Self-Report Assessments

The self-report method of assessment involves asking respondents to provide information about themselves in response to a set of structured questions, typically in the format of a survey, questionnaire, poll, or rating scale. It is by far the most ubiquitous assessment method in both research and practice: People are routinely asked to self-report on their attitudes, beliefs, feelings, symptoms, traits, skills, relationships, behaviors, experiences, events, and so on. The first self-report inventories appeared in the early 20th century in response to the need to assess psychopathological and personality characteristics of soldiers suffering from combat trauma during World War I. One hundred years later, self-report methodology remains well-aligned with the current emphasis on soft skills over cognitive abilities, multiple intelligences over traditional IQ, and subjective perspectives ...