Marshall, Alyssa D., authorFisher, Gwen, advisorGibbons, Alyssa, advisorKraiger, Kurt, committee memberGraham, Dan, committee memberHenle, Chris, committee member2019-06-142019-06-142019https://hdl.handle.net/10217/195385Careless responding behavior on online surveys is an insidious problem that can distort research findings in concerning and counter-intuitive ways (McGonagle, Huang, & Walsh, 2016). This study aimed to develop practical strategies for reducing careless responding behavior and to provide theoretical support for the notion that careless responding is a planned behavior affected by motivational processes. This study applied the theory of planned behavior (Ajzen, 1991) to develop three careless responding interventions. One intervention was targeted at each of the theory's antecedent variables – attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. Using a sample of 591 MTurk participants, I examined the interventions' effects on antecedent variables, intentions to respond carefully, and six different measures of careless responding behavior as compared to a control group who received no intervention. Overall, this study found that the theory of planned behavior does explain significant variance in careless responding behavior. This supports the notion that careless responding is a planned behavior affected by motivational processes. Further, this study found that the perceived behavioral control intervention was effective at reducing careless responding on most metrics, though the attitudes and subjective norms interventions were not. None of the interventions produced measurable effects on antecedent variables or intentions to respond carefully. These findings suggest that the perceived behavioral control intervention may be a beneficial addition to future survey research.born digitaldoctoral dissertationsengCopyright and other restrictions may apply. User is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. For information about copyright law, please see https://libguides.colostate.edu/copyright.insufficient effort respondingMTurkcareless respondingtheory of planned behaviorinterventionText