Middle responding: An unobtrusive measure of national cognitive ability and personality

Abstract

Response style - the tendency to provide uniform answers to questionnaire items regardless of item content - is seen as a challenge in psychology and sociology studies. It is an especially serious issue in cross-cultural research as different cultures exhibit different response styles, compromising construct comparability. Response styles have been associated with a variety of personality and cultural characteristics, including intelligence. This study analyzed new data from 44,096 respondents chosen probabilistically from 52 countries. At the national level, a specific type of middle responding - avoidance of categorical opposites and preference for an “in-between” option - is exceptionally strongly related to national IQ (r= 0.80 to 0.91, depending on sample and item type). In conclusion, (1) middle responding can be a valid proxy measure of national cognitive achievement, and (2) a low national IQ reflects the prevalence of a simplistic and rigid personality, whereas a high IQ reflects a fluid, dynamic, and adaptable personality that seems able to morph in accordance with situational factors. This finding creates new dilemmas in cross-cultural psychology and provides a new perspective on the way that nations cope with the challenges of the modern world.