Despite concern about method variance between measures as a bias in su
rvey research, scholars have overlooked or ignored the effects of meth
od variance within measures (i.e., covariation among items from the sa
me scale that may be attributed to the method of measurement employed)
. Not only do few commonly used survey instruments reflect efforts to
control for method variance, but guides to scale construction encourag
e researchers to implement strategies that enhance the effects of meth
od variance within measures. In this article, we have argued that when
method variance inflates relationships between questionnaire items, t
raditional psychometric indices overestimate the amount of true or con
struct variance that scales capture. Implications for survey research
that uses fixed alternative questionnaire measures are delineated.