<p>Shwartz (2003) writes:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Two studies with students have assessed the test-retest reliability of
  the ten values, as measured by the PVQ. Respondents completed the PVQ
  twice, separated by an interval of two-weeks in Israel and 6 weeks in
  Germany. The test-retest reliabilities (Israel &amp; Germany) were
  moderate to high: power .84 &amp; .77, security .88 &amp; .70, conformity .86
  &amp; .72, tradition .81 &amp; .80, benevolence .82 &amp; .62, universalism .83 &amp;
  .75, self-direction .66 &amp; .70, stimulation .74 &amp; .76, hedonism .84 &amp;
  .65, achievement .83 &amp; .82.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>However, It would be good have moreinformation in that description to really evaluate the quality of the data. I.e., Was the data ipsatised? What was the sample size?</p>

<p>Schwartz, Caprara, and Vecchione (2010) measured basic values using the PVQ in a sample 1030 participants before and after an election. They report that </p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Test-retest correlations ranged from .65 (benevolence) to .75 (achievement and hedonism).</p>
</blockquote>

<p>This 2010 paper seems more relevant given the large adult sample.
Overall, these test-retest correlations are a little lower than what I've often seen with a well-validated measure of personality, where you might see test-retest correlations more in the .75 to .85 range.</p>

<p>In general, it's difficult to say whether these slightly lower correlations reflect the slightly more volatile nature of values or whether it is due to some measurement issues. In particular, I imagine having 3 items for some scales should lead to slightly lower test-retest correlations.</p>

<p>Schwartz, S. H. (2003). A proposal for measuring value orientations across nations. Questionnaire Package of the European Social Survey, 259-290.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-11-01T05:59:30.833Z
2016-11-01T06:19:56.623Z
2016-11-01T06:19:56.623Z
Jeromy Anglim
<p>The PVQ has some unusual aspects to how it is scored. It asks questions in the third person, it uses ipsatisation in the scoring, and the number of items per basic value can vary from  3 to 9 items. I'm curious to know how stable scores are over short periods of time (e.g., a week or a month).</p>

<p>Are there any published test-retest correlations for the PVQ?</p>

<personality>
What is the test-retest reliability for the Portrait Values Questionnaire?
Jeromy Anglim
# What is the test-retest reliability for the Portrait Values Questionnaire?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2016-11-01)

The PVQ has some unusual aspects to how it is scored. It asks questions in the third person, it uses ipsatisation in the scoring, and the number of items per basic value can vary from 3 to 9 items. I'm curious to know how stable scores are over short periods of time (e.g., a week or a month).

Are there any published test-retest correlations for the PVQ?

**Tags:** personality


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_0 on 2016-11-01. Score: 1

Shwartz (2003) writes:

> Two studies with students have assessed the test-retest reliability of
> the ten values, as measured by the PVQ. Respondents completed the PVQ
> twice, separated by an interval of two-weeks in Israel and 6 weeks in
> Germany. The test-retest reliabilities (Israel & Germany) were
> moderate to high: power .84 & .77, security .88 & .70, conformity .86
> & .72, tradition .81 & .80, benevolence .82 & .62, universalism .83 &
> .75, self-direction .66 & .70, stimulation .74 & .76, hedonism .84 &
> .65, achievement .83 & .82.

However, It would be good have moreinformation in that description to really evaluate the quality of the data. I.e., Was the data ipsatised? What was the sample size?

Schwartz, Caprara, and Vecchione (2010) measured basic values using the PVQ in a sample 1030 participants before and after an election. They report that

> Test-retest correlations ranged from .65 (benevolence) to .75 (achievement and hedonism).

This 2010 paper seems more relevant given the large adult sample.
Overall, these test-retest correlations are a little lower than what I've often seen with a well-validated measure of personality, where you might see test-retest correlations more in the .75 to .85 range.

In general, it's difficult to say whether these slightly lower correlations reflect the slightly more volatile nature of values or whether it is due to some measurement issues. In particular, I imagine having 3 items for some scales should lead to slightly lower test-retest correlations.

Schwartz, S. H. (2003). A proposal for measuring value orientations across nations. Questionnaire Package of the European Social Survey, 259-290.


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