Retest consistency and the writing of life history items: A first step

Abstract

Retest consistency was employed as a criterion for the evaluation of life history items, and rules for item writing or selection such that this criterion may be better satisfied were suggested. The method employed required: an inspection of consistent and inconsistent items with a view to deriving rules, and the "blind" sorting of these items in accordance with a given rule by 5 independent judges to determine the coincidence of rule conformity with retest consistency. 4 rules satisfied a statistical criterion of significant association. These deal with brevity, with the definition of options, with the undesirability of "forcing," and with the pleasant or unpleasant implications of a response for the respondent. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)