Self report Response Bias: Learning How to Live with its Diagnosis in Chaplaincy Research
Chaplaincy research is dominated by self report data collected directly from research subjects or participants. Self report response bias is the research measurement inaccuracy that originates with the respondent. A review of research published in The Journal of Pastoral Care Counseling (1998 2008) found that all but one of thirty eight research articles used self report data. Of this total, less than half acknowledged methodological limitations, and only two acknowledged the potential impact of self report response bias.This article focuses on seven categories of self report response bias that may impact chaplaincy research: social desirability, acquiescence, leniency or harshness, critical event or recency, halo effect, extreme response style and midpoint response style. Although these biases have the potential to impact self report data, the data themselves are not inherently flawed. This discussion offers recommendations for addressing self report response bias during the research process. It also s.