Vague quantifiers demonstrate little susceptibility to frame of reference effects

Area of Science:

• Psychological Measurement
• Survey Methodology
• Health Outcomes Research

Background:

• Frames of Reference (FoRs) are comparison standards influencing survey response validity.
• Vague quantifier (VQ) scales are common in quality of life research and may be more susceptible to FoR effects than numeric scales.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of imposing specific FoRs on self-report measures.
• To examine how FoRs affect response levels for VQ and numeric scales.
• To assess the relationship between VQ and quantitative responses under different FoR conditions.

Main Methods:

• 1,869 respondents rated education, commute, sleep, medication use, and physical activity using VQ and numeric formats.
• Participants were assigned to compare themselves to the average US adult, friends, or had no specific comparison instructions.
• Analysis focused on response levels and the association between VQ and numeric responses across FoR conditions.

Main Results:

• FoR conditions did not influence numeric responses.
• Only education attainment VQ responses were significantly affected by FoR.
• The association between numeric and VQ responses remained consistent across FoR conditions.

Conclusions:

• Manipulating interpersonal FoRs had a limited effect on self-report measures.
• These findings suggest that some interpersonal comparisons may not strongly bias survey responses.
• Further research is needed to explore other FoRs and outcome measures.