Wessman & Ricks (1966): study US 1957 /1
Publication
- Author(s):
- Wessman, A.E.; Ricks, D.F.
- Title:
- Mood and Personality.
- Source:
- Holt, Rinehart and Wilson, 1966, New York, USA
Investigation
- Public
- Male college students, followed 3 years, Harvard University, USA, 1957-60
- Sample
- Non-probability chunk sample
- Respondents
- N = 17
- Non Response
- 37%: 9 dropouts, incomplete; about the same happiness distribution.
- Assessment
-
Multiple assesment methods
Mood diary kept 30 days and repeated interviews and tests during three years.
Happiness Measure(s) and Distributional Findings
- Full text:
-
Self report on single question, repeated every evening before retiring during 3 weeks (experience sampling).
"On the average, how happy or unhappy did you feel today....?"
1 Extremely unhappy. Utterly depressed. Completely down.
2 Very unhappy. Depressed. Spirits very low.
3 Pretty unhappy. Somewhat 'blue'. Spirits down.
4 Mildly unhappy. Just a little low.
5 Barely unhappy. Just this side of neutral.
6 Barely happy. Just this side of neutral.
7 Mildly happy. Feeling fairly good and somewhat cheerful.
8 Pretty happy. Spirits high. Feeling good.
9 Very happy. Feeling really good. Elated.
10 Extremely happy. Feeling ecstatic, joyous, fantastic.
Name: Wessman & Ricks' `Elation - Depression Scale" (adapted version) - Classification:
- A-ARE-md-sqr-v-10-a
- Author's label:
- Hedonic level
- Error estimates:
- Reliability: Validity: External congruent validity: - correlations (r) with composite clinical rank order of happiness from 6 months earliers by 6 staff psychologists (inter-judge agreement: r = +.80): r = +.71 with mean daily average, r = +.44 with mean daily peak, r = +.63 with mean daily trough - correlations with questionnaire items indicative of avowed happiness from 2 years earlier: r = +.67 with mean daily average, r = +.66 with peak, r = +.32 with trough - correlations with a system of scoring TAT themes supposedly indicative of happiness; r = +.27 with mean daily average, r = +.19 with peak, r = +.13 with trough - correlations with clinical rank on present happiness, stressing possible aware subjective feelings,from a half year after: r = +.76 with mean daily average, r = +.57 with peak, r = +.56 with trough - correlations with overall composite clinical rank on happiness from half a year after, using all clinical data and knowledge over 3 years: r = +.69 with mean daily average, r = +.48 with peak, r = +.42 with trough. External concurrent validity: - correlations with MMPI Depression Scale, taken 2 years previously: r = -.83 with mean daily average, r = -.63 with peak, r = -.51 with trough - correlations with clinical rank on happy life history, stressing autobio- graphic reports and information concerning past life experiences up to the time of entering college: r = +.48 with mean daily average, r = +.42 with peak, r = +.34 with trough.
- Observed distribution
- Summary Statistics
- On original range 1 - 10 On range 0-10
- Mean:
- 5.96 5.50
- SD:
- 0.94 -