EDUCATIONAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL MEASUREMENT 1971, 31, 629-636. THE traditional method for observing whether or not a person knows something is to develop a test or examination which provides an opportunity for him to demonstrate his knowledge. The person is asked to indicate, through recall or recognition, the answer to a question and the person asking the question then decides regarding the correctness or appropriateness of the answer. The decision regarding the person's knowledge is a function of what he actually knows, the way the question is asked, and the way the judgment is made concerning the correctness of the answer. The assumption is made that if a question is asked of a person and he answers the question in the proper way, he has the information, and if he does not answer the question properly, he does not have the information.An alternative method to determine whether or not a person knows something is to ask him if he knows it. Thus one can present an individual with a list of laws, principles, persons, or facts and ask the person to check or otherwise indicate the ones with which he is familiar and the degree of his familiarity.Many people do not like to take tests and become frightened or anxious when faced by a test. Tests also can demand much time to develop, administer, and score. On the other hand, few people are reluctant to tell another that they do or do not know something and the collection of such information can be done fairly quickly and economically.The motivation of the respondent and his perception of the rea-1 The author acknowledges the assistance of Mr. Gary R. Hanson in developing the test, collecting the data, and analyzing the results.

Vocational interests, as defined by the Strong Vocational Interest Blank, are, for the most part, expressions of liking and disliking. Attention has hitherto been focused upon the objects of this liking and disliking. The interdependency between these objects cannot be denied. Thorndike, ( 9) after an extensive study on the interests of adults, concluded, "All these records go to show two general facts. First, there is great specialization of interests Second, such group factors as appear seem more related to characteristics of the situation responded to than to unitary 'Traits' in the persons. Music, sport, friendly intercourse and talk, fiction and drama are certainly more obvious, and are probably more significant, as organizing causes than conscientiousness, pugnacity, exercise and the like." * This study is one of a series of studies in process on clinical problems of interest measurement at the University of Minnesota Testing Bureau (1) (6).

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