Variable
Anger may arise in response to a variety of everyday stimulus situations often involving frustration of one’s
efforts. It is possible to vicariously arouse anger through invoking hypothetical imaginary scenarios. Imagining
such scenarios may ‘evoke anger, and thereby offer clues about an individual’s propensity for anger arousal.
However, hypothetical scenarios of the kind featured in the RI often run the risk of being over-specific and thus
of limited generalizability across test-takers ( Fernandez, 2008 , p. 406).
Description
The original RI was devised by Evans and Stangeland (1971) . The RI presents 76 intuitively selected items that
may incite anger, tapping into 10 hypothetical scenarios derived factor analytically (see below) including: Minor
chance annoyances, Destructive people, Unnecessary delays, Inconsiderate people, Self-opinionated people,
Frustration in business, Criticism, Major chance annoyances, People being personal, and Authority. Individuals
respond on a 5-point Likert-type rating scale indicating the degree to which they would be angered by each
scenario. In addition, a Korean adaptation of the RI has been produced ( Cho et al., 2009 ). Although the RI was con-
structed to measure ‘the number and type of incidents that arouse anger’ ( Leenaars & Lester, 2011 , p. 65), it remains
‘an instrument that has been on the periphery of anger assessment methodology’ ( Fernandez, 2008 , p. 406).
Sample
Evans and Stangeland (1971) utilized a heterogeneous sample of 275 university and non-university students
(84 males; 191 females) ranging in age from 16 to 75 years (Mdn 521 years). The total sample consisted of four
separate subsamples: Sample 1 (16 males; 29 females; Mdn 525 years), Sample 2 (10 males; 21 females; Mdn 522
years), Sample 3 (30 males; 108 females; Mdn 518 years), and Sample 4 (friends and family members who had
not attended university: 28 males; 33 females; Mdn 526 years). Subsequently, a Korean adaptation of the RI
(Cho et al., 2009 ) utilized a sample of 216 elderly depressed patients (170 women, 46 men; M571.6 years,
SD56.3) and a separate sample of 198 normal elderly individuals (128 women, 70 men; M572.6 years, SD55.9)
(Baeg, Wang, Chee, Kim, & Kim, 2011 ).
Reliability
Internal Consistency
Taking the mean item-test correlation (.46) as the starting point, and using Gaylord’s formula, the estimated
internal consistency coefficient was found to be .95 ( Evans & Stangeland, 1971 ). However, such a high level
of ‘internal consistency’ may be problematic in terms of possible item redundancy and inadequate breadth of
measurement of a scale (cf. Boyle, 1991 ).
Test/C0Retest
Biaggio et al. (1981, Table 1) using a sample of 60 undergraduate students reported a two-week test /C0retest
reliability coefficient of .70.
Validity
Convergent/Concurrent
As evidence of convergent/concurrent validity, the RI total score was found to correlate positively (.52) with
the BDHI in a subsample of 45 undergraduates (16 males; 29 females), and .57 in a separate sample of 138 under-
graduates (30 males; 108 females; Mdn 518 years ( Evans & Stangeland, 1971 ). Also, Biaggio (1980) reported that
in a sample of undergraduates ( N5150), the RI correlated positively and highly (.82) with the conceptually simi-
lar NAS, showing substantial overlap in measurement variance and evidence of convergent/concurrent validity.
Divergent/Discriminant
As evidence of divergent/discriminant validity, Biaggio (1980, p.296) reported that the RI correlated negatively
(/C0.29) with the Marlowe /C0Crowne Social Desirability Scale. As further evidence of discriminative validity,
Biaggio also reported the results of a factor analysis based on the subscale inter-correlations for the BDHI, ASR,
RI, and AI measures combined ( N5150) wherein she obtained four factors. Indicative of discriminative validity,
the NAS was loaded by a separate factor (together with the RI), and did not overlap with the BDHI and ASR
measures which were loaded by other factors. Subsequently, Biaggio et al. (1981) reported negligible correlations
(ranging from .05 to /C0.22) between the RI and the Personal Incidents Record .83 MEASURES REVIEWED IN DETAIL
II. EMOTIONAL DISPOSITIONS