Stauner, N. (2010). The Values Q-Set. Presented in the Proseminar for Current Research in Personality Psychology, January 21, University of California, Riverside.

1. The Values Q-Set
Nick Stauner
Personality Assessment Lab
UC Riverside

2. Introductory Syllogism
A) My lab’s focus is the study of goals
√
B) I belong to my lab
√
A+B)  My focus is the study of goals
≈
My preferred summary of research interests:
IMPORTANCE ITSELF

3. My Questions:
1. What do we care about?
2. Why do we care?
3. What good does it do us to care?
4. What should we care about?

4. Goals are important!
The Personal Goals Questionnaire (PGQ)
 List of prior participants’ most important goals
 Rated on a 5-point Likert scale for importance
 Definitely important stuff*
Average rating = 3.23 / 5
Less than 1% forgo the maximum rating
Average frequency of maximum rating = 24%
This is from a sample truncated for the ceiling effect!
*N = 693

5. Goal content is structured.
7 principal factors 3 oppositions*
1. Self-Enablement 1. Spiritual vs.
2. Academic Financial
Achievement 2. Intimacy vs.
3. Spirituality Self-Enablement
4. Social Participation 3. Achievement vs.
5. Finances Enjoyment
6. Physical Health
7. Family-Building
*Bipolar factors of 20 parcels of standardized goals

6. Goals have complex influences.
 Social context & developmental stage
 Academic goals are common & most important
 Average within-participant Z-score = .73
 “Live independently from my parents”
 Average within-participant Z-score = .14
 Universal human needs
 E.g., friends & family, finances, enjoyment, stress management
 Individual differences
 Openness & enjoyment-seeking goals (r = .23)
 Extraversion & community-oriented goals (r = .22)
 Neuroticism & “Stop worrying so much” (r = .57)
 Introversion & “Be less shy, more talkative” (r = .53)
 Religious goals are most variable (average SD = 1.47)

7. Individual differences are important.
Conditioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Operant
Personality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Motivation
Two philosophical* arguments for research
 Serious achievement requires serious motivation
 Strong, unwavering, without conflict, beneficial
 Individual differences complicate everything!
 Disagreements over ideals perpetuate conflict
 Scarcity  efficiency
 Different approaches  versatility
 Different ideals  disputation
*I.e., empirically unfounded

8. Schwartz knows values.
 Values = criteria for selecting and justifying action*
 Schwartz Value Survey (SVS)
 56 items rationally derived from theory, such as…
 “LOYAL (faithful to my friends, group)”
 “EQUALITY (equal opportunity for all)”
 “INFLUENTIAL (having an impact on people and events)”
 5-point scale for “This value is very important to me”
3 – 5 = “Slightly Agree / Agree / Agree Strongly”
2 = “Neither agree nor disagree”
1 = “Disagree”
 Ceiling effect is worse than the PGQ!*
 Average rating = 4.0 / 5
 Average frequency of maximum rating = 45%
*Schwartz, 1992 *N = 131

9. I developed a new measure!
The Values Q-Set
 25 items such as…
“Being morally good”
“Being or falling in love”
“Choosing and pursuing a career”
 Derived from Schwartz (1992), Rokeach (1973),
Klinger (1977), Mathews & Mister (1987), etc.
 Ps sort items by importance into 5 groups of 5
“Most – More – Medium – Less – Least”
Better discriminator among highly important values

10. I collected data…
 154 undergraduates at UC Riverside
 39% freshmen, 30% sophomores, 21% juniors, 10% seniors
 95% full-timers (Mean credits = 14.4, SD = 3.2)
 Young adults (Mean = 19.3; SD = 1.8; range = {17 – 31} )
 71% female (110 females, 44 males)
 Ethnically diverse & representative of UCR population
1. 42% East Asian 2. 17% Hispanic 3. 14% Caucasian
4. 10% African 5. 9% South Asian 6. 9% Other / Mixed
 Diverse religious affiliations
1. 50% Christian 2. 28% Atheist/Agnostic/Irreligious
3. 12% Buddhist 4. 6% Muslim 5. 4% Other
 70% single (105 singles, 45 spoken for)

11. I collected data.....
Family's Annual Income
20 20
20
16 16
15
10 9 8 8
6
5 3
0
< $15K $15 - 30K $30 - 50K $50 - 70K $70 - 90K
$90 - 120K $120 - 150K $150 - 200K > $200K
Holy missing data, Batman! (N = 108 / 154 = 70%)

