Corresponding Behavior Questions

Abstract

The Corresponding Behavior Questions constitute a 35-item psychological instrument primarily derived from or strongly related to the Multicultural Masculinity Ideology Scale (MMIS), originally validated by Doss and Hopkins in 1998. This scale is designed to assess the degree to which individuals endorse traditional masculine norms and manifest corresponding behavioral patterns across various domains, including emotional control, risk-taking, attitudes towards women and homosexuality, and commitment to familial provision.

The instrument is recognized for its utility in cross-cultural research, aiming to understand diverse conceptualizations of male gender roles. Furthermore, its inclusion in compendiums focusing on violence against women highlights its relevance in studying the link between rigid adherence to masculine ideology and potentially harmful social attitudes or behaviors.

Keywords

Masculinity, Masculinity Ideology, Gender Norms, Sex Roles, Violence Against Women, Cross-Cultural Validation, Psychological Scale, Behavior Questions, MMIS, Emotional Restriction.

Authors

Brian D. Doss, J. Roy Hopkins

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Corresponding Behavior Questions (MMIS) is to provide a quantitative measure of adherence to diverse facets of masculine ideology. By examining specific behavioral statements, the scale allows researchers to map out an individual’s ideological commitment to traditional gender norms, such as the suppression of emotion, the prioritization of status and physical dominance, and specific patterns of sexual and relational conduct.

Developed with a focus on multicultural perspectives, the scale is crucial for understanding how masculine ideals operate and influence behavior across different demographic and cultural groups, providing a framework for examining the social construction of masculinity.

Construct

The central construct measured is Multicultural Masculinity Ideology (MMI). This construct is multi-dimensional, encompassing several key themes that define traditional male roles. The items provided suggest coverage of specific sub-constructs, including:

• Emotional Restriction: Items related to hiding feelings or blocking out fear (e.g., Items 2, 17, 21, 32).
• Toughness and Aggression: Items concerning fighting, taking risks, and being competitive (e.g., Items 5, 22, 29, 33).
• Status and Provision: Items related to financial success, providing for family, and material display (e.g., Items 6, 19, 25).
• Sexual Conduct: Items addressing sexual frequency, number of partners, and attitudes towards non-intercourse sexual activity (e.g., Items 4, 11, 27, 34).
• Anti-Femininity/Homophobia: Attitudes towards non-traditional relationships or expressing affection (e.g., Items 3, 7).

The mention of “victimasculinity” suggests a focus on aggressive posturing resulting from perceived vulnerability or the refusal to display weakness.

Validity

Validation efforts for this instrument, as reported by Doss and Hopkins (1998), focused heavily on establishing its reliability and Construct Validity across diverse cultural perspectives. This cross-cultural validation ensures that the scale measures the underlying theoretical concept of masculine ideology consistently, rather than being specific to a single cultural context. Strong validation results typically support the scale’s utility in comparing ideological adherence among different populations.

Reliability

While specific reliability coefficients (such as Cronbach’s alpha) are not provided in the source excerpt, validation studies of established psychological instruments, including the MMIS, typically demonstrate high internal consistency for the overall scale and its primary subscales. This indicates that the items within each dimension reliably measure the same underlying construct. Furthermore, high test-retest reliability would confirm the stability of the measurement over time.

Factor Analysis

The MMIS was developed based on extensive factor analytic work designed to isolate distinct, measurable dimensions of masculine ideology. Factor analysis (likely Confirmatory Factor Analysis, given the scale’s establishment) confirms that the 35 items cluster logically into several coherent subscales (e.g., Emotional Restriction, Status, Toughness). This statistical structuring allows researchers to analyze specific components of masculine ideology independently, rather than relying solely on a single, overall score.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report Psychological Scale / Attitudinal Inventory

Format: 35 items, typically utilizing a Likert-type scale (e.g., ranging from 1=Strongly Disagree to 5=Strongly Agree) to measure degree of agreement with behavioral statements.

Language Available: English (Original validation), with potential translations due to its cross-cultural application.

Population Group: Primarily male adolescents and adults.

Age Group: Typically 16 years and older.

Population Details: The scale has been validated across three distinct cultural perspectives, suggesting suitability for ethnically and culturally diverse populations.

Test Methodology: Quantitative assessment of ideological endorsement and corresponding behavioral intentions or past actions.

Keywords

MMIS, Masculine Norms, Emotional Restriction, Risk Taking, Sexual Behavior, Provision, Gender Roles, Aggression, Cross-Cultural Research.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A (Information not provided in source)

Affiliation Email addresses: N/A (Information not provided in source)

Correspondence Address: N/A (Information not provided in source)

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Test Year: 1998 (Year of primary validation study).

Permissions and Fee: The scale is generally available for non-commercial academic research, usually requiring citation of the original Doss and Hopkins (1998) publication. The instrument was compiled by Michael Flood in a compendium focusing on violence measurement. The original PDF of this compendium is available online here: http://www.svri.org/measures.pdf.

Reference’s

Doss, Brian D., and J. Roy Hopkins. (1998). The multicultural masculinity ideology scale: Validation from three cultural perspectives. Sex Roles, May, Vol. 38, Iss. 9/10.

Flood, Michael (Compiler). Measures for the assessment of dimensions of violence against women: A compendium. Sexual Violence Research Initiative.

Items of the Corresponding Behavior Questions

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

1. I am courteous to women my age.
2. I usually do not let others know how I am feeling.
3. I would be able to have a good male friend who was homosexual.
4. ha‎ving a lot of sex partners would make me feel really good about myself.
5. When I am mad at someone‚ I am likely to fight.
6. Providing for my family will be my main goal in life.
7. I hug my close guy friends.
8. My date’s looks are more important to me than her personality.
9. I have trouble keeping a positive attitude towards life.
10. In difficult situations‚ I am confident about my ability.
11. Once I have had sexual intercourse with someone‚ I usually have sexual intercourse with that person as often as possible.
12. In difficult times‚ I try to be tough.
13. I do not get very angry at people when they do something mean to me.
14. I do not have a good idea what I want to do for the rest of my life.
15. I show affection towards people I love.
16. I put my best effort into everything I do.
17. I try to block out fear because it only gets in the way.
18. I don’t (or didn’t) keep my virginity a secret.
19. I buy or wear stuff to make me look richer than I actually am.
20. I don’t go longer than a month between relationships.
21. I do not cry when something bad happens to me or my loved ones.
22. When I want something‚ I use aggressive ways to get it.
23. In a relationship‚ I have oral sex before ha‎ving sexual intercourse.
24. When I am married‚ I will do almost anything to protect my family.
25. The main way I plan to care for my family is to get the highest paying job I can.
26. I am not competitive with others.
27. I have sexual intercourse only in emotionally committed relationships.
28. When my goals seem very hard to reach‚ I don’t try to reach them.
29. I look for danger just for the thrill of it.
30. I am not athletic or good at a sport.
31. I had (or will have) sexual intercourse at my first opportunity.
32. I don’t show emotion because it would mean that I was weak.
33. When there is something I want‚ I will take risks to get it.
34. I am not satisfied with sexual activity if it doesn’t include sexual intercourse.
35. I ask for help when I need it.