| Abstract: | Acquiescence response set (ARS), the tendency to agree with questionnaire statements regardless of content, is especially problematic in scale development when attitude structure is not well known, because it heightens the correlations among items that are worded similarly, even when they are not conceptually related. A partial correlation technique is described for measuring and controlling for ARS using the method of matched pairs. 1,351 persons earned an ARS score from the frequency with which they agreed with pairs of items logically opposite. Principal-components analysis was then performed on the 1st-order interitem partial correlation matrix, controlling for ARS score. Evidence is presented that this procedure reduces the average interitem correlation among like-worded items, increases the average interitem correlation among differently worded items measuring the same concept, and produces a principal components solution that is more interpretable. These conclusions emerge from comparisons with analyses of untransformed attitude scores and attitude scores excluding Ss who demonstrated the greatest acquiescence. (12 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
