With respect to the response processes discussed earlier, the
introduction of a temporal, proximal, or psychological separation
between the measurement of the predictor and criterion variables
has several beneficial effects. First, it should reduce biases in the
retrieval stage of the response process by eliminating the saliency
of any contextually provided retrieval cues. Second, it should
reduce the respondent’s ability and/or motivation to use previous
answers to fill in gaps in what is recalled and/or to infer missing
details. The temporal separation does this by allowing previously
recalled information to leave short-term memory, whereas the
locational separation does this by eliminating common retrieval
cues and the psychological separation does this by reducing the
perceived relevance of the previously recalled information in
short-term memory. Third, creating a temporal, proximal, or psychological
separation should reduce biases in the response reporting
or editing stage of the response process by making prior
responses less salient, available, or relevant. This diminishes the
respondent’s ability and motivation to use his or her prior responses
to answer subsequent questions, thus reducing consistency
motifs and demand characteristics.