The Impact of "Forgiving" Introductions on the Reporting of Sensitive Behavior in Surveys
The Role of Social Desirability Response Style and Developmental Status
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 7363022 |
|---|---|
| Authors | J Peters (0000-0002-4836-4204), J Peter, Patti M Valkenburg (0000-0003-0477-8429) |
| Year | 2011 |
| Volume | 75 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 779-787 |
| Publication date | 2011-10-19 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Public Opinion Quarterly (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0033-362X • E-ISSN: 1537-5331 |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1093/poq/nfr041 |
| OpenAlex | W2166349561 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 8 |
| References cited | 13 |
The use of "forgiving" introductions is generally recommended for survey questions about sensitive behavior. However, research results on the effectiveness of this technique are inconsistent. This study tested whether the effectiveness of forgiving introductions depends on individual differences in respondents’ social desirability response style (SDRS) and developmental status. In an online survey among 3,802 respondents aged 12 to 89 years, we conducted an experiment with a one-factor (forgiving introduction vs. no forgiving introduction) between-subjects design. Use of sexual media content was our target sensitive behavior. Including a forgiving introduction had no main effect on the reporting of sensitive behavior overall, but depended on respondents’ SDRS: when a forgiving introduction was included in the questions, respondents high in SDRS reported more sensitive behavior than did respondents low in SDRS. This effect further depended on respondents’ developmental status. Forgiving introductions increased the reporting of sensitive behavior among adolescents and emerging adults (i.e., 12- to 25-year-olds) high in SDRS, but caused little differences in the reporting of such behavior among adults (i.e., people older than 25
Developmental psychology · Style (visual arts · Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health · Psychology · Sexual Assault and Victimization Studies · Social and Intergroup Psychology · Social Psychology
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| Unique citing works | 8 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,62 |
| Citation span | 2013 - 2025 (13) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 8 |