Analysis Of Covariance Structure Tests Of A Criterial Referents Theory Of Attitudes

To test a criterial referents theory of social attitudes, data obtained in the 1960's and 1970's from factor analyses of social attitudes scales administered to students in the U. S. and Europe and to a random sample of Dutch citizens were reanalyzed using an analysis of covariance structure approach. The two-factor model of the basic hypothesis of the theory -- two relatively orthogonal second-order factors, liberalism (L) and conservatism (C), underlie social attitudes -- was tested against the one-factor model of the assumption of attitude bipolarity -- attitudes have positive and negative poles (L versus C). Although the results of the separate tests of the fit of the two models were mixed, contrast tests of the two models favored the two-factor (dualistic) hypothesis.