PsycNET®

Developmental Psychology. Vol 22(1), Jan 1986, 37-49.

Examined the negative item bias produced by the inability of preadolescent children to respond appropriately to negative items on rating scales and a bias that is hypothesized to be a cognitive-developmental phenomenon. In Study 1, responses to positive and negative items of a self description questionnaire developed by the author and colleagues (see record 1985-09311-001) were compared for 658 children in Grades 2-5. Particularly in Grade 2, Ss frequently responded true to negative items, indicating a poor self-concept, even when their other responses indicated a positive self-concept. Responses to positive and negative items were uncorrelated in Grade 2 but were substantially correlated by Grade 5, which demonstrates a dramatic developmental effect. In Study 2, confirmatory factor analyses of responses by 559 5th graders demonstrated that the negative items contributed both to the scale they were designed to measure and to a "negative item" factor. This factor was nearly uncorrelated with any of the self-concept factors but was substantially correlated with reading achievement. Findings demonstrate that younger children and children with poorer reading skills are less able to respond appropriately to negative items and that this effect biases the interpretation of their responses. (36 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2008 APA, all rights reserved)

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