A test of spuriousness in descriptive models of participative leader behavior

Abstract

A recent program of research, designed to explore the effects of 7 situational variables on the choice of autocratic vs participative leader behavior, has relied on a measure of behavioral intent in hypothetical managerial decision making situations. The present investigation addresses speculation that use of this instrument produces spurious results attributable to confounded differences in the hierarchical level of these imaginary situations. A new instrument that offers greater internal validity through systematic manipulation of hierarchical level was developed and administered to 109 managers from 2 organizations. To evaluate the implications of the prior confounding, these data are compared with responses from 330 other managers administered previous versions of the instrument. Analyses revealed substantial similarities among results produced by different instruments. However, previous estimates of the magnitudes of 4 relationships do appear to have been somewhat inflated by the prior confounding. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)