title: Linking extreme response style to response processes: A cross-cultural mixed methods approach.
abstract: The aim of this study is to contribute to a better understanding of extreme response style in cross-cultural research by integrating quantitative and qualitative evidence in a mixed methods design. In the quantitative phase, indexes of extreme response style, derived from quality of life measures from different international studies, were compared between Spain and the Netherlands. Results indicated that extreme responding was more common among Spanish than among Dutch in endorsement of items, but that the opposite was found for frequency scales including never as a response anchor. In the qualitative phase, cognitive interviews were conducted with 25 participants in each country. The integration of quantitative results and qualitative findings suggests that country differences in extreme response style may stem from various sources, including the more independent evaluation of each item by Dutch, the stronger connotations of never for Spanish and stronger emotions triggered by specific topics such as work satisfaction that was more strongly associated with insecurity for Spanish. It is concluded that the integration of quantitative and qualitative evidence can help to understand cross-cultural similarities and differences in extreme response style.
authors: Universidad Loyola Andalucía, Seville, Spain.|University of Granada, Granada, Spain.|Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands.
authors: Isabel
authors: I
authors: Benítez
authors: Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands.
authors: Jia
authors: J
authors: He
authors: Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands.|North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa.|University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
authors: Fons J R
authors: FJ
authors: Van de Vijver
authors: University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
authors: José-Luis
authors: JL
authors: Padilla
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001290:Attitude; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands; D011788:Quality of Life; D013030:Spain; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Cognitive Interviews; Extremity; Method bias; Mixed Methods Studies; Response styles