Why do negatively worded items confuse not only respondents but also researchers?
Questionnaires are among the most common tools used in psychological research. To avoid the so-called agreement bias, where people automatically agree with statements regardless of their content, inversely coded items are often included in the scales – that is, statements formulated in the opposite direction ("I don't like being the center of attention" instead of "I like being the center of attention"). A mixture of positively and negatively worded items also better covers the "content" of the measured attribute. In other words, it allows for more accurate measurement of not only high but also low levels of the measured attribute, trait, or attitude. However, it is precisely these items that often seem to cause more problems than benefits. Why is this the case?
