@grimalkina @wordshaper Thanks for linking the article. Early in my career (late ‘70s) I worked on survey research and the importance of the positive/negative question method was drilled in, along with ordering effects and alternate wordings. The latter was designed to specifically address the fact that words are slippery and what you think might be a polar opposite may not be to someone else. The practical problem was/is that the various remedies end up growing the number of survey questions beyond reasonable attention of the subject. It is interesting to see these issues still coming up 45 years later! (P.s. My dad was a psychologist and Cronbach was a family friend. I was only 11 at that time (late ‘60’s) nevertheless, small world.)

My worry has always been about the quality of the statistical methodology and analysis in published studies. In my own area, 99% of the journal submissions I reviewed were essentially junk in this respect. So I applaud your attention to good science and statistical methodology,