The collection of self-reported survey data for people of all ages is central for monitoring the health and wellbeing of the population. For some experiences, people's self-reports are the only way to acquire the information, e.g., pain, fatigue, and life satisfaction. Given the importance of self-reports, they need to be measured as precisely as possible. There are many considerations for obtaining accurate and comparable self-reports. We examine several factors that are likely to vary by age and influence respondents' interpretations of survey questions and their use of response scales. Such factors could lead to erroneous conclusions about aging and health. A series of five studies, utilizing a range of research techniques from laboratory-based methods to repeated, real-time data collection to Internet panel surveys, is proposed. They will examine age-specific effects (1) in frame-of-reference (the comparison standards people use in making ratings), (2) in the impact of prior questions on responses (context effects), (3) in the effect of recall period on responses (where longer recall periods may be associated with more bias), and (4) in the use of response scales (e.g., tendency to avoid extreme responses). Based on the results of prior studies, the last study will explore ways to improve self- report measurement. Overall, the aim of this application is to identify factors that could impede our ability to understand age-related differences in health and wellbeing, and to develop ways to mitigate those problems.

Public Health Relevance

Given the importance of self-reports in medical research and for evaluating governmental policies, it is vital that these data are of the highest quality. Erroneous conclusions about aging and health are possible if people of different ages interpret questions and use response scales differently. By addressing these issues, the proposed studies will contribute to more accurate self-report measurement and to improved understanding of the aging experience.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01AG042407-05
Application #
9460973
Study Section
Social Sciences and Population Studies B Study Section (SSPB)
Program Officer
King, Jonathan W
Project Start
2014-04-01
Project End
2019-03-31
Budget Start
2018-05-15
Budget End
2019-03-31
Support Year
5
Fiscal Year
2018
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Southern California
Department
Psychology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
072933393
City
Los Angeles
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
90089
Schneider, Stefan; May, Marcella; Stone, Arthur A (2018) Careless responding in internet-based quality of life assessments. Qual Life Res 27:1077-1088
Junghaenel, Doerte U; Broderick, Joan E; Schneider, Stefan et al. (2018) Frames of Reference in Self-Reports of Health, Well-being, Fatigue, and Pain: A Qualitative Examination. Appl Res Qual Life 13:585-601
Stone, Arthur A; Schneider, Stefan; Krueger, Alan et al. (2018) Experiential wellbeing data from the American Time Use Survey: Comparisons with other methods and analytic illustrations with age and income. Soc Indic Res 136:359-378
Wen, Cheng K Fred; Schneider, Stefan; Stone, Arthur A et al. (2017) Compliance With Mobile Ecological Momentary Assessment Protocols in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Med Internet Res 19:e132
Stone, Arthur A; Schneider, Stefan; Broderick, Joan E (2017) Psychological stress declines rapidly from age 50 in the United States: Yet another well-being paradox. J Psychosom Res 103:22-28
Schneider, Stefan (2017) Extracting Response Style Bias From Measures of Positive and Negative Affect in Aging Research. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 73:64-74
Schneider, Stefan; Stone, Arthur A (2016) The meaning of vaguely quantified frequency response options on a quality of life scale depends on respondents' medical status and age. Qual Life Res 25:2511-2521
Schneider, Stefan; Stone, Arthur A (2016) Ambulatory and diary methods can facilitate the measurement of patient-reported outcomes. Qual Life Res 25:497-506
Deaton, Angus; Stone, Arthur A (2016) Understanding context effects for a measure of life evaluation: how responses matter. Oxf Econ Pap 68:861-870
Krueger, Alan B; Stone, Arthur A (2014) Psychology and economics. Progress in measuring subjective well-being. Science 346:42-3

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