Measurement of depth of desired and experienced sexual involvement at different stages of dating

Marita P. McCabe, John K. Collins

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    39 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    A scale was constructed which may be used to measure depth of desired and experienced sexual involvement during various stages of dating. Consisting of 12 items, thescale was constructed after administering a scale of 16 items, derived from previously published scales, to 259 subjects. Test-retest reliability for the desired behaviors and actual experiences of 61 subjects was found to range as high as.86 for dating desires to.96 for dating behavior. The coefficients of reproducibility and seal-ability werefound to range from.94 to.95 and from.70 to.79, respectively, using 2, 001 subjects. Coefficient alpha ranged from.87 to.99 for different uses of the scale. Item to totalcorrelations and construct validity were examined using the responses of 156 subjects and 259 subjects, respectively. Results showed that although initial differences existedbetween the sexes, compatibility of behavior and desire developed over stages of datingand with increasing age. Criterion validity was measured using 29 couples in a going-steady relationship. These couples exhibited a high level of compatibility in sexual desire.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)377-390
    Number of pages14
    JournalThe Journal of Sex Research
    Volume20
    Issue number4
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 1 Nov 1984

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