P&B Chapter 13: Data Collection in Quant Research

Question 1

Which type of quantitative data collection measure is used with open ended and closed ended questions ?

Answer 1

Structured self-report

Question 2

List 2 ways to complete interviews.

Answer 2

face to face

telephone

Question 3

List 2 structured self-reports

Answer 3

1. interviews

2. questionnaires

Question 4

Which is NOT a type of closed-ended question?

1. multiple choice
2. rank-order
3. rating
4. forced choice
5. respond in own words
6. dichotomous
7. visual analog

**fixed alternative is another name for closed-ended

Answer 4

respond in own words

this is open ended

Question 5

What are 3 reasons to select questionnaires as your way to collect data?

Answer 5

1. cost (less costly)
2. anonymity* (can obtain a candid response/perhaps a socially unacceptable response)
3. interviewer bias (absence of interviewer)

• highlighted in lecture
• p. 305 in book

Question 6

List 3 reasons to use interviews (Kelli lists 8)

Answer 6

1. response rate* (people less likely to refuse to talk to an interviewer)
2. audience (many people cannot fill out a questionnaire)
3. clarity (interviewers can provide clarification to confusing questions)
4. depth of questions (open-ended questions/probing questions)
5. missing info can be asked about (respondents less likely to give an “I don’t know response” to an interviewer)
6. order of questions can be flexible (interviewers can skip around in asking questions)
7. sample control (interviewers know whether the people being interviewed are the intended respondents)
8. supplementary data can be obtained from the interviewer (nonverbals can be assessed)

• highlighted in lecture
• considered superior to questionnaires for most research purposes b/c of these advantages
• p. 305-306 in book

Question 7

Which method of quant research data collection is described?

*the documentation of specific behaviors, actions, and events using formal instruments and protocols

Answer 7

structured observation

*this is an important data collection method, particularly for recording aspect’s of people’s behaviors when they are not capable of describing them reliably in self-reports” (p. 318)

Question 8

What are the limitations (i.e. type of bias) of a structured self-report (3)?

Answer 8

Response bias: (p. 313 in book) (these are the response biases you cannot do much about as the interviewer)

• social desirability response bias (people’s tendency to present a favorable image of themselves so they provide response that aligns with prevailing social values/misrepresents themselves)
• extreme response (consistent selection of extreme alternatives - captures a trait of the respondent vs. the actual feelings about the phenomenon under study)
• acquiescence response (agree with statements regardless of content….naysayers is the opposite)

Question 9

What are biases of structured observation (4)?

Answer 9

1. assimilatory bias (evidence based on previous assumptions - observer distorts observations in the direction of identity with previous inputs)
2. halo effect (tendency of observers to be influenced by one characteristic in judging other, unrelated characteristics)
3. error of leniency (tendency to rate everything positively)
4. error of severity (tendency to rate everything too harshly)

(p. 318 in book)

Question 10

2 biophysiologic measures

Answer 10

1. in vivo

2. in vitro

Question 11

Which is described?

1. in vivo
2. in vitro
   * extracting material from people and submitting it to lab

Answer 11

in vitro (example of an in vitro measurement is measuring serum potassium concentration in the blood)

Question 12

Which is described?

1. in vivo
2. in vitro
   * directly in or on living organisms

Answer 12

in vivo (examples of in vivo measurements are BP, body temperature, SpO2)

Question 13

3 disadvantages for biophysiologic measures

Answer 13

1. cost
2. measuring tool may affect the variable it is attempting to measure
3. energy (energy sometimes needs to be applied to organism when taking these measurements - high-energy concentrations could damage cells)

Question 14

3 advantages for biophysiologic measures

Answer 14

1. accurate and precise
2. objective
3. valid

Question 15

These ideas describe what:

1. Testing hypotheses/addressing research questions
2. describing sample characteristics
3. controlling confounding variables
4. analyzing potential biases
5. understanding subgroup effects
6. interpreting results
7. assessing treatment fidelity
8. obtaining administrative information

Answer 15

Some of the purposes that quantitative researchers may need data for (p. 293-294 in book)

Question 16

Yes or No - data collection is often the costliest and most time-consuming portion of a study

