Middle category endorsement in odd-numbered Likert response scales: Associated item characteristics, cognitive demands, and preferred meanings

Although typically scored as indicating moderate or neutral trait standing, personality assessment respondents endorse the Likert-scale middle response category for a variety of reasons. Through the application of a cognitive processing model and an item characteristic orientation, middle category endorsements were found to exhibit a relatively high response latency, an “it depends” connotation, and a strong, negative relationship with item clarity. These general associations stress the importance of retaining unambiguous items for trait identification but also offer a tool to the personality assessment researcher – investigating the number of elicited middle category endorsements to identify trait indicators in possible need of contextualization.