Intro to Survey Research Flashcards
Surveys are standardised measuring instruments. What does this mean?
The use of specific procedures for the design and administration of surveys
This ensures reliability by making it clear how Ps should answer the survey and that instructions are kept the same for all Ps
Surveys provide normative data. What is normative data?
Data from a reference population that establishes a baselines distribution for a score of measurements
It gives context to our scores within a population
How are surveys typically presented? List 2 ways
1) Questionnaires
2) Interviews
What type of data do surveys generate?
Either qualitative or quantitative data, or a mix of both
What are surveys often used for?
Operationalise constructs
Simply = Turning fuzzy psychological terms (e.g. intelligence, anger, altruism) into measurable variables that can be compared between Ps
How can surveys operationalise the construct of intelligence?
By asking questions on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale and scoring them
In psychology, surveys are used to gather data on…? List 6 examples of constructs
- Attitudes
- Behaviours
- Opinions
- Motivations
- Emotions
- Satisfaction
True or False?
Surveys cannot be used to gather retrospective data, present data or future data
False
Surveys can be used to gather retrospective data, present data or future data
What are the 2 main purposes of surveys?
1) Information gathering
2) Theory Testing and Building
What are the 2 types of information-gathering surveys?
1) Exploratory
2) Descriptive
What are the 2 types of theory-testing and building surveys?
1) Explanatory
2) Predictive
Give 3 examples of the types of self-administered (questionnaire) surveys
- Postal
- Online
- In person
Give 2 examples of the types of interview administered surveys
- Telephone
- Face to face
When do we need to design a new questionnaire? List 3 conditions/scenarios
1) When no established tool exists to measure the phenomena of interest
2) When the reliability or validity of an established measure is in doubt
3) Avoid jangles (different labels for what are essentially the same thing)
What is a pilot survey?
Testing the survey on a small group of people before administering it more widely
Testing the survey on a small group of people before administering it more widely
This is known as…?
Piloting
What are the 3 steps to piloting a survey?
1) Administer to a small sample
2) Identify problematic items and revise
3) Ask respondents for feedback
What are the 3 general design principles of surveys?
1) Keep it short
2) Make sure it is readable
3) Provide appropriate response options
How do we keep a survey short?
Omit any questions which will not provide useful data
How do we make sure the survey is readable?
Avoid jargon - Ps must be able to understand the language used
How do we provide appropriate response options?
Avoid forcing Ps to choose between more than one correct option, or not having any ‘correct’ options
A mental health survey of prisoners entering prison is conducted, along with subsequent health monitoring, in order to identify prisoners at risk of suicide
What is the purpose of this survey?
a. Exploratory
b. Descriptive
c. Explanatory
d. Predictive
d. Predictive
A researcher conducts wide-scale IQ testing in schools in order to determine current levels of literacy
What is the purpose of this survey?
a. Exploratory
b. Descriptive
c. Explanatory
d. Predictive
b. Descriptive
A researcher administers a happiness survey and a personality survey to examine the hypothesis that extraverts are happier than introverts
What is the purpose of this survey?
a. Exploratory
b. Descriptive
c. Explanatory
d. Predictive
c. Explanatory
A researcher interviews individuals living in a religious commune in order to learn about the psychological characteristics of cults
What is the purpose of this survey?
a. Exploratory
b. Descriptive
c. Explanatory
d. Predictive
a. Exploratory
Which of the following is not a common use of a pilot study?
a. To obtain feedback on the questions
b. To identify items that are redundant
c. To identify items that are likely to be left blank
d. To collect a large sample for normative data
d. To collect a large sample for normative data
What does a survey with an exploratory purpose do/tell us?
It explores research questions that have not previously been studied in depth
It is often used when the issue you’re studying is new, or the data collection process is challenging in some way
Simply = Survey conducted to learn more about something
What does a survey with a descriptive purpose do/tell us?
It accurately and systematically describes a population, situation or phenomenon
It can answer what, where, when, and how questions, but not why questions.
Simply = Survey conducted to determine something
What does a survey with an explanatory purpose do/tell us?
It explores why something occurs when limited information is available
Simply = Survey conducted to explain why something occurs
What does a survey with a predictive purpose do/tell us?
It asks questions that automatically predict the best possible response options based on the text of the question
Simply = To identify a link between X and Y
