Description

The “Adjective Ratings of God” is a psychometric tool designed to assess individuals’ perceptions and beliefs about God through the use of adjectives. This tool asks participants to evaluate God using a set of adjectives that represent various attributes and characteristics.

Objective

The main objectives of the tool are:
Assessment of Perceptions of God: To capture how individuals perceive God in relation to various traits and characteristics.
Understanding Religious Experience: To provide deeper insights into religious experiences and individuals’ perceptions of the nature of God.
Examination of Differences in Perceptions: To explore how perceptions of God may differ between different demographic and religious groups.

Analysis

The analysis of data collected through the tool includes:
Data Collection: Participants complete a questionnaire in which they are asked to rate God using a set of adjectives. Each adjective is evaluated on a Likert scale (e.g., from 1 to 7).
Quantitative Assessment: Ratings are statistically analyzed using descriptive statistics, factor analysis, and correlation analyses to identify patterns and trends in perceptions of God.
Interpretation of Results: Results are interpreted to understand dominant trends and relationships between the characteristics attributed to God and other psychological or religious variables.
Group Comparisons: Differences in perceptions of God are examined between different demographic and religious groups.

Scoring

The scoring of the tool includes:
Ensuring Reliability: Using reliability indicators such as Cronbach’s alpha to assess the internal consistency of responses.
Ensuring Validity: Using methods such as confirmatory factor analysis to ensure the tool accurately measures perceptions of God as intended.
Repetition Testing: Conducting repeat tests with different groups of participants to ensure the reliability and validity of results in different contexts.

References

Gorsuch, R. L. (1968). “The Conceptualization of God as Seen in Adjective Ratings.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 7(1), 56-64.
Benson, P., Donahue, M., & Erickson, J. (1993). “The Faith Maturity Scale: Conceptualization, Measurement, and Empirical Validation.” Research in the Social Scientific Study of Religion, 5, 1-26.
Kirkpatrick, L. A., & Shaver, P. R. (1990). “Attachment Theory and Religion: Childhood Attachments, Religious Beliefs, and Conversion.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 29(3), 315-334.
Spilka, B., Hood, R. W., Hunsberger, B., & Gorsuch, R. (2003). The Psychology of Religion: An Empirical Approach. Guilford Press.
Hill, P. C., & Hood, R. W. (1999). Measures of Religiosity. Birmingham, Alabama: Religious Education Press.