Recall bias is a particular concern for which form of self-reported measure?

Recall bias is a particular concern for which form of self-reported measure?

• A. Objective laboratory measures
• B. Clinician-administered scales
• C. Performance-based tests
• D. Global rating scales

Answer: (D)

Recall bias shows up when people have to remember past experiences, and memory can be colored by current feelings or recent events. Global rating scales rely on an overall, retrospective judgment about a person’s status over a period of time, so they depend heavily on memory and subjective interpretation. That makes them particularly vulnerable to recall bias. In contrast, objective laboratory measures don’t rely on memory of symptoms, clinician-administered scales are rated by a clinician using standardized prompts, and performance-based tests assess actual task performance rather than a remembered summary from the person.

Recall bias shows up when people have to remember past experiences, and memory can be colored by current feelings or recent events. Global rating scales rely on an overall, retrospective judgment about a person’s status over a period of time, so they depend heavily on memory and subjective interpretation. That makes them particularly vulnerable to recall bias. In contrast, objective laboratory measures don’t rely on memory of symptoms, clinician-administered scales are rated by a clinician using standardized prompts, and performance-based tests assess actual task performance rather than a remembered summary from the person.