Unit 2:
Research Study Designs:
Self-Report Data (S-Data)- measures personality by asking people to answer questions about
themselves.
-Obtained through self-report measures or interviews.
-Made up of either structured or unstructured items
-Structured items= response options are provided (multiple choice, rating scales)
-Unstructured items= open ended questions (interview measure)
Reverse Scoring- procedure used on personality scales, including self-report and observer-
report scales. Reverse-scoring occurs when an item on a scale is written in the opposite
direction of the other scale items.
-For instance, on a scale measuring extraversion most of the scale items would ask people to
rate how extraverted they are, but some items ask people to rate how introverted they are,
then these items would be reverse scored. For instance the scale measuring extraversion asks “I
don’t talk a lot” and “I keep in the background” should be reverse scored so that all the scores
are in the direction of high extraversion.
How do we reverse score? If someone answers "strongly agree" to the item "I am outgoing" they
receive a score of 5 for that item. If they answer "strongly disagree" to the item "I am outgoing," then they
receive a 1. So, when people receive scores close to 5 they are considered extraverted. When people
receive scores closer to one they are considered low in extraversion or high in introversion. To calculate
one's overall score for extraversion/introversion on the above scale, you calculate the average score
across the four items. So, you add up the four scores and divide by the total number of items - 4. The
average should always be in the same range as the scale. So, for the above scale the average should
fall between 1 and 5.
To reverse score, before we calculate the overall average, we need to first change the scoring for items
that are written in the reverse or opposite direction. So, for the above scale we need to change the
scoring for "I don't talk a lot" and "I keep in the background." To reverse score, you take the original
rating for each item and change to the opposite score. So, if someone answered strongly disagree (a 1)
for "I don't talk a lot," we change their score to a 5 to indicate they are high in extraversion.
The major advantage to including reverse-scored items in a scale is to ensure participants are paying
attention to the scale items and answering honestly.
Disadvantages to reverse-scored items is that these items increase cognitive processing in participants.
When reading items coded int he same direction, a participant can easily think about and rate their
personality. But, reverse-scored items require participants to stop and think about the trait in the opposite
direction. So, it is possible that reverse-scored items might be confusing to participants and they could
actually decrease reliability.
Reliability-
When developing a self-report measure, researchers consider two main issues:
reliability: Does the scale consistently measure the personality trait?
