An Investigation of Concurrent Validity between Two Optimism/Pessimism Questionnaires: The Life Orientation Test-Revised and the Optimism/Pessimism Scale

The purpose of this investigation was to investigate the concurrent validity of the Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R) (Scheier et al., 1994) and Optimism/Pessimism Scale (OPS) (Dember et al., 1989) by administering each questionnaire to the same group of participants. The 154 participants (84 men and 70 women) were volunteer university students enrolled in physical activity classes at a southeastern university. The questionnaires were counterbalanced to reduce possible bias due to taking one questionnaire before taking the other. Due to recent suggestions concerning scoring mechanisms for the LOT-R (Dember et al., 1989; Hummer, Demher, Melton & Schefft, 1992; Lightsey, 1996; Marshall and Lang, 1990) the instrument was scored to produce a unidimensional score and two subscale scores. The analysis suggested that the LOT-R and OPS may not be measuring similar constructs. The results revealed that the LOT-R may be measuring "trait" optimism and pessimism, while the OPS may be measuring "state" optimism and pessimism. It was also suggested that future research investigate racial differences on these constructs.