ABSTRACT
Data are presented on the Mutuality of Autonomy (MOA) Scale for 40 preadolescent, normal Ss (21 girls, 19 boys). Ss gave modal responses indicative of benign interaction; counterbalanced maladaptive scores with adaptive representations in 90% of the cases; and avoided toxic, malevolent responses. This pattern lends further criterion validity to a measure increasingly used with psychiatric populations. Age and IQ were not significantly correlated with MOA scores. Pronounced gender differences were found, with girls producing significantly more adaptive and less malevolent MOA scores. A more detailed assessment of gender differences in object representational paradigms appears warranted.
