Faculty of Psychology, Open University of the Netherlands, PO Box 2960, 6401 DL Heerlen, The Netherlands.
Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2007 Sep 20;4:42. doi: 10.1186/1479-5868-4-42.
People often have misperceptions (overestimation or underestimation) about the health-related behaviours they engage in, which may have adverse consequences for their susceptibility to behavioural change. Misperception is usually measured by combining and comparing quantified behavioural self-reports with subjective classification of the behaviour. Researchers assume that such assessments of misperception are not influenced by the order of the two types of measurement, but this has never been studied. Based on the precaution adoption model and the information processing theory, it might be expected that taking the subjective measurement after a detailed quantified behavioural self-report would improve the accuracy of the subjective measurement because the quantified report urges a person to think more in detail about their own behaviour.
In an experiment (n = 521), quantified self-report and subjective assessment were manipulated in a questionnaire. In one version, the quantified self-report was presented before the subjective assessment, whereas in the other version, the subjective assessment came first.
Neither subjective assessment nor overestimation of physical activity were biased by the order of the questions. Underestimation was more prevalent among subgroups of the group which answered the subjective assessment after the quantified self-report.
Question order in questionnaires does not seem to influence misperceptions concerning physical activity in groups relevant for health education (overestimators: those who do not meet the guidelines for physical activity while rating their physical activity as sufficient or high). The small order effect found in underestimators is less relevant for health education because this subgroup already meets the guideline and therefore does not need to change behaviour.
人们常常对自己从事的与健康相关的行为存在误解（高估或低估），这可能对他们接受行为改变的能力产生不利影响。误解通常通过将量化的行为自我报告与行为的主观分类相结合和比较来衡量。研究人员假设，这种误解评估不受两种测量类型顺序的影响，但这从未得到过研究。基于预防采用模型和信息处理理论，人们可能期望在详细的量化行为自我报告之后进行主观测量，因为量化报告促使人们更详细地思考自己的行为，从而提高主观测量的准确性。
在一项实验（n=521）中，量化自我报告和主观评估在问卷中被操纵。在一种版本中，量化自我报告先于主观评估呈现，而在另一种版本中，主观评估先于量化自我报告呈现。
无论是主观评估还是对身体活动的高估，问题的顺序都没有偏见。在那些先回答量化自我报告然后回答主观评估的群体中，低估的情况更为普遍。
问卷中的问题顺序似乎不会影响与健康教育相关的群体（高估者：那些在评定身体活动充足或高时不符合身体活动指南的人）对身体活动的误解。在低估者中发现的小的顺序效应对健康教育的相关性较小，因为这个亚组已经符合指南，因此不需要改变行为。