Answer 16

Yes

Question 17

________ indicate the “normal” values on a measure for a specified population, and thus offer a built-in comparison

Answer 17

Norms

Question 18

Are these strengths or weaknesses of close ended questions:

• easy to administer/easy to analyze
• more efficient than open ended questions
• preferred if respondent cannot express him/herself verbally
• gives respondents a greater measure of privacy/less likely to go unanswered

Answer 18

Strengths (p. 298)

Question 19

Are these strengths or weaknesses of close ended questions:

• potential to omit key responses
• tend to be superficial
• respondents may be forced to choose a response that does not reflect their opinions well

Answer 19

Weaknesses (p. 298)

Question 20

Do questionnaires tend to use more open or close-ended questions?

Answer 20

Close-ended (tends to minimize the respondent writing burden)

Question 21

Do interviews tend to use more open or close-ended questions?

Answer 21

Mixture of both

Question 22

Choose the type of question this is:

Is today Thursday? (Yes or No)

Choices:
Dichotomous 
Multiple-choice
Rank order
Forced-choice
Rating
Checklist
Visual-Analog Scale (VAS)

Answer 22

Dichotomous (requires respondents to make a choice)

*especially helpful when gathering factual info

Question 23

Choose the type of question this is:

How important is it to you to avoid a pregnancy at this time?

1. Extremely important
2. Very important
3. Somewhat important
4. Not important

Choices:
Dichotomous 
Multiple-choice
Rank order
Forced-choice
Rating
Checklist
Visual-Analog Scale (VAS)

Answer 23

Multiple-choice question

*preferable to dichotomous questions for opinion/attitude questions because more info is provided, especially intensity/direction of opinion

Question 24

Choose the type of question this is:

Which statement most closely represents your own point of view?

1. OT Theory is the greatest thing since sliced bread
2. If I never have to hear about OT Theory again, it won’t be long enough

Choices:
Dichotomous 
Multiple-choice
Rank order
Forced-choice
Rating
Checklist
Visual-Analog Scale (VAS)

Answer 24

Forced-choice question

*requires respondents to choose between to polar position statements

(FYI - #2 is the “right answer” in this case hehehe)

Question 25

What type of question does this describe:

Respondents are asked to rank concepts along a continuum, such as most to least important

Answer 25

Rank order questions

*sometimes these can be misunderstood, so good instructions and an example may be needed; 10 rankings maximum

Question 26

What type of question does this describe:

Respondents are asked to evaluate something along an ordered dimension

Answer 26

Rating question

*typically on a bipolar scale, with end points specifying opposite extremes on a continuum; number of points on scale are odd so there can be a neutral mid-point

Question 27

What type of question does this describe:

Includes several questions with the same response format; it is a 2-dimensional arrangement in which a series of questions is listed on one side and the responses are listed on the other

Answer 27

Checklist

• relatively efficient and easy to understand, but they are difficult to read orally so they are used in questionnaires more often than interviews

Question 28

What type of question does this describe:

Used to measure subjective experiences, such as pain or fatigue…it is a straight line with the end anchors being the extreme limits of the subjective experience being measured….respondents are asked to place a mark on the line between these two extremes to correspond to the amount of feeling they are experiencing

Answer 28

Visual Analog Scale (VAS)

Question 29

What type of structured self report does this describe:

Consists of several declarative items that express a viewpoint on a topic; respondents are asked to indicate the degree to which they agree/disagree with the opinion expressed by the statement

Answer 29

Likert Scale (p. 301) (sometimes called a summated rating scaled b/c a person’s total score is computed by adding individual item scores together)

I did not make flashcards for these, but they are in book from pages 302-304 and were not mentioned in the ppt at all
other types of composite scales/structured self-reports:
- semantic differential scale (measures attitudes)
- cognitive tests (measures cognitive skills)
- Q sort (measures attitudes, personality traits)
- Vignettes (obtains info about how people might behave in situation that would be difficult to observe in daily life)

Question 30

Why are scales important? (p. 301)

-

Answer 30

They are used to discriminate quantitatively among people with different attitudes, fears, needs….they are created by combining several close-ended items into a composite score