Leisure Sciences, 32: 240–254, 2010 Copyright C  Taylor & Francis Group, LLC ISSN: 0149-0400 print / 1521-0588 online DOI: 10.1080/01490401003712648 An Extension and Further Validation of the Potential for Conflict Index JERRY J. VASKE AND JAY BEAMAN Human Dimensions of Natural Resources Colorado State University Fort Collins, CO, USA HUMBERTO BARRETO Department of Economics & Management DePauw University Greencastle, IN, USA LORI B. SHELBY School of Recreation, Health, and Tourism George Mason University Manassas, VA, USA The Potential for Conflict Index (PCI) was developed to facilitate understanding and applicability of leisure, recreation, and human dimensions findings to managerial con- cerns. The PCI ranges from 0 (minimal potential for conflict) to 1 (maximum potential for conflict) and simultaneously describes a variable’s central tendency, dispersion, and shape using a graphic display. This article (a) describes applications of the original formulation of the PCI (PCI 1 ) to illustrate the statistic’s practical utility, (b) introduces the second generation of the PCI (PCI 2 ) and discusses enhancements incorporated in this version, (c) describes efforts to validate the PCI 2 , and (d) offers suggestions for con- tinuing the empirical validation process. Programs for calculating, graphing, and com- paring PCI 2 values are freely available from http://welcome.warnercnr.colostate.edu/ ∼ jerryv. Keywords consensus, disagreement, potential for conflict index, ratings Many research studies in leisure, recreation, and human dimensions of natural resources ap- ply survey methodologies and quantitative analytical techniques to improve understanding of complex concepts such as motivations, attitudes, and norms (Vaske, 2008). A primary goal of this research is to provide information that can inform and improve decision making. When communicating results to nontechnical audiences, however, researchers must clearly convey the meaning of the quantitative analyses and the statistical/practical implications of Received 16 April 2009; accepted 28 October 2009. The authors would like to thank Roy Dvorak for developing the stand alone version of PCI. We also thank the two anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments on earlier versions of this article. Address correspondence to Dr. Jerry J. Vaske, Human Dimensions of Natural Resources, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1480. E-mail: jerryv@warnercnr.colostate.edu 240 Downloaded By: [Colorado State University] At: 01:48 1 May 2010