The R > E Phenomenon and the Distance-Difficulty Hypothesis: Modeling Response Time in Attitudinal Data (Poster 38)

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Sunday 9:50 a.m.
  In Poster Session: Precision and Nuance in Survey Research: Novel Approaches to Measurement and Analysis

Abstract

Using a publicly available dataset with responses to the MACH-IV scale measuring Machiavellianism, we show that respondents take longer to reject items than to endorse them. We call this the R > E phenomenon, an attitudinal extension of the F > C phenomenon seen in academic contexts. Additionally, we provide evidence to support the distance-difficulty hypothesis, indicating respondents take more time to answer items with a neutral threshold at or near their trait level; response time decreases as the distance between the trait level and the item’s neutral threshold increases. Regardless of the distance between the respondent’s trait level and the item’s neutral threshold, respondents still take longer to reject an item than to endorse it.

Authors

• Nicole Grace Bonge, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville

• Ronna C. Turner, University of Arkansas