Survey correlations may be artifacts of a single source providing both predictors and outcomes
Evidence
Common Method Variance Another potential problem endemic to survey data is common method variance, which occurs when the predictor data is collected from the same source as the outcome data (MacKenzie, Podsakoff, & Rich, 2001; Podsakoff, Mackenzie, Lee, & Podsakoff, 2003). The relationships reported may simply be a result of the same respondents providing the responses for both sets of variables. — Roderick M. Kramer, Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, Robert W. Livingston, Social Cognition, Social Identity, and…, 1861
Categorization
Category: Definitional Content
- DEFINE: Clear, citable definition of common method variance as predictor and outcome both sourced from same respondents.
- XREF: Relevant to any prior or future survey research on trust, leadership, or organizational behavior.