Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Cultural Distinctiveness in Response Bias

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Book cover Psychosocial Factors at Work in the Asia Pacific

Abstract

As a conventional measure for assessing psychosocial factors at work, psychological distress and/or mental health/ill-health of workers, various self-administered questionnaires have been constructed and used. Majority of the questionnaires have originally been developed and standardized in the western countries. Ideally, standard or widely accepted measurements should be equivalent across race/ethnicity, cultures and regions, however this is not the case. A number of individual- and group-level factors can influence responses to questionnaires, other than the work-related characteristics being assessed. Among them, response bias seems to be one of the most robust barriers that make cross-cultural comparison difficult. This chapter focuses on the ethno-cultural distinctiveness in response bias at measuring psychosocial factors at work, introducing: (1) the importance of a cross-cultural approach in the era of globalization; (2) definition and types of response bias; (3) methods to detect the response bias; (4) a series of investigations of detecting a cultural-specific response bias and the way to reduce the response bias; and (5) suggestions for future directions.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Bakker, A. B., Schaufeli, W. B., Leiter, M. P., et al. (2008). Work engagement: An emerging concept in occupational health psychology. Work and Stress, 22, 187–200.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Byrne, B. M. (2001). Structural equation modeling with AMOS: Basic concepts, applications, and programming. Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Byrne, B. M. (2010). Structural equation modeling with Mplus: Basic concepts, applications, and programming. New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cheung, G. W., & Rensvold, R. B. (2000). Assessing extreme and acquiescence response sets in cross-cultural research using structural equation modeling. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 31, 187–212.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cho, M. J., & Kim, K. H. (1998). Use of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) Scale in Korea. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 186, 304–310.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Clauser, B. E., & Mazor, K. M. (1998). Using statistical procedures to identify differential item functioning test items. Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 17, 31–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cole, S. R., Kawachi, I., Maller, S. J., et al. (2000). Test of item-response bias in the CES-D scale: Experience from the New Haven EPESE Study. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 53, 285–289.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cronbach, L. J. (1950). Further evidence on response sets and test design. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 10, 3–31.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crowne, D. P., & Marlowe, D. (1960). A new scale of social desirability independent of psychopathology. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 24, 349–354.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Darlington, R. B. (1971). Another look at “cultural fairness”. Journal of Educational Measurement, 8, 71–82.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Diener, E. (1999). Subjective well-being: Three decades of progress. Psychological Bulletin, 125, 276–301.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Flaherty, J. A., Gaviria, F. M., Pathak, D., et al. (1988). Developing instruments for cross-cultural psychiatric research. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 176, 257–263.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Harzing, A. W. (2006). Response styles in cross-national survey research: A 26-country study. International Journal of Cross Cultural Management, 6, 243–266.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • He, J., & Van de Vijver, F. (2012). Bias and equivalence in cross-cultural research. Online Readings in Psychology and Culture 2(2). http://dx.doi.org/10.9707/2307-0919.1111

  • Hofstede, G. (1980). Culture’s consequences: International differences in work-related values. Beverly Hills: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hofstede, G. (1991). Cultures and organizations. London: Harper-Collins Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holland, P. W., & Thayer, D. T. (1988). Differential item performance and the Mantel-Haenszel procedure. In H. Wainer & H. I. Baun (Eds.), Test validity (pp. 129–145). Hillsdale: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holland, P. W., & Wainer, H. (1993). Differential item functioning. Hillsdale: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Iwata, N. (2002). Are the Japanese more depressed than the U.S. individuals?: An IRT-DIF study. In H. Yanai, A. Okada, K. Shigemasu, et al. (Eds.), New developments on psychometrics (pp. 231–238). Tokyo: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Iwata, N. (2009). Culture and health. In N. Kawakami, Y. Kobayashi, & H. Hashimoto (Eds.), Health and social disparity: Japan and beyond (pp. 164–181). Melbourne: Trans Pacific Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Iwata, N., & Buka, S. (2002). Race/ethnicity and depressive symptoms: A cross-cultural/ethnic comparison among university students in East Asia, North and South America. Social Science and Medicine, 55, 243–2252.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Iwata, N., & Higuchi, H. R. (2000). Responses of Japanese and American university students to the STAI items that assess the presence or absence of anxiety. Journal of Personality Assessment, 74, 48–62.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Iwata, N., & Roberts, R. E. (1996). Age differences among Japanese on the center for epidemiologic studies depression scale: An ethnocultural perspective on somatization. Social Science & Medicine, 43, 967–974.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Iwata, N., Okuyama, Y., Kawakami, Y., et al. (1989). Prevalence of depressive symptoms in a Japanese occupational setting: A preliminary study. American Journal of Public Health, 79, 1486–1489.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Iwata, N., Saito, K., & Roberts, R. E. (1994). Responses to a self-administered depression scale among younger adolescents in Japan. Psychiatry Research, 53, 275–287.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Iwata, N., Roberts, C. R., & Kawakami, N. (1995). Japan-U.S. comparison of responses to depression scale items among adult workers. Psychiatry Research, 58, 237–245.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Iwata, N., Mishima, N., Shimizu, T., et al. (1998a). Positive and negative affect in the factor structure of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Japanese workers. Psychological Reports, 82, 651–656.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Iwata, N., Komatsu, K., & Nishida, K. (1998b). Positive and negative factors of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory in a sample of Japanese university students. Japanese Journal of Stress Sciences, 12, 206–215.

