Finney, J. W., Putnam, D. E., & Boyd, C. M. (1998).
Improving the accuracy of self-reports of adherence.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis,
31, 485-488.
Behavioral scientists who study socially important but
difficult-to-measure behaviors often rely on self-reports. We
evaluated the influence of three experimenter demands—
-demand for adherence, demand for accurate reports, and demand
for accurate reports combined with a prompted recall strategy -
on the accuracy of self-reports of adherence to a week-long
prescribed regimen of twice-daily telephone calls. Self-reports
of adherence were significantly more accurate in the accuracy
demand/prompted recall group (p ;lt .05). The analogue
study should be replicated with other regimens and populations to
determine the most effective strategies for enhancing the
accuracy of self-reports.
DESCRIPTORS: adherence, self-reports, measurement, medical
regimens