Multidimensional Scaling Used to Evaluate Students Residing in a Rehabilitation Unit

Abstract

The Stone-Coles revision of Ekman's “content” model of multidimensional similarity analysis was applied to judgments of person similarity made by four mental health professionals. The person-stimuli evaluated were college student clients (disturbed Ss) and volunteers (normal Ss). Two students in the latter category also served as judges. All judges appeared to share a common frame of reference, as only one factor emerged from a factor analysis of interjudge correlations. The factor analysis of a matrix of correlational similarities calculated from a matrix of mean similarities yielded four factors. These factors were first interpreted using clinical judgment and subsequently these interpretations were checked by correlations with MMPI variables. The first three factors were labeled: I. Action-oriented vs Overcontrolled, II. Sex, and III. Severity of Disturbance. A small fourth factor was uninterpretable.