THE CONSTRUCT-VALIDITY OF DIFFERENTIAL RESPONSE LATENCIES IN STRUCTURED PERSONALITY TESTS

This research demonstrates that differential latencies for responding to personality test items contain interpretable information. In partic ular, we show that differential response latencies are a meaningful in dicator of the presence of a trait. A total of 92 subjects responded t o a series of microcomputerized personality test items reflecting four different traits on each of four occasions. Estimates of internal con sistency, parallel forms reliability and test-retest stability suggest ed that the reliability of the response latencies was modest. Nonethel ess, differential response latencies showed excellent convergent valid ity for corresponding trait level measures, such as scale scores, self -ratings and peer ratings, and excellent discriminant validity for irr elevant trait level measures. Moreover, as predicted, the latencies fo r endorsing trait relevant items were negatively related to trait leve l measures whereas the latencies for rejecting items were positively r elated. Differential response latencies had no tendency to group toget her as a method factor. Rather, the pattern of convergent and discrimi nant relationships generalized across all four retest sessions. These results support the interpretation of differential latencies for respo nding to test items as a construct valid way of assessing the strength of a trait.