Validation of survey effort measures of grit and self-control in a sample of high school students

by Gema Zamarro, Malachi Nichols, Angela L. Duckworth, Sidney K. D’Mello

Personality traits such as grit and self-control are important determinants of success in life outcomes. However, most measures of these traits, which rely on self-reports, might be biased when used for the purpose of evaluating education policies or interventions. Recent research has shown the potential of survey effort—in particular, item non-response and careless answering—as a proxy measure of these traits. The current investigation uses a dataset of high school seniors (N = 513) to investigate survey effort measures in relationship with teacher reports, performance task measures, high school academic outcomes, and college attendance. Our results show promise for use of survey effort as proxy measures of grit and self-control.