Why does the TKI consist of only thirty paired items? Don’t you need more items to accurately measure a person’s conflict-handling behavior?
The accuracy/reliability of any assessment increases rapidly as a second, third, and fourth item are added to the instrument. But after a while, adding more items only slightly increases the reliability of the instrument. In some cases, adding more items after a certain point actually decreases the accuracy of an instrument, because the additional items are adding other information, besides what the instrument is seeking to measure. At the same time, adding more and more items can annoy respondents, because they become tired of answering more questions—which can also distract from the accuracy of the assessment. With the results of several research studies, the total of thirty items on the TKI was shown to be a useful balance between (1) the reliability/accuracy of measuring the five modes and (2) people’s resistance to filling out a long assessment.
Related Questions
- Since the instructions to the TKI don’t specify a given situation, do my conflict-handling scores apply equally well to both my personal life and my work life?
- What is the reliability and validity of the TKI in comparison to other instruments that claim to measure the same five conflict-handling modes?
- Why does the TKI consist of only thirty paired items? Don’t you need more items to accurately measure a person’s conflict-handling behavior?
