DIARIES, CHECKLISTS, EVALUATIONS, AND CONTRAST EFFECTS IN MEASUREMENTOF BEHAVIOR

Two studies addressed three research questions. (a) Are behavioral dia ries or checklists susceptible to between-ratee contrast effects? The studies found that both diaries and checklists are susceptible to betw een-ratee contrast effects. (b) Can diaries or checklists help reduce between-ratee contrast effects on corresponding performance evaluation s? Study 1 illustrated that diaries not only may be ineffective at red ucing contrast effects on corresponding ratings but also may actually strengthen those effects. In Study 2, although checklists compared fav orably with diaries in their impact on contrast effects on correspondi ng evaluations, checklists did not eliminate the contrast effect on ev aluations. (c) What are the directional influences of context behavior when contrast effects are observed? Significant contrast effects were consistent with the traditional conception of this effect: upward in a poor context and downward in a good context.