    Google Scholar 

  • Iwata, N., Umesue, M., Egashira, K., et al. (1998c). Can positive affect items be used to assess depressive disorders in the Japanese population? Psychological Medicine, 28, 153–158.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Iwata, N., Kawakami, N., Haratani, T., et al. (1999). Job stressor-mental health associations in a sample of Japanese working adults: Artifacts of positive and negative questions? Industrial Health, 37, 263–270.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kitayama, S., Markus, H. R., Matsumoto, H., et al. (1997). Individual and collective processes in the construction of the self-enhancement in the United State and self-criticism in Japan. Journal of Personal and Social Psychology, 72, 1245–1267.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, J. J., Kim, K. W., Kim, T. H., et al. (2011). Cross-cultural considerations in administering the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Gerontology, 57, 455–461.

    PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • MacIntosh, R. C., & Strickland, O. J. (2010). Differential item responses on CES-D inventory: A comparison of elderly Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites in the United States and item usage by elderly Hispanics across time. Aging & Mental Health, 14, 556–564.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Manson, S. M. (1995). Mental health status and needs of the American Indian and Alaska Native elderly. In D. K. Padgett (Ed.), Handbook on ethnicity, aging, and mental health (pp. 132–141). Westport: Greenwood Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mantel, N., & Haenszel, W. (1959). Statistical aspects of the analysis of data from retrospective studies of disease. Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 22, 719–748.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Michaelides, M. O. (2008). An illustration of a Mantel Haenszel procedure to flag misbehaving common items in test equating. Practical Assessment, Research and Evaluation, 13, 1–13.

    Google Scholar 

  • Narayanan, P., & Swaminathan, H. (1996). Identification of items that show nonuniform DIF. Applied Psychological Measurement, 20, 257–274.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Noh, S., Kasper, V., & Chen, X. (1998). Measuring depression in Korean immigrants: Assessing validity of the translated Korean version of the CES-D scale. Cross-Cultural Research, 32, 358–377.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parker, G., Cheah, Y. C., & Roy, K. (2001). Do the Chinese somatize depression? A cross-cultural study. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 36, 287–293.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Paulhus, D. L. (1984). Two-component models of socially desirable responding. Journal of Personal and Social Psychology, 46, 598–609.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Paulhus, D. L. (1991). Measurement and control of response bias. In J. P. Robinson, P. R. Shaver, & L. S. Wright (Eds.), Measures of personality and social psychological attitudes (pp. 17–59). San Diego: Academic.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Pike, K. L. (1967). Language in relation to a unified theory of the structure of human behavior (2nd ed.). The Hague: Mouton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Radloff, L. S. (1977). The CES-D Scale: A self-report depression scale for research in the general population. Applied Psychological Measurement, 1, 385–401.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Salant, T., & Lauderdale, D. S. (2003). Measuring culture: A critical review of acculturation and health in Asian immigrant populations. Social Science & Medicine, 57, 71–90.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schaufeli, W. B., Salanova, M., González-Romá, V., et al. (2002). The measurement of engagement and burnout: A two sample confirmatory factor analytic approach. Journal of Happiness Studies, 3, 71–92.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scholz, U., Doña, B. G., Shonali Sud, S., et al. (2002). Is general self-efficacy a universal construct? Psychometric findings from 25 countries. European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 18, 242–251.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schwarzer, R., & Jerusalem, M. (1995). Generalized self-efficacy scale. In J. Weinman, S. Wright, & M. Johnston (Eds.), Measures in health psychology: A user’s portfolio. Causal and control beliefs (pp. 35–37). Windsor: NFER-NELSON.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scott, S. C., Goldberg, M. S., & Mayo, N. E. (1997). Statistical assessment of ordinal outcomes in comparative studies. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 50, 45–55.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Seligman, M. E. P. (2003). Positive psychology: Fundamental assumptions. Psychologist, 16, 126–127.

