Japanese response bias: Cross-level and cross-national comparisons on response styles

Abstract

This study attempts to identify response styles of Japanese students by cross-level and cross-national analyses. Tasaki and Ninomiya (2013) demonstrated the existence of an acquiescence response behavior of Japanese students based on the model by Billet and McClendon(2000), who measured latent response characteristics as "style factor." In this study, we used a different response style measurement model proposed by Weijters, Schillewaert, & Geuens (2008) positing that response styles are psychological constructs and observed response style variables are summary indicators derived from sets of various, but independent, test items. Results of cross-national analyses indicated that Japanese and Korean participants were more likely to choose a mid-point response (MRS) and less likely to choose an acquiescence response (ARS) than American counterparts, but no significant difference was observed for an extreme response (ERS) among participants from the three nations. Within the Japanese response style model, cross-level analyses showed that ARS scores were significantly higher than ERS scores, indicating that Japanese participants had an acquiescence response style, consistent with the findings from Tasaki & Ninomiya (2013).