Chapter 6 Flashcards
What are the methods of obtaining primary data?
- observation
- communication
What is observation?
Does not involve questioning
respondents
Involves recording respondent’s
actions
Setting is important (natural vs.
contrived)
Advantages: objective, accurate
What is communication?
Involves questioning respondents
Involves respondents completing a
questionnaire
Advantages: versatility, speed, cost
What is structured communication?
▪ Degree of standardization used with
the data collection instrument
▪ Fixed-alternative or close-ended
questions have structured questions
and response options
What is unstructured Communication?
Open-ended questions have
structured questions with unstructured
response options
What is the difference between structured communication and unstructured communication?
structured is mutliple choice answers, unstructured is short answer
What are the advantages of structured data?
▪ Simple to administer
▪ Analysis of data is easy
▪ Limits interpretation bias
▪ Saves time and money
▪ Improve consistency of responses
What are the disadvantages of structured data?
Can encourage misleading answers
What are the advantages of unstructured data?
▪ Permits an unlimited range of answers
▪ Useful for exploratory research
What are the disadvantages of unstructured data?
▪ Requires more time and effort to respond
to the questions
▪ Answers may differ in level of details or
scope
▪ Analysis may be difficult, costly and time
consuming
▪ High interpretation bias
What is disguised communication?
▪ Attempts to hide the purpose or
sponsor of the study
▪ Used to help create a more natural
environment in which to collect
data
What is undisguised communication?
▪ Subjects are aware of the purpose
of the study
▪ Study is free of any form of
deception
When is disguised communication necessary?
-When knowledge of the sponsor or of real purpose of the survey is likely to cause
respondents to modify their answers
- When the use of disguise creates a more natural environment for data collection
What are the ethics of disguise?
▪ Deception can make researchers and participants uncomfortable
▪ Debriefing: providing participants with appropriate information about the purpose
of the research after data collection
What are the methods of administering the questionnaire?
- personal interviews
- telephone interviews
- mail questionaires
- internet-based questionaires
What aspects should be considered when administring the questionaire?
- Sampling Control
- Information Control
- Administrative Control
what is sampling control?
ability to identify and reach a representative sample from the
population
what is information control?
- number and type of questions that the researcher can ask
- the level of bias in the responses
What is adminsitrative control?
- time and money concerns
What are personal interviews?
direct face to face conversations between the interviewer and the respondant
What is sampling control in personal interviews?
▪ More difficult to identify a random sample compared to other
methods
▪ Response rates tend to be high
What is information control in personal interviews?
▪ High level of feedback and ability to rephrase the questions
▪ Rapport and trust
▪ Adaptability and Sequence of questions
▪ More human mistakes and bias
▪ Fear of interview evaluation
What is adminsrative control in personal interviews?
▪ Slow speed and high cost
▪ Well-trained interviewers
What are telephone interviews
Telephone conversation between an interviewer and a respondent
What is sampling control in telephone interviews?
▪ Random lists of consumers can be purchased from specialized companies
▪ Using phone-book sampling may be problematic
▪ Random-digit dialing (RDD): technique in which telephone numbers to be called
are randomly generated
What is infomration control in telephone interviews?
▪ Simple questions
▪ Flexibility in organizing the questions with computer-assisted interviewing
▪ Allows clarifying questions
▪ Limited amount of information can be gathered: Short interviews (5 to 10
minutes)
What is administrative control in telephone interviews?
▪ Data collection is typically fast (days), and cost is relatively low
▪ Quality control (recorded conversations)
▪ Required trained personnel
What is automated phone surveys?
Aka automated survey calls
▪ This form of survey allows the collection of information from
individuals by phone without human interaction
What are mail questionnaires?
A questionnaire administered by mail to designated respondents
with an accompanying cover letter
What is sampling control in mail questionnaires?
▪ Mailing lists can be purchased from specialized firms
▪ Little control in getting a response due to low social pressure to take part in
the research
▪ Little control over who completes the survey
What is information control in mail questionnaires?
▪ No interviewer bias
▪ Anonymity encourages candid responses
▪ Questions cannot be clarified
▪ May require more effort from participants (e.g.; open-ended questions)
What is administrative control in mail questionaires?
▪ Low cost
▪ Low speed
What are internet based questionnaires?
A questionnaire that relies on the Internet for completion
What is sampling control for internet based questionaires?
▪ Lists of emails are available from numerous sources; online panels
▪ Problem with “professional” panelists
▪ Low response rate
What is information control in internet based questionaires?
▪ Allow the use of pictures, audiovisuals and graphics
▪ Immediate capture of detailed data
▪ Reduces researcher bias
▪ No ability to probe or explain questions
▪ High flexibility in question sequencing
▪ Better responses to open-ended questions compared to other methods
What is administrative control in internet based questionaires?
▪ Inexpensive and provide quick turnaround
