Exam 4 Flashcards
what reading level for surveys?
In general, questions/items should be written at an 8th grade, reading vocabulary.
• Many word processors (e.g., Word) will give you an estimate of the reading level of the document, and
many will identify words that are above certain reading levels.
______ _____
• Using “CA” on a survey for Latinos could mean California or Central America
• When surveying a specialized population, then certain abbreviations may be used.
Examples
o If a researcher surveys interior design faculty members, then it would probably be acceptable to put the
abbreviation “FIDER” on a survey.
oIf a researcher were surveying psychology faculty members in the USA, then using “APA” would be
acceptable.
Avoid abbreviations
Avoid jargon and ____
Example – “How often have you made out with your girlfriend in the last week?”
§ “Made out” may have different connotations to different people. A researcher may want to use a word with fewer meanings (e.g., kiss).
slang
Avoid emotional, biased, and/or stigmatizing language.
• Examples of stigmatizing language
-“Are their identifiable differences between gay men and normal men? Yes No” This sentence portrays gay men as not normal.
- “True or False. Social workers need training in working with special populations such as lesbians, convicted child abusers, and convicted rapists.” This sentence implies that lesbians are in the same group as those who have been convicted for harming others.
• Use neutral language. § Examples
o Use “an individual who has cerebral palsy” instead of “an individual who is suffering from or afflicted with cerebral palsy.”
o Do not label individuals with disabilities as “patients” or “invalids.”
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§ Avoid potentially offensive and emotionally-charged labels
…
• Put people first, not their _____
-Example: Use “person with a developmental disability” instead of “a developmentally disabled person.” § An exception would be when the disability is part of a group’s identity (e.g., Deaf person)
Disability
____________________ (i.e., incorporating more than one topic).
• Examples
§ “True or False. Parents should use lots of praise and avoid physical punishment when interacting with
their children.”
o This statement actually covers two distinct parenting behaviors (i.e., praise and physical punishment).
§ “Do you agree that people who are overweight should be encouraged to exercise and eat low
carbohydrate diets?”
o Individuals may agree with exercise, but not with low carbohydrate diets (or vice versa).
double-barreled questions
____ ____ (i.e., questions which lead respondents to answer in a certain way).
Examples
§ “Given that research shows a link between exercise and fat reduction, what do you think is the number one thing a person can do to lose fat?”
§ “Most doctors say that cigarette smoke increases risk of lung disease for those near a smoker. Do you agree? 1. Strongly disagree, 2. Disagree, 3. Agree, 4. Strongly agree”
§ “Now that you have learned the value of parental praise in the parenting class, how often will you praise your child?”
leading questions
_____ ______
Do not begin a question with a premise in which respondents may not agree. • Examples
-“Since oil companies are gouging the American people, should Congress increase taxes on oil companies? 1. Yes 2. No”
oThe premise at the start of this statement is not necessarily a verifiable fact, and it may be inconsistent
with the belief of the participants.
oAlternative: “Congress should increase taxes on oil companies.
1. Strongly Disagree 2. Disagree 3.
Agree 4. Strongly Agree”
-“Since man-made global warming is causing a worldwide crisis, how much should sustainable design be
encouraged?”
o Again, many respondents may not agree with the premise at the start of this question, and there is
controversy over whether this is fact or not.
false premise
_____ ____
• They are often developed by people who have a bias in support of or against a particular view.
• Examples
- “What do you see as the benefits of the current tax cut initiative?”
-The researcher might get a very different perspective of the respondents’ view if the researcher asked
about the disadvantages of tax cuts. An alternate question would be to ask, “What do you think of the
current tax cut initiative?”
-“What do you see as the disadvantages of eliminating welfare?”
-“What do you think is wrong with spanking?”
loaded questions
beyond respondents’ ______
Examples
- Asking adolescents to identify their parents’ end-of-the-year taxable income.
- Asking complex questions on a survey designed for individuals with severe developmental disabilities.
- Asking parents to identify which of Baumrind’s ‘parenting styles’ they identify with.
capabilities
Avoid asking respondents about their future intentions/behaviors. Responses are poor predictors of future behavior.
Examples
-“How often do you plan to exercise in the next 6 months?”
-“How often will you praise your child in the next 3 months?”
..
Avoid ____ ____
Examples
-“True or False. It is not good not to exercise.”
-“Infants usually do not misbehave for no reason.”
double negatives
Avoid _____ response categories.
• Example of _____ ____ _____ – “0-5, 5-10, 10-15”
overlapping response categories
Avoid ______ response categories.
• Example of _______ response categories – “0-1, 2-5, 6-12, 13-18”
unbalanced
Avoid questions that ask for_____ data when ______ data are available. Examples
-“How old are you? 21-30, 31-40, 41-50, >51”.
o In the example above, a 21-year-old and a 30-year-old are the same distance from 31.
-Instead ask, “How many years old are you?____”
o“What is your weight? 50-99 lbs., 100-149 lbs., 150-200 lbs., …”.
