The Association of Individual Characteristics with Method Effects Due to Wording in Self-Relevant and Non-Self-Relevant Scales.

Method effects due to wording (positive versus negative wording) in self-report scales were mainly associated with individual characteristics related to neuroticism and anxiety, when participants responded to self-relevant scales. For non-self-relevant scales, wording effects were weakly associated with characteristics related to anxiety and moderately with motivational characteristics (social desirability).