12. I found few demographic effects…
 Income bracket & “Belonging to my family” (r = -.24, p =.02)
 Sex
 “Having a pleasurable life” (M > F, r = .18, p = .03)
 “Being a skilled, capable person” (M > F, r = .16, p = .05)
 “Experiencing and appreciating nature” (M > F, r = .23, p = .01)
 “Exploring or strengthening my religious identity”(F > M, r = .19, p = .01)
 Romantic involvement
 “Being or falling in love” (r = .18, p = .03)
 “Raising children (now or in the future)” (r = .17, p = .05)
 Age & “Being or falling in love” (r = -.17, p = .04)
 Class year affects this even more..? (r = -.28, p = .002)
 Course load (i.e., # of credits)
 “Having or gaining knowledge and wisdom” (r = .18, p = .05)
 “Being or becoming independent” (r = .21, p = .02)
 “Helping people” (r = -.20, p = .02)
 “Understanding my cultural heritage” (r = -.26, p = .004)
 Also related to high school GPA (r = -.23, p = .01)

13. …Except religion.
"Exploring or strengthening my religious identity"
"Living in accordance with my religious beliefs"
5 3.7
4 3.0
2.7 2.6
3 1.9
1.2 1.4 1.8
2 1.2 1.3
1
None Other Buddhists Christians Muslims
 MANOVA ps = {.06 – .002 }, ANOVA ps < .0001

14. The Q-Set and SVS correspond.
 Schwartz’ value scales estimate the Q-Set values well (& v.v.)
 Mean adjusted R = .29 Vice versa mean adj. R = .49
Top 10 best-estimated Q-Set values Adj. R SVS scale
1. “Living in accordance with my religious beliefs” .562 Benev./Tradit.
2. “Having a pleasurable life” .500 Hedonism
3. “Becoming a respected or powerful person” .487 Power
4. “Exploring or strengthening my religious identity” .471 Benev./Tradit.
5. “Being or falling in love” .415 Benev./Hedon.
6. “Experiencing and appreciating nature” .381 Universalism
7. “Helping people” .362 Benevolence
8. “Belonging to my family” .354 Conformity
9. “Being or becoming independent” .338 Self-Direction
10. “Becoming famous, popular, or well-known” .320 Power
11? Having / gaining an understanding of people & cultures .306 (-) Power

15. Schwartz missed a spot! (Or two)
1. “Choosing and pursuing a career”
 3rd most important Q-Set value
 Mean = 3.97; frequency of maximal rating = 35%
 R² = .066  Adjusted R² < 0!
 “SUCCESSFUL (achieving goals)” r = .19
 “INDEPENDENT (self reliant, self sufficient)” r = .18
• Distinct from “Being or becoming independent” r = .09
2. “Having or creating many memories”
 Medium importance
 Mean = 3.10; frequency of maximal rating = 11%
 Adjusted R = .152 (3rd worst)
 No positive correlates among Schwartz scales or items

16. Top 10 Most Important Values
Q-Set value Mean SD f “most”
1. Belonging to my family 4.32 1.06 63%
2. Being or becoming financially secure 3.99 1.19 46%
3. Choosing and pursuing a career 3.97 .96 35%
4. Being healthy and energetic 3.73 1.07 28%
5. Having or gaining knowledge and wisdom 3.66 1.04 25%
5. Being or falling in love 3.66 1.33 38%
7. Having a pleasurable life 3.60 1.33 33%
8. Being morally good 3.59 1.19 29%
9. Gaining and maintaining friendships 3.57 1.05 23%
10. Helping people 3.47 1.10 21%

17. Schwartz’ Most Important Scales
Schwartz value scale Mean SD
1. Achievement 4.16 .60
 Adjusted R = .522, “Belonging to my family”
2. Benevolence 4.04 .55
 Adjusted R = .553, “Belonging to my family”
3. Self-Direction 4.00 .58
 Adjusted R = .382, “Being unique, different, my own individual”
4. Conformity 3.91 .67
 Adjusted R = .543, “Belonging to my family”
5. Hedonism 3.86 .78
 Adjusted R = .511, “Being or falling in love”

18. Bottom 10 Least Important Values
Q-Set value Mean SD f “least”
1. Becoming famous, popular, or well-known 1.45 .92 74%
2. Experiencing and appreciating nature 1.99 1.04 41%
3. Having or gaining an understanding 2.11 1.06 33%
of people and cultures
4. Understanding my cultural heritage 2.12 1.22 42%
5. Exploring or strengthening my religious identity 2.13 1.42 50%
6. Leaving a legacy or having 2.24 1.34 40%
a memorable impact on the world
7. Having or using my imagination and creativity 2.26 1.10 26%
8. Living in accordance with my religious beliefs 2.35 1.54 46%
9. Becoming a respected or powerful person 2.46 1.43 38%
10. Being unique, different, my own individual 2.68 1.19 15%

