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Effects of Response Option Order on Likert-Type Psychometric Properties and Reactions
Chet Robie1, Adam W Meade2, Stephen D Risavy1
1Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
Educational and Psychological Measurement
|November 3, 2022
Summary
Response option order in surveys has minimal impact on results, including personality assessments. However, completely randomized orders may increase careless responding, warranting further investigation.
Area of Science:
- Psychological Measurement
- Survey Methodology
- Quantitative Psychology
Background:
- Response option order effects are a known factor in survey research.
- Previous studies typically examine incremental vs. decremental arrangements.
- The impact on various response characteristics remains incompletely understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of different response option orders on survey responses.
- To extend previous research by including random and completely randomized conditions.
- To examine effects on measurement equivalence, scale means, item distributions, participant reactions, and careless responding.
Main Methods:
- Utilized four response option order conditions: incremental, decremental, randomly incremental/decremental, and completely randomized.
- Administered a recognized personality assessment to 1,198 university students.
- Controlled for false discovery rate and focused on effect sizes.
Main Results:
- Little to no significant effects of response option order were found on measurement equivalence, scale means, item distributions, or participant reactions.
- The completely randomized condition showed differences in several indices of careless responding.
- Effect sizes were generally small across most conditions and measures.
Conclusions:
- Response option order has a negligible impact on the psychometric properties of the tested personality assessment.
- Completely randomized response option orders may be a risk factor for increased careless responding.
- Future research should explore the implications of randomizing response options and their effect on data quality.
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