Middle category endorsement in odd-numbered Likert response scales: Associated item characteristics, cognitive demands, and preferred meanings. Kulas, J. T. & Stachowski, A. A. Journal of Research in Personality, 43(3):489 – 493, 2009.
Middle category endorsement in odd-numbered Likert response scales: Associated item characteristics, cognitive demands, and preferred meanings [link]Paper  doi  abstract   bibtex   
Although typically scored as indicating moderate or neutral trait standing, personality assessment respondents endorse the Likert-scale middle response category for a variety of reasons. Through the application of a cognitive processing model and an item characteristic orientation, middle category endorsements were found to exhibit a relatively high response latency, an “it depends” connotation, and a strong, negative relationship with item clarity. These general associations stress the importance of retaining unambiguous items for trait identification but also offer a tool to the personality assessment researcher – investigating the number of elicited middle category endorsements to identify trait indicators in possible need of contextualization.
@article{kulas_middle_2009,
	title = {Middle category endorsement in odd-numbered {Likert} response scales: {Associated} item characteristics, cognitive demands, and preferred meanings},
	volume = {43},
	issn = {0092-6566},
	url = {http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0092656608001645},
	doi = {10.1016/j.jrp.2008.12.005},
	abstract = {Although typically scored as indicating moderate or neutral trait standing, personality assessment respondents endorse the Likert-scale middle response category for a variety of reasons. Through the application of a cognitive processing model and an item characteristic orientation, middle category endorsements were found to exhibit a relatively high response latency, an “it depends” connotation, and a strong, negative relationship with item clarity. These general associations stress the importance of retaining unambiguous items for trait identification but also offer a tool to the personality assessment researcher – investigating the number of elicited middle category endorsements to identify trait indicators in possible need of contextualization.},
	number = {3},
	journal = {Journal of Research in Personality},
	author = {Kulas, John T. and Stachowski, Alicia A.},
	year = {2009},
	keywords = {\#nosource},
	pages = {489 -- 493},
}

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