Lawrence J. Stricker

Acquiescence and Social Desirability Response Styles, Item Characteristics, and Conformity

.......................................... Method Experimental Items .......... Acquiescence Response Style Scale .. Social Desirability Response Style Scale Administration of Experimental Items and Response Style Scales .... . Subiects Results Effecriveness of Item Manipillations Analyses of Variance of Acquiescent and Socially Desirable Responses to Experimental Items Correlations Between Acquiescent and Socially Desirable Responses to Extreme and Moderate Experimental Items Correlations Between Response Style Scales and Acquiescent and Socially De................ sirable Responses to Experimental Items . . Dlscusslon Congruence Between Conceptualization and Results Revision of the Conceptualization Alternative Conceptualizations of Response Styles .. ........... .................... Generality of Acquiescence and Social Desirability Response Styles Summary References .. .............

Sex and Ethnic-Group Differences on Accomplishments Measures

Measures of accomplishments-notable attainments that have been publicly recognized-have promise for research and practice in education and other applied fields. In this study we investigated sex and ethnic group differences on these measures for students bound for graduate school. Examined were 6 accomplishments scales (Academic Achievement, Leadership, Practical Language, Aesthetic Expression, Science, and Mechanical). With a single exception (the Mechanical scale), men and women did not differ in their level of performance on the scales; ethnic groups did not differ on any scale. Furthermore, the factor structure of the scales did not differ in most respects for men and women. Concerns about sex and ethnic group differences on accomplishments measures are probably unwarranted, at least for undergraduates and graduate students. Such measures merit further attention.

Why Don't Test Takers Prepare for the Pre-Professional Skills Tests?

This study investigated the extent and nature of preparation for the Pre-Professional Skills Tests (PPST), and the reasons for preparing or not preparing. The PPST, a high-stakes test with a high failure rate, is used for admission to teacher education programs and for teacher licensing. Recent test takers were surveyed. Preparation was limited and mainly involved activities that were free or inexpensive, such as taking a sample test. The reported reasons for not preparing and the empirical correlates of measures of preparation were primarily attitudinal.

Difficulty and Other Correlates of Criticalness Response Style At the Item Level

LARGELY as a result of Cronbach’s (1946; 1950) reviews of the early literature on response sets-or response styles-on tests, the view is widely held that tests and test items that are difficult or ambiguous are most affected by those response styles, such as acquiescence, evasiveness, and extremeness, that are linked to the response format. Despite the prevalence of this view, the results of relevant studies are not altogether convincing, and are largely limited to two response styles-acquiescence, and the position of the chosen alternative on multiple-choice tests. One major group of relevant studies examined acquiescence on tests or items of varying difficulty or ambiguity. Only one of the studies (Gage, Leavitt, and Stone, 1957) concerns the difficulty issue. In a comparison of difficult and easy general information items, the reliability of the number of true responses was .68 for

RESPONSE STYLES AND 16 PF HIGHER ORDER FACTORS

This studys aim was to explore the relationship of acquiescence, social desirability (SD), and defensiveness response styles with first, second, and any higher order factors on the 16 PF. All the various kinds of response bias indexes were appreciably correlated with the first order factor scales. Each kind of response style measure predominantly loaded a different second order factor— four such factors were extracted, three of them corresponding to well established 16 PF second order factors. SD scales defined a novel factor somewhat resembling an anxiety factor, and acquiescence and defensiveness measures loaded but did not define independence and anxiety factors, respectively. None of the various kinds of response style indexes consistently loaded an extroversion factor. And none loaded the single third order factor obtained. This factor was not similar to previously reported 16 PF third order factors and its nature was unclear.