ERIC Number: EJ1331216
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022-Feb
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1525-822X
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Item Context Effects Are Relevant for Monitoring Evaluative Well-Being: Replication of Previous Work and Mitigation
Stone, Arthur A.; Walentynowicz, Marta; Schneider, Stefan; Junghaenel, Doerte U.; Broderick, Joan E.; Deaton, Angus
Field Methods, v34 n1 p36-51 Feb 2022
To ensure the accuracy of self-reported data, it is important to reduce potential sources of bias such as the unwanted influence of prior questions on subsequent questions, the so-called item context effect. This article attempts to replicate the finding that evaluative subjective well-being was affected by a preceding item, a question about the political atmosphere in the country; it also examines manipulations that could mitigate the impact of the context-inducing item on well-being. Study 1 used a sample of 4,500 participants recruited from Amazon's Mechanical Turk; it examined the effect of three manipulations based on adding buffer questions or adding text to reorient participants' attention. A context effect was found, and one manipulation mitigated the context effect. Study 2 used a nationally representative sample (n = 906); it only replicated the context effect. These results reaffirm the importance of carefully considering item context effects in survey research.
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Institute on Aging (NIA) (DHHS/NIH)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: R01AG042407
Author Affiliations: N/A