Stability in Questionnaire Response

Abstract

A questionnaire consisting of 61 items of personnel information was given to 50 college Freshmen with careful directions to get uniformity in filling in the schedule. Two and a half months later the same questionnaire was given with the same directions. Tabulations showed that 709, nearly one-fourth of the 3,050 items, had been changed. The girls showed considerably greater stability of response than the boys on all three types of questions, factual family data, factual personal data, and subjective personal data. The whole group showed greater stability on the factual personal than on the other two types. A number of methodological questions are raised as well as suggestions for further research.