Congruence Between Panel and Recall Data in Longitudinal Research

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Abstract
Abstract Social researchers frequently are cautioned about using retrospective self-reports because of the likelihood of inaccurate reporting. To determine whether the responses to recall items differ from self-reports obtained at an earlier point in time, data were examined from a panel study of adult men. In 1964, respondents were questioned about their health, income, family, work, and general attitudes. Ten years later, all who could be located were reinterviewed and asked to recall what their situations had been a decade before. In most areas, recall responses presented respondents in a more favorable light than did information obtained in the initial interview. A second concern was the effect of recall items on tests of association. These data indicate that recall techniques have little utility for descriptive purposes but may be used cautiously in correlational studies.

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