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A Two-interval Forced-choice Task for Multisensory Comparisons
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Equally vs. unequally keyed blocks in forced-choice questionnaires: Implications on validity and reliability
Diego F Graña1, Rodrigo S Kreitchmann2,3, Francisco J Abad1
1Department of Social Psychology and Methodology, Faculty of Psychology, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
Journal of Personality Assessment
|November 11, 2024
Summary
Forced-choice (FC) questionnaires with equally keyed item pairs are recommended over unequally keyed pairs. This study found no significant differences in reliability or validity, suggesting simpler, equally keyed designs minimize response bias issues.
Area of Science:
- Psychological assessment
- Personality measurement
- Quantitative psychology
Background:
- Forced-choice (FC) questionnaires are increasingly used in psychological research.
- The use of unequally keyed item pairs in FC questionnaires is debated due to potential impacts on social desirability and score interpretation.
- Previous research offers conflicting evidence regarding the benefits and drawbacks of unequally keyed items.
Purpose of the Study:
- To empirically compare the reliability, validity, and ipsativity of FC questionnaires with equally keyed versus unequally keyed item pairs.
- To investigate the challenges in constructing unequally keyed FC questionnaires, particularly concerning social desirability.
- To provide evidence-based recommendations for FC questionnaire design.
Main Methods:
- Data collected from 1,125 undergraduate psychology students.
- Participants completed a Big Five personality inventory in Likert format and two FC questionnaires: one with equally keyed pairs and one with unequally keyed pairs.
- Questionnaires were evaluated for reliability, convergent validity, criterion validity, and score ipsativity.
Main Results:
- Construction of unequally keyed blocks presented challenges in balancing social desirability across items.
- Observed differences in reliability, validity, and ipsativity between the two FC formats were sporadic and lacked consistent patterns.
- Neither questionnaire format demonstrated clear superiority over the other in the tested psychometric properties.
Conclusions:
- The study found no definitive psychometric advantage of using unequally keyed item pairs in forced-choice questionnaires.
- To mitigate potential validity concerns related to response biases, the use of only equally keyed blocks is recommended.
- Future research could explore specific contexts or populations where unequally keyed items might offer differential benefits.
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