aversion 0 ;
indifference H,0;W,5 ; interest and pleasant anticipation 15 ; eager and passionate longing
H,5;W,0 .
(Concluded on following page.)

August, 1959 MARRIAGE AND FAMILY LIVING 253

This content downloaded from 129.8.242.67 on Sat, 3 Aug 2013 11:32:22 AM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
21. Do you often feel lonesome, even when you are with other people? (check) Yes 0 ; No. 5 ; ? 2
22. Are you usually even-tempered and happy in your outlook on life? Yes 20 ; No 0 ; ? 9
23. Do you often feel just miserable? (check) Yes 0 ; No 7 ; ? 3
24. Does some particular useless thought keep coming into your mind to bother you? (check) Yes 0 ;
No 5 ; ? 2
25. Do you often experience periods of loneliness? (check) Yes 0 ; No 10 ; ? 4
26. Are you in general self-confident about your abilities? (check) Yes 5 ; No 0; ? 2
27. Are you touchy on various subjects? (check) Yes 0 ; No 6 ; ? 2
28. Do you frequently feel grouchy? (check) Yes 0 ; No 8 ; ? 3
29. Do you usually avoid asking advice? (check) Yes 0 ; No 5 ; ? 2
30. Do you prefer to be alone at times of emotional stress? (check) Yes 0 ; No 5 ; ? 2
31. Do your feelings alternate between happiness and sadness without apparent reason? (check) Yes 0
No 6 ; ? 2 .
32. Are you often in a state of excitement? (check) Yes 0 ; No 5 ; ? 2
33. Are you considered critical of other people? (check) Yes 0 ; No 8 ; ? 3
34. Does discipline make you discontented? (check) Yes 0 ; No 7 ; ? 3 .
35. Do you always try carefully to avoid saying anything that may hurt anyone's feelings? (check)
Yes 10 ;No 0 ; ? 4 .

THE SAMPLE only one child.23Mean length of marriagewas

A sample representativeof the general mar- 5.6 years for husbandsand 5.3 years for wives.
ried population was not needed, for the only Casesmarriedless than one year were excluded.
We now turn to the question of reliabilityand
purposeof this study was to see if reliable and
valid short tests could be constructed.However, validity.
if it were to be used either in counseling or for RELIABILITYAND VALIDITY OF THE MARITAL-
research,it would be most applicableto a mid- ADJUSTMENT TEST
dle class group. The social characteristicsof the
118 husbands and 118 wives in the present The reliability coefficientof the adjustment
sample were quite similar to those of the Bur- test, computed by the split-half technique and
correctedby the Spearman-Brownformula, was
gess-Cottrelland the Termansamples.The hus-
bands and wives were not related spouses and, .90. Thus the short adjustment test has high
consequently,the sample represents 236 mar- reliability.
riages. Forty-eightof the 236 subjects were known
The sample was a predominantlyyoung,17 to be maladjustedin marriage.Extensive case
data corroboratedthis for thirty-oneof the per-
native-white,18 educated,19 Protestant,20 white-
collar and professional,21 urban group.22 The sons, twenty-nineof whom were clients of the
families were predominantly childless or had AmericanInstitute of Family Relations. Eleven
more cases were recentlydivorced,and six were
17Mean age of husbands was twenty-nine years; wives, separated,making a total of twenty-two males
thirty years.
18 Eighty-one per cent of subiects' fathers were native-
and twenty-six females in the maladjusted
white Americans; 15 per cent were born in Northern European group. This group of forty-eightwas matched
countries. for age and sex with forty-eightpersons in the
19Seventy per cent had some college training; 42 per cent
of husbands and 32 per cent of wives h'ad graduated from sample judged to be exceptionallywell-adjusted
college; mean years of education was fifteen for husbands and in marriageby friends who knew them well.
fourteen for wives.
20Seventy-three per cent were Protestant; 11 per cent The mean adjustmentscore for the well-ad-
Catholic; 5 per cent Jewish; and 11 per cent no church
affiliation.
justed group was 135.9, whereasthe mean score
21Fifty-four per cent of husbands engaged in professional, for the maladjustedgroup was only 71.7. This
sales, and semiprofessional occupations; 58 per cent of wives
listed occupation as housewife, and the majority of the re- 23 Forty per cent of husbands and 48 per cent of wives had
mainder were in clerical, skilled, and semiskilled occupations. no children; 39 per cent of husbands and 27 per cent of wives
22 All cases were from Los Angeles. had only one child.

254 MARRIAGE AND FAMILY LIVING August, 1959

This content downloaded from 129.8.242.67 on Sat, 3 Aug 2013 11:32:22 AM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
difference was very significant,for the critical most identical with those obtained in both the
ratio was 17.5. Burgess-Cottrelland the Terman studies. Bur-
Only 17 per cent of the maladjustedgroup gess and Cottrell obtained a correlationof .48
achieved adjustmentscores of one hundred or between the adjustment and prediction scores
higher, whereas96 per cent of the well-adjusted for their couples.24Terman and his associates
group achieved scores of one hundredor more. obtainedcorrelationsbetweenthe happinessand
The above figures indicate that this short prediction scores of .54 for husbands and .47
marital-adjustment test clearly differentiatesbe- for wives.25
tween persons who are well-adjustedand those
who are maladjustedin marriage.It is evident, CONCLUSIONS

therefore, that the test has validity, since it The foregoing data confirm the hypothesis
seems to measurewhat it purportsto measure- tested in this study: namely, that marital-ad-
namely, maritaladjustment. justmentandmarital-prediction tests,constructed
with a relatively small number of basic and
RELIABILITYAND VALIDITY OF THE MARITAL-
fundamental items, achieve results approxi-
PREDICTION
TEST
mately comparablewith the longer and more
The reliability coefficientof the prediction complex adjustmentand predictiontests.
test, computed by the split-half technique and With the short tests, measurementor predic-
correctedby the Spearman-Brownformula, was tion of maritaladjustmentcan be accomplished
.84. This coefficientis approximatelythe same with approximatelythe same accuracyin a few
as that of other longer tests. minutes as ordinarilywould requirean hour or
The most exactingmeasureof the validity of morewith the longer ones.
a marital-predictiontest would requirea longi- These findings also raise a question: Can
tudinal study over a period of several years. short tests of all types, which use a few of the
Since this was not feasible, the predictionscores most basic and discriminatingitems, profitably
were correlatedwith the adjustmentscores for replace the long ones in current use? Further
the 236 husbandsand wives. For the total sam- researchis needed to answer this question.
ple, the coefficientof correlationbetween the
24 Ernest W. Burgess and Leonard S. Cottrell, op. cit.,
prediction and adjustmentscores was .47.
p. 286.
Interestingly enough, this correlation is al- 25 Lewis M.
Terman, et. al., op. cit., p. 360.

1960 Burgess Award

The E. A. Burgess Award for the best researchproposal for family researchwill
be awardedin August, 1960. The awardcarriesa monetaryvalue of $300.00. Research
outlines, criteria,and other informationmay be obtainedfrom Dr. CharlesBowerman,
Universityof North Carolina,Chairmanof the Award Committee.
Other committeemembersinclude Dr. Lee Burchinal,Iowa State College; Dr. Ber-
nard Farber, University of Illinois; Dr. Alan Kerckhoff,Duke University; and Dr.
Paul Wallin, StanfordUniversity.

August, 1959 MARRIAGE AND FAMILY LIVING 255

This content downloaded from 129.8.242.67 on Sat, 3 Aug 2013 11:32:22 AM

All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions