Netta Weinstein
Motivation Psychology
Dispositional Autonomous Functioning scale (DAFS)
Scale description
The DAFS is a new instrument assessing dimensions of trait autonomy, consisting of three subscales: personal authorship, interest taking, and absence of control. Subscales were developed from theoretical considerations and designed to maintain coherence and validity in adult populations. The DAFS has the additional benefit of being easy to administer and relatively short. Researchers may use subscales separately or compute a total trait autonomy score with the formula (autonomy = authorship + interest - control). Both subscales and the full scale have been shown to relate to trait and daily well-being outcomes, effective interpersonal regulation, and autonomous behavior regulation in specific situations. Additionally, this scale has shown internal consistency, high test-retest reliability, and incremental validity over other scales measuring trait autonomy.
References
Weinstein, N., Przybylski, A. K., & Ryan, R. M. (2009). Development of a scale of human autonomy. Unpublished manuscript, University of Rochester.
full scale with items
Defensive Experiences scale (DES)
Scale description
The Defensive Experiences scale was designed to assess subjective perceptions of threat or defense. The scale asks participants to report on how much they feel a number of ways thought to reflect defense, including ‘tense inside,’ ‘vulnerable,’ and ‘receptive’ (reversed). This scale was shown to have adequate internal reliability (α = .73-.76) and is predicted by imagined interpersonal situations thought to elicit a sense of defense.
References
Weinstein, N., DeHaan, C., & Ryan, R. M. (2009). Attributions of prosocial behaviors. Unpublished manuscript, University of Rochester.
full scale with items
Motivation for Prosocial Behavior scale (MPB)
Scale description
Adapted from other self-regulation scales in the SDT literature (e.g., school motivation and prosocial motivation in children: Ryan & Connell, 1989; motivation for religious behavior: Ryan, Rigby, & King, 1993), the Motivation for Prosocial Behavior scale was designed to distinguish autonomous from controlled reasons for helping others. The scale includes eleven items that are paired with a 7-point scale, assessing autonomy (e.g., “Because I thought it was important”) and control (e.g., “Because I’d feel like a bad person if I didn’t”), separately. Internal reliability for the scale is high (α ≈ .90).
References
Weinstein, N., & Ryan, R. M. (2009). When helping helps: Autonomous motivation for prosocial behavior and its influence on well-being for the helper and recipient. Unpublished manuscript, University of Rochester.
full scale with items
Scale description
The DAFS is a new instrument assessing dimensions of trait autonomy, consisting of three subscales: personal authorship, interest taking, and absence of control. Subscales were developed from theoretical considerations and designed to maintain coherence and validity in adult populations. The DAFS has the additional benefit of being easy to administer and relatively short. Researchers may use subscales separately or compute a total trait autonomy score with the formula (autonomy = authorship + interest - control). Both subscales and the full scale have been shown to relate to trait and daily well-being outcomes, effective interpersonal regulation, and autonomous behavior regulation in specific situations. Additionally, this scale has shown internal consistency, high test-retest reliability, and incremental validity over other scales measuring trait autonomy.
References
Weinstein, N., Przybylski, A. K., & Ryan, R. M. (2009). Development of a scale of human autonomy. Unpublished manuscript, University of Rochester.
full scale with items
Defensive Experiences scale (DES)
Scale description
The Defensive Experiences scale was designed to assess subjective perceptions of threat or defense. The scale asks participants to report on how much they feel a number of ways thought to reflect defense, including ‘tense inside,’ ‘vulnerable,’ and ‘receptive’ (reversed). This scale was shown to have adequate internal reliability (α = .73-.76) and is predicted by imagined interpersonal situations thought to elicit a sense of defense.
References
Weinstein, N., DeHaan, C., & Ryan, R. M. (2009). Attributions of prosocial behaviors. Unpublished manuscript, University of Rochester.
full scale with items
Motivation for Prosocial Behavior scale (MPB)
Scale description
Adapted from other self-regulation scales in the SDT literature (e.g., school motivation and prosocial motivation in children: Ryan & Connell, 1989; motivation for religious behavior: Ryan, Rigby, & King, 1993), the Motivation for Prosocial Behavior scale was designed to distinguish autonomous from controlled reasons for helping others. The scale includes eleven items that are paired with a 7-point scale, assessing autonomy (e.g., “Because I thought it was important”) and control (e.g., “Because I’d feel like a bad person if I didn’t”), separately. Internal reliability for the scale is high (α ≈ .90).
References
Weinstein, N., & Ryan, R. M. (2009). When helping helps: Autonomous motivation for prosocial behavior and its influence on well-being for the helper and recipient. Unpublished manuscript, University of Rochester.
full scale with items