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Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale is a balanced, 10-item scale designed to be unidimensional; however, research has repeatedly shown that its factorial structure is contaminated by method effects due to item wording. Beyond the substantive self-esteem factor, 2 additional factors linked to the positive and negative wording of items have been theoretically specified and empirically supported. Initial evidence has revealed systematic relations of the 2 method factors with variables expressing approach and avoidance motivation. This study assessed the fit of competing confirmatory factor analytic models for the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale using data from 2 samples of adult participants in Cyprus. Models that accounted for both positive and negative wording effects via 2 latent method factors had better fit compared to alternative models. Measures of experiential avoidance, social anxiety, and private self-consciousness were associated with the method factors in structural equation models. The findings highlight the need to specify models with wording effects for a more accurate representation of the scale's structure and support the hypothesis of method factors as response styles, which are associated with individual characteristics related to avoidance motivation, behavioral inhibition, and anxiety.

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The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) was developed as a unitary scale to assess attitudes toward the self. Previous studies have shown differences in responses and psychometric indices between the positively and negatively worded items, suggesting differential processing of responses. The current study examined differences in response behaviors toward two positively and two negatively worded items of the RSES with eye-tracking methodology and explored whether those differences were more pronounced among individuals with higher neuroticism, controlling for verbal abilities and mood. Eighty-seven university students completed a computerized version of the scale, while their responses, response time, and eye movements were recorded through the Gazepoint GP3 HD eye-tracker. In linear mixed-effects models, two negatively worded items elicited higher scores (elicited stronger disagreement) in self-esteem, and different response processes, for example, longer viewing times, than two positively worded items. Neuroticism predicted lower responses and more revisits to item statements. Eye-tracking can enhance the examination of response tendencies and the role of wording and its interaction with individual characteristics at different stages of the response process.