Self-Regulatory Focus and Its Consistent Effect on Item Responses
(A2025-125902)

AUTHORS

Elke Cabooter, IESEG School of Management; Bert Weijters, Ghent University; LUK WARLOP, BI Norwegian Business School

ABSTRACT

The current paper provides evidence for a significant relationship between self-regulatory focus and the Extreme response style (ERS). Promotion-focused individuals answer more often in extremes than prevention-focused individuals and decisiveness drives this effect. This tendency creates significant measurement challenges for SRF assessments, particularly in self-reports, as ERS introduces bias, noise, and measurement inequivalence. Promotion-focused individuals may report exaggerated scores on outcome variables, distorting interpretations of their true attitudes or behaviors. These findings underscore the importance of addressing ERS in survey design and data analysis to improve the accuracy and reliability of SRF-related research.