Acquiescence is a common problem that occurs in :
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Self-report measures
Option (1) Projective techniques — Incorrect. Projective techniques present unstructured stimuli, such as inkblots, and the person responds in her/his own words, so there are no items to agree with. Their difficulty lies in scoring and interpretation, which need trained experts.
Option (2) Self-report measures — Correct. Self-report measures suffer from a number of problems. Acquiescence is one of them: a tendency of the subject to agree with items/questions irrespective of their contents, often by saying ‘yes’ to items. With social desirability, it makes the assessment of personality less reliable.
Option (3) Intelligence tests — Incorrect. Intelligence tests ask the person to find the right solution to a problem; an answer is scored right or wrong, so agreeing with an item does not by itself decide the score.
Option (4) Situational tests — Incorrect. In a situational test the person is observed in a simulated situation, such as a stressful task, and her/his behaviour is recorded. The person acts rather than answering statements, so a habit of saying ‘yes’ does not come in.
NCERT (2025-26): “Self-report Measures … The self-report measures suffer from a number of problems. Social desirability is one of them. It is a tendency on the part of the respondent to endorse items in a socially desirable manner. Acquiescence is another one. It is a tendency of the subject to agree with items/questions irrespective of their contents. It often appears in the form of saying ‘yes’ to items. These tendencies render the assessment of personality less reliable.…” |