Question

Using Rauthmann's proposed item format taxonomy to analyze workplace safety what would be the point of reference, general item format, construct indicator, and conditionality?

Answer 1

Answer.

According to Rauthman,not only item content but also item formats (i.e., phrasing and response formats) are also important in construction of appropriate scales for assessing situational traits of personality. Most trait items can be mapped onto 4 dimensions:

1.point of reference (first person, possessive, others, indicator). For instance, Items such as “Others think/say/etc. that I/my . . .” Would be classified as items with others (as the reference point) about indicators pertaining to oneself

2.general item format (staticity, frequency, valency, frequency + valency)- Any item containing adverbs of frequency (for example, never, seldom, rarely, sometimes, usually, normally, often) are to be classified as frequency items. Items containing words that reflect a certain positive versus negative valence (for example, like, dislike, love, enjoy, prefer) would be classified as valency items.

3.construct indicator (attributal, behavioral, mental, contextual)- These include classifying items that use adjectives, behavioral indicators , any forms of overt behavior or circumstances that could be potentially perceived by others without inference (such as ‘ people around me find that workers in the organisation have no labour rights’)

4. and conditionality (unconditional, conditional)- This dimension is noted in test items that employ ‘if/ when’ clauses to describe a situation that may be personally significant for the workers. The presence of if/ when denotes conditional item.

In this way, Each item that is constructed in a test on the perception of work safety would be provided a score for all four dimensions. Knowing which item phrasings are beneficial to which psychometric traits is very important for psychological assessment of phenomena such work satisfaction, safety, to personality, behavioral tendencies, etc.