The issue of scale carving (the administration of select subscales or items from a whole instrument) and its possible effects on research results is complex and is the purpose of this study. The study investigated the effects of scale carving on the reliability of two popular interpersonal violence instruments: Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS) and Sexual Attitudes Survey (SAS). Data were collected from 35 female and 21 male undergraduate psychology students from a Midwestern university. The results indicate that contrary to expectations, reliability coefficients of the CTS whole and carved versions did not significantly differ from each other. However, it is suggested that scale carving may impact other characteristics of certain instruments. It is recommended that psychometric properties of carved instruments be assessed prior to their use in research. References