19. Schwartz’ Least Important Scales
Schwartz value scale Mean SD
1. Power 2.94 .84
 Adjusted R = .604, “Becoming a respected or powerful person”
2. Stimulation 3.26 .90
 Adjusted R = .363, “Being a skilled, capable person”
3. Traditionalism 3.29 .64
 Adjusted R = .555, “Being morally good”
4. Universalism 3.59 .64
 Adjusted R = .401, “Being unique, different, my own individual”
5. Security 3.78 .62
 Adjusted R = .498, “Belonging to my family”

20. Principal Components of the Q-Set
Q-sorting creates bipolar components
 Rating one value high means rating another low
Scree test suggested 3 components
 30% of variance accounted for
 Varimax rotation
1. Spiritual vs. Secular Propriety
2. Solitary vs. Intimate Self-Actualization
3. Social Distinction vs. Integration

21. Spiritual vs. Secular Propriety
Q-Set value Component loading
 Living in accordance with my religious beliefs .74
 Exploring or strengthening my religious identity .66
 Helping people .54
 Being morally good .31
 Having or creating many memories -.21
 Being healthy and energetic -.39
 Being or becoming independent -.44
 Choosing and pursuing a career -.47
 Having a pleasurable life -.48
 Being or becoming financially secure -.63

22. Solitary vs. Intimate Self-Actualization
Q-Set value Component loading
Having or using my imagination and creativity .62
Being a skilled, capable person .60
Experiencing and appreciating nature .49
Having or gaining knowledge and wisdom .36
Being unique, different, my own individual .18
Being or falling in love -.35
Belonging to my family -.39
Raising children (now or in the future) -.59

23. Social Distinction vs. Integration
Q-Set value Component loading
 Becoming famous, popular, or well-known .65
 Becoming a respected or powerful person .64
 Leaving a legacy or having .62
a memorable impact on the world
 Finding or maintaining inner peace and harmony -.18
 Gaining and maintaining friendships -.33
 Understanding my cultural heritage -.33
 Having or gaining an understanding -.48
of people and cultures

24. Interpreting the Q-Set Components
Three choices of emphasis
1. Propriety: spiritual or secular?
Idealism or practicality? Abstract or concrete?
Uphold communal or personal order?
2.Self-actualization: through solitude or intimacy?
Personal or vicarious achievement?
A creative or supportive role?
3.Society: to distinguish or integrate oneself?
To stand out or to fit in?
Lead or follow? Affect or adapt?

25. Schwartz’ theory of values*
Self-Transcendence
Benevolence
Conformity / Tradition
U B
Security
SD T Power
C
Achievement
Openness Conservation
to Change St Hedonism
Se
Stimulation
H
A P Self-Direction
Universalism
Self-Enhancement
*Schwartz, 1992

26. It works for Schwartz’ values…
 Item ratings standardized within participants, summed into 10 scales
 Scree test suggests 2 components that account for 40% of variance
Scale ℓ1 ℓ2 _ Direction
 Hedonism .69 .07 SW
 Stimulation .52 -.44 W-SW
 Conformity -.52 .44 Central E-NE
 Benevolence -.56 -.19 NE
 Traditionalism -.72 -.08_ Outer E-NE_ _
 Security .11 .61 E-SE
 Power .47 .55 S-SE
 Achievement .18 .40 S-SW
 Self-Direction .28 -.49 W-NW
 Universalism .04 -.57 N-NW

27. It works for Schwartz’ values.....
0.8
0.6
0.4
Component 2
0.2
0
-0.2
-0.4
-0.6
-0.8
-0.8 -0.6 -0.4 -0.2 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8
Component 1

28. Spiritual vs. Secular Propriety
Q-Set value SVS Scale Direction
 Living in accordance Tradition E-NE
with my religious beliefs
 Exploring or strengthening Spirituality NE
my religious identity
 Helping people Benevolence N-NE
 Being morally good Benevolence N-NE
 Having or creating many memories Stimulation? W-SW
 Being healthy and energetic Achievement S-SW
 Being or becoming independent Self-Direction W-NW
 Choosing and pursuing a career Achievement? S-SW
 Having a pleasurable life Hedonism SW
 Being or becoming financially secure Power S-SE

