Person-fit statistics, response sets and survey participation in a population-based cohort study

• Main Authors: Müller Jörg M., Hasselbach Petra, Loerbroks Adrian, Amelang Manfred
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Drustvo Psihologa Srbije 2015-01-01
• Series: Psihologija
• Subjects: person-fit; social desirability; extreme responding; cancer; heart disease; non-response; response set; response style
• Online Access: http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/img/doi/0048-5705/2015/0048-57051504345M.pdf

Person-fit methodology is a promising technique for identifying subjects whose test scores have questionable validity. Less is known however about this technique’s ability to predict survey participation longitudinally. This study presents theory-derived expectations related to social desirability, the tendency for extreme responding and traitedness for specific deviating answer patterns and an expected consistence of person-fit scores across 27 personality scales. Data from 5,114 subjects (Amelang, 1997) were reanalysed with a polytomous-Rasch model to estimate scale scores and von Davier and Molenaar’s (2003) person-fit statistics. The person-fit statistics of the 27 scales were examined together with the 27 person parameter scores in one common factor analysis. The person-fit scores served as indicators of the latent factor ‘scalability’ while the person-parameter scores were considered to index the bias introduced by social desirability. The sign of factor loadings showed consistency and validity of the tendency for social desirability and extreme responding. Moreover, the personfit- based subject classification derived from the baseline data was able to predict subjects’ participation at a 8,5-year follow-up. However, the nature of those associations was contrary to our predictions. The discussion addresses explanations and practical implications, but also the limitations pertaining to the identification and interpretation of person-fit scores.