- Ipsative score (intra-individual): used in certain inventories of interests,
when the clients choose between alternative situations (like – dislike, prefer
working with people – prefer working with things); in these cases, the score
is dependent of that obtained for another variable: the higher score for a
variable, the lower the score for another, and the other way around.
The main technical characteristics of the ipsative scores are:
- “scores are always interpreted in pairs;
- each pair is independent from the others;
- these scores are directly obtained by requiring forced answers;
- total score is constant on a bi-polar scale.” (Bezanson, 1978).
Opposite scores are a result of the fact that the area of interests is a continuum scale, from
very high to very low, and also of the fact that if a system of interests tends to focus on a
certain area, other interests are implicitly rejected and/or become less represented. The
increase and the decrease of interest in the two alternatives of the pair in the areas is
constantly connected. An inventory of interests yields a normative score offering an
image of one’s system of interests compared to that of a group of persons practicing
certain professions. But to the same extent it is important to find out one’s area of
interests without comparison against other persons or groups of persons, thus knowing
one’s range of possible occupational choices.
Method presentation
In designing this instrument the starting point was that interest is an attitude oriented
towards action, so the items were drawn up taking into account the activities most
frequently performed by people involved in certain occupations. The activities presented
in COII are grouped by threes and then paired (each pair being an item of the inventory).
For instance, the Factor Things – People (that is interest in ....)
A B
gluing things together illustrating a magazine
decorating a space of entertainment drawing up an ad
building a warehouse translating a text