29. Solitary vs. Intimate Self-Actualization
Q-Set value SVS Scale Direction
 Having or using my Self-Direction W-NW
imagination and creativity
 Being a skilled, capable person Achievement S-SW
 Experiencing and appreciating nature Universalism N-NW
 Having or gaining knowledge and wisdom Universalism N-NW
 Being unique, different, my own individual Self-Direction W-NW
 Being or falling in love Benevolence N-NE
 Belonging to my family Conformity E-NE
 Raising children (now or in the future) Benevolence N-NE

30. Social Distinction vs. Integration
Q-Set value SVS Scale Direction
 Becoming famous, popular, or well-known Power S-SE
 Becoming a respected or powerful person Power S-SE
 Leaving a legacy or having Achievement S-SW
a memorable impact on the world
 Finding or maintaining Universalism N-NW
inner peace and harmony
 Gaining and maintaining friendships Benevolence N-NE
 Understanding my cultural heritage Tradition E-NE
 Having or gaining an understanding Universalism N-NW
of people and cultures

31. It works for the Q-Set too!
1. Spiritual vs. Secular Propriety = NE vs. SW
 Same as Schwartz scale component 1!
 (Stimulation + Hedonism)
– (Benevolence + Conformity + Traditionalism )
 r = -.41, p < .0001
 Solitary vs. Intimate Self-Actualization = W-NW vs. NE
 (Self-Direction + Universalism)
– (Benevolence + Conformity)
 r = .26, p = .002
 Social Distinction vs. Integration = S vs. N
 (Achievement + Power)
– (Universalism + Benevolence)
 r = .42, p < .0001

32. This augments Schwartz’ theory.
Schwartz’ circumplex seems to work
 Effectively models dynamics of ipsative measure
 Only missing minor value content
Careerism & memories
The Values Q-Set is ready for action!
 Comprehensive, while shorter (if not easier)
 Intermediary between Schwartz’ items & scales
 Unique structure, and no pesky ceiling effect!

33. Needs some augmenting itself…
Further analysis of circumplexity
 Closer comparisons of factor structure
Convergence & discrimination @ item level
An extra step to rank values within 5 groups?
The usual epistemic complaints:
 A sample that isn’t UCR undergrads…
 Some way of testing causes & effects directly
Longitudinal assessment
Maybe an experiment? One of these days..?

34. Stay tuned!
Self-reported, rated, content-coded goals goals goals
The PGQ, freshly revised, w/ replicated factors
 Sneak peek @ Spirituality vs. Finance factor:
 “Hedonistic Stimulation vs. Benevolent Conformity” r = -.41
 Spiritual vs. Secular Propriety r = .64!
Meaning in Life Questionnaire, Life Satisfaction
 Presence & Factor 1: Schwartz (r = -.17), Q-Set (r = .26), PGQ (r = .30)
 Search: Personal vs. Intimate Self-Actualization (r = -.17)
Social Distinction vs. Integration (r = .17)
 Life Satisfaction & Intimacy vs. Self-Enablement goals (r = .17)
The BFI, and tons of religious & spiritual measures…

35. For those keeping me in business
Dan Ozer
My outstanding research assistants
 Elizabeth Castaneda
 Andrew Stimmler
Friends & family
My indulgent participants
and, of course, you!

37. Top 10 largest sex differences of 1966
Personal goals more important to men Difference in average
Being successful in a business of my own 0.67
Becoming an outstanding athlete 0.50
Becoming an export in finance and commerce 0.44
Having executive responsibility for the work of others 0.41
Making a technical contribution to science 0.40
Making a theoretical contribution to science 0.37
Becoming an authority on a special subject in my field 0.35
Becoming influential in public affairs 0.33
Personal goals more important to women Difference in average
Helping others who are in difficulty -0.37
Making sacrifices for the sake of the happiness of others -0.35
Note. Goals were rated on a scale from 1 – 4. Overall N = 12,432 (Richards, 1966)

38. Top 10 largest sex differences of today
Personal goals more important to men Point-Biserial Correlation
Play a sport or improve sports ability .33
Find a romantic partner .20
Enjoy thrilling activities (e.g., skydiving, hang-gliding, etc.) .16
Participate more in sports, recreation, arts, or hobbies .16
Personal goals more important to women Point-Biserial Correlation
Lose weight -.35
Have a better diet -.28
Reduce the stress in my life -.17
Spend more time studying -.16
Plan my academic future -.16
Finish a course assignment -.15
Note. Overall N = 639. All correlation estimates are significant: p < .0001