Age Effects in Self-Reports: Answering Questions and Using Response Scales

描述(由申请人提供)：收集所有年龄段的自我报告的调查数据是监测人口健康和福祉的核心。对于某些经历，人们的自我报告是获得信息的唯一途径，例如，疼痛、疲劳和生活满意度。鉴于自我报告的重要性，需要尽可能准确地衡量它们。要获得准确和可比较的自我报告，有许多考虑因素。我们考察了几个可能随年龄而变化的因素，并影响受访者对调查问题的解释和他们对回答量表的使用。这些因素可能会导致关于衰老和健康的错误结论。提出了一系列五项研究，利用了从基于实验室的方法到重复的实时数据收集再到互联网小组调查的一系列研究技术。他们将考察具体年龄的影响(1)参照系(人们在进行评级时使用的比较标准)，(2)先前问题对回答的影响(上下文影响)，(3)回忆时间对反应的影响(回忆时间较长可能与更多的偏见相关)，以及(4)反应量表的使用(例如，避免极端反应的倾向)。在前人研究的基础上，最后一项研究将探索改进自我报告测量的方法。总体而言，这项应用的目的是找出可能阻碍我们理解与年龄相关的健康和福祉差异的因素，并开发出缓解这些问题的方法。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): 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.