Measurement of Informal Selection Processes

Abstract

When statements of formal eligibility requirements fail to account for the characteristics of institutional populations, there is a tendency to resort to speculative explanations. This study examined some methods for empirical evaluations of these speculative notions. Univariate and step-down analyses did not aid in conceptualizing informal selection processes in this study; a discriminant function analysis seemed to provide an adequate approach to a synthesis. The method was illustrated by examining definable subsamples in a VA domiciliary which were compared with a non-institutional, community sample; means of the standardization samples for the tests used provided additional reference points for comparison. For these particular subsamples from this institution, alterations in self concept appeared to provide the single unifying theme which best integrated the diverse differences among the groups.