What it’s about

In this paper, we study why respondents refuse to answer forced-choice personality items, and we model both refusal and refusal reasons within an item response tree framework.

Abstract

The study examines individual differences in refusal behavior when respondents are given forced-choice personality items with an explicit option to decline choosing between statements. When refusing, respondents also indicate whether both statements fit equally well or neither fits adequately. The paper uses an IRTree model to jointly estimate response choice, refusal propensity, and refusal reason. Results suggest that openness is associated with greater refusal to choose and more frequent endorsement of the “both statements fit” reason, while items containing non-socially desirable statements are skipped more often with “neither statement fits” responses, especially among respondents high in agreeableness. The authors discuss theoretical and practical implications for forced-choice assessment.

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