Does Response Scale Format Affect the Answering of Personality Scales?

When developing a questionnaire, one puts much effort into item formulation. Whether the format of the corresponding response scales affects response behavior, however, has rarely been studied, to date. The present study investigates (1) the effects of the response scale direction (ranging from positive to negative vs. negative to positive) and (2) the match between numerical labeling and scale direction, i.e., assigning high numbers to the positive pole and low numbers to the negative pole or vice versa. These response scale effects were studied based on responses in the BFI-10, the short-scale version of the widely-used Big Five Inventory (BFI), assessing the Big Five dimensions of personality by two items each. Using a dependent sample design, subjects answered the 10 items using end-point labeled response scales ranging from the negative (labeled “1”) to the positive pole (labeled “8”) at Time 1. At Time 2 (approximately 3 weeks later), respondents were split into two conditions: The BFI-10 was administered again with an 8-point scale ranging from the positive to the negative pole. In the first condition, the positive pole was labeled “8” and the negative pole was labeled “1”; in the second condition, the positive pole was labeled “1” and the negative pole was labeled “8.” Results clearly support the notion that the direction of the response scale (Condition 1) does not affect response behavior. There were no differences in means, standard deviations, or in the intercorrelations patterns. However, there seems to be an intuitive match between the positive pole and high numerical labeling. When poles were counterintuitively labeled (Condition 2), significant differences could be identified for all analyses conducted.