Achievement Motivation Scale (AMS, Cassidy & Lynn)
Psychology: PersonalityReliability: alpha 0.693 sample items
About this scale
A 49-item measure of seven facets of achievement motivation: work ethic, acquisitiveness, dominance, excellence, competitiveness, status aspiration, and mastery.
Sample item(s)
“I think I would enjoy having authority over other people (dominance)”
“I would rather work for a good boss than for myself (mastery, reverse)”
“I'm satisfied with myself unless others think I'm not as good as I should be (competitiveness)”
Reliability
Reported internal consistency: alpha 0.69. As a rule of thumb, Cronbach’s α ≥ .70 is considered acceptable, ≥ .80 good, and ≥ .90 excellent for established measures.
Notes
Foundational achievement-motivation measure.
Source & citation
Cassidy, T., & Lynn, R. (1989): A multifactorial approach to achievement motivation: The development of a comprehensive measure. Journal of Occupational Psychology, Vol. 62, No. 4, pp. 301–312.
Source. Scale details are summarised from the publication cited above. Always consult the original source for the full item set, scoring, and permission to use.
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