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The acquiescence effect in responding to a questionnaire.
Andreas Hinz1, Dominik Michalski, Reinhold Schwarz
1Department of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
Psycho-Social Medicine
|September 11, 2009
Summary
Quantifying the acquiescence effect is crucial for accurate assessments. This study found that simple acquiescence scores effectively measure this bias, revealing its prevalence and influencing factors like age and depression.
Area of Science:
- Psychological Measurement
- Survey Methodology
Background:
- The acquiescence effect, a response bias, can significantly distort assessment results.
- Developing reliable methods to quantify this effect is essential for data integrity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test techniques for quantifying the acquiescence effect.
- To assess the suitability of simple summation of item values for measuring acquiescence.
Main Methods:
- A questionnaire study involving 2037 representative subjects.
- Utilized the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI-20) with positively and negatively worded items.
- Calculated individual acquiescence scores for each subscale based on item response summation.
Main Results:
- Extreme acquiescence scores were infrequent (0.5%).
- Consistent individual acquiescence behavior was observed (mean correlation 0.24).
- Item polarity proved as significant as content; older, depressed individuals showed higher acquiescence.
- Rasch scaling identified differences in response category thresholds between item orientations.
Conclusions:
- Simple summation of item values effectively quantifies the acquiescence effect.
- The derived acquiescence scores are suitable for clarifying the amount and conditions of this response bias.
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