Abstract
A 20-item General Population Assertiveness Contingency Schedule was developed for the measurement of assertive and non-assertive behaviors within a defined role relationship having implied positive, negative, or loss of reinforcement outcomes. The four role areas were: family, work, general interpersonal, and non-specific situation. From a sample of 1200 adults, 1078 were interviewed in the Louisville Metropolitan Health and Family Life Survey. Results indicated assertiveness to be independent of reinforcement contingencies and dependent on role relationships within situations. Situational effects were significant. Correlations between assertiveness and mood states, as well as anxiety, were inverse and supported criterion validity. Cronbach's alpha indicated the schedule was internally consistent. The rank order of situations according to level of assertiveness was work, non-specific situation, general interpersonal, and family. These findings extend the proposed relationship between assertiveness and reinforcement and are consistent with the previously reported inverse relationships between assertiveness and depression. Furthermore, the present paper demonstrates these effects in a large, non-homogeneous sample of the general population.