Are Attention Check Questions a Threat to Scale Validity?

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Abstract
Attention checks have become increasingly popular in survey research as a means to filter out careless respondents. Despite their widespread use, little research has empirically tested the impact of attention checks on scale validity. In fact, because attention checks can induce a more deliberative mindset in survey respondents, they may change the way respondents answer survey questions, posing a threat to scale validity. In two studies, we tested this hypothesis ( N = 816). We examined whether common attention checks—instructed‐response items (Study 1) and an instructional manipulation check (Study 2)—impact responses to a well‐validated management scale. Results showed no evidence that they affect scale validity, both in reported scale means and tests of measurement invariance. These findings allow researchers to justify the use of attention checks without compromising scale validity and encourage future research to examine other survey characteristic‐respondent dynamics to advance our use of survey methods.
Funding Information
  • Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada

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