-Instead ask, “How many pounds do you weigh?____”
categorical; continuous
_______ _______ – When a question has two possible responses.
Examples:
oYes/No
o True/False
o Agree/Disagree
Dichotomous questions
_____ – Asking respondents to assign an order to their preferences.
Please rank your preference for the following presidential candidates: 1st choice, 2nd choice, 3rd choice
____ Daffy Duck _____ Bugs Bunny _____ Foghorn Leghorn
Coding / data entry issues come up with ranking questions.
o Respondents may give two of the same rankings (e.g., assign two 1st choices). o Respondents may not give someone a ranking.
Ranking
____ – Asking respondents to assign a value to their preferences.
Rate attractiveness of the celebrities Channing Tatum Very Unattractive 1 2 3 4 5 Very Attractive 6 7 8 9 10 ------------------------- Taylor Swift Very Unattractive 1 2 3 4 5
Very Attractive 6 7 8 9 10 --------------------------- Meg Griffin Very Unattractive 1 2 3 4 5
Very Attractive
6 7 8 9 10
Ratings
_____ – The respondent is provided with a list from which to choose one or more responses. When a respondent can select more than one option, each option is viewed as a separate variable.
Which of the following methods do you use to study? Please check all that apply.
___ note cards ____ memorization __practice tests ___note cards __audio messages other___
-In the example above, checked boxes are often coded as a ‘1’ while unchecked boxes are coded ‘0’.
-Things to consider when developing checklists
o Are all of the alternatives covered?
o Is the list too long / reasonable length?
o Is the structure of the responses easy and uniform? o Is an “other” category needed?
Checklists
Biases with Likert scales
oCentral tendency bias – Respondents avoid using extreme response categories. In other words, they
usually respond ‘agree’ or ‘disagree’ instead of ‘strongly agree’ or ‘strongly disagree’.
o ____ ____ ___ – Respondents tend to answer in the extreme. In other words, they usually
respond ‘strongly agree’ or ‘strongly disagree’ instead of ‘agree’ or ‘disagree’.
o Acquiescence bias – Respondents tend to agree with statements regardless of their opinion.
o Social desirability bias– Respondents try to portray themselves or the organization more favorably.
Extreme tendency bias
____ ____ scales assess a respondent’s perception of an item on a set of bipolar adjective pairs (usually with a 5-point rating scale).
Rate your spouse on the following items (circle the number) Ugly: -2 -1 0 1 2 Pretty Mean: -2 -1 0 1 2 Nice Rude: -2 -1 0 1 2 Considerate Spendthrift: -2 -1 0 1 2 Tightward
Semantic differential
Filter or _____ questions refer to two-part questions where the answer to the first part of the question determines which of two different questions a respondent next receives.
Example – “Are you married? If ‘yes’ answer 4a, if ‘no’ answer 4b.”
• Filter questions can get very complex. Sometimes, multiple filter questions are necessary in order to direct
the respondents to the correct subsequent questions.
General suggestions
- Avoid more than three levels (two jumps) for any question. Too many jumps will confuse the respondents and may discourage them from continuing with the survey.
- If there are only two levels, use a graphic (e.g., arrow and box) to help direct the respondent to the correct subsequent question.
contingency
_____ ____ are sometimes needed to determine whether the respondent is qualified to answer the question of interest.
• The more complicated the screening, the less likely it is that the researcher can use a paper-and-pencil
instrument without confusing the respondent.
Examples
-A research study examining consumers’ opinions about a particular computer program would want to screen participants to see if they have used the program.
o Example – “Have you used Dreamweaver to develop a webpage?”
-Sometimes screening questions may be used to eliminate those people who don’t meet the criteria for participating.
o Examples – “Are you in 9th-12th grade” or “Do you live in Los Angeles?”
Screening questions
Length of survey
• ____ _____: Ten minutes is rarely a problem and can usually be extended to twenty minutes.
• ______ ______: A short (i.e., 1-4 pages) survey is usually appropriate for the general population.
• ________ interviews can last one hour. In special circumstances, they can last 3-5 hours.
Phone interviews
Mail questionnaires
Face-to-face
Use ______ when switching topics
• The transition could be a statement, divider, or a page break.
• Example – “The questions will ask about your spending habits.”
transitions
Question order or _____
• The first few questions can set the tone of the survey and help put the respondent at ease.
-Begin with easy, nonthreatening, and/or interesting questions so the respondent will feel comfortable about the questionnaire.
o Simple descriptive questions (e.g., gender) are easy and fast to answer.
• Put more difficult, threatening, and/or sensitive questions near the end.
-Before asking such questions, try to develop trust or rapport with the respondent by asking easier, non-
threatening questions at the beginning.
-Do not abruptly change to sensitive questions; use a transition statement.
oExample – “In this section, we would like to ask you about your sexual behaviors. Remember, your answers are anonymous, and you can skip any questions that make you uncomfortable.”
sequence