    Google Scholar 

  • Seligman, M. E. P., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Positive psychology: An introduction. American Psychologist, 55, 5–14.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shima, S., Shikano, T., Kitamura, T., et al. (1985). New self-rating scale for depression. Clinical Psychiatry, 27, 717–723 [In Japanese].

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, P. B., & Fischer, R. (2008). Acquiescence, extreme response bias and culture: A multilevel analysis. In F. J. R. Van de Vijver, D. A. van Hemert, & Y. H. Poortinga (Eds.), Multilevel analysis of individuals and cultures (pp. 285–314). New York: Taylor & Francis Group/Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spector, P. E., Zapf, D., Chen, P. Y., et al. (2000). Why negative affectivity should not be controlled in job stress research: Don’t throw out the baby with the bath water. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 21, 79–95.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spielberger, C. D. (1983). Manual for the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory: STAI (Form Y). Palo Alto: Consulting Psychologists Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stricker, L. (1982). Identifying test items that perform differently in population subgroups: A partial correlation index. Applied Psychological Measurement, 6, 261–273.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Swaminathan, H., & Rogers, H. J. (1990). Detecting differential item functioning using logistic regression procedures. Journal of Educational Measurement, 27, 361–370.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Uchida, Y., Norasakkunkit, V., & Kitayama, S. (2004). Cultural constructions of happiness: Theory and empirical evidence. Journal of Happiness Studies, 5, 223–239.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • UNESCO. (2002). UNESCO universal declaration on cultural diversity. (UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity. Retrieved from http://www.unesco.org/education/imld_2002/unversal_decla.shtml).

  • Van de Vijver, F. J. R., & Poortinga, Y. H. (1997). Towards an integrated analysis of bias in cross-cultural assessment. European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 13, 29–37.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van de Vijver, F. J. R., & Poortinga, Y. H. (2002). Structural equivalence in multilevel research. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 33, 141–156.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van de Vijver, F. J. R., & Tanzer, N. K. (2004). Bias and equivalence in cross-cultural assessment: An overview. European Review of Applied Psychology, 54, 119–135.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Veenhoven, R. (2003). Happiness. Psychologist, 16, 128.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vega, W. A., Kolody, B., Hough, R. L., et al. (1987). Depressive symptomatology in northern Mexico adults. American Journal of Public Health, 77, 1215–1218.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Watson, D. A., Clark, L. A., & Carey, G. (1988). Positive and negative affectivity and their relation to anxiety and depression disorders. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 97, 346–353.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Weijters, B., Cabooter, E., & Schillewaert, N. (2010). The effect of rating scale format on response styles: The number of response categories and response category labels. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 27, 236–247.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ying, Y. (1989). Nonresponse on the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression scale in Chinese Americans. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 35, 156–163.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Psychological Sciences, Department of Clinical Psychology, Hiroshima International University, 555-36 Kurose-Gakuendai, 739-2695, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima, Japan

    Noboru Iwata

Authors
  1. Noboru Iwata
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Noboru Iwata .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Applied Psychological Research, School of Psychology, Social Work & Social Policy, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

    Maureen F. Dollard

  2. Department of Mental Health, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

    Akihito Shimazu

  3. Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University, Johor Bahru, Malaysia

    Rusli Bin Nordin

  4. School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

    Paula Brough

  5. Centre for Applied Psychological Research, School of Psychology, Social Work & Social Policy, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

    Michelle R. Tuckey

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Iwata, N. (2014). Cultural Distinctiveness in Response Bias. In: Dollard, M., Shimazu, A., Bin Nordin, R., Brough, P., Tuckey, M. (eds) Psychosocial Factors at Work in the Asia Pacific. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8975-2_3

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation