Questionnaires

Question 1

what is a questionnaire?

Answer 1

a research instrument consisting of a series of Qs for the purpose of gathering info from respondents

Question 2

what can a questionnaire also be thought of as?

Answer 2

a written interview

Question 3

how can a questionnaire be carried out?

Answer 3

via:

• phone
• online
• post
• face to face

Question 4

2 pros of questionnaires

Answer 4

1) provide a relatively quick, cheap and efficient way of obtaining large amounts of info from a large sample of people- larger the sample the more rep, the more rep the more able we are to generalise findings
2) data can be collected quickly because researcher doesn’t need to be there while they’re being completed- useful for large pops where interviews= impractical

Question 5

a con of questionnaires

Answer 5

1) respondents may LIE due to SOCIAL DESIRABILITY BIAS

Question 6

what is social desirability bias?

Answer 6

most want to present a +ve image of themselves so may lie to look good

Question 7

what types of questions do questionnaires ask of their participants?

Answer 7

BOTH open-ended and closed Qs

it’s beneficial as it means both qualitative & quantitative data can be obtained

Question 8

what are closed Qs?

Answer 8

whereby the answer is structured by only allowing responses which fit into pre- decided categories/ on scales

Question 9

what two types of data can closed Qs collect?

Answer 9

1) nominal

2) ordinal

Question 10

what is nominal data?

Answer 10

data that can be placed into a category
the category can be:
- restricted to as FEW as 2 options (Y/N, M/F)
- OR include complex lists of alternatives to choose from (polytomous)

Question 11

define polytomous

Answer 11

multiple branches

Question 12

what is ordinal data?

Answer 12

data that can be ranked

often includes a continuous rating scale to measure the strength of attitudes/ emotions= i.e. a Likert Scale

Question 13

what have closed Qs been used for?

Answer 13

to:

1) research Type A personality (Friedman & Rosenman, 1974)
2) assess life events which may cause stress (Holmes & Rahe, 1967)
3) attachment (Fraley et al, 2000)

Question 14

Strength (CQ): can be economical

Answer 14

this means they can provide large amounts of data for relatively LOW costs

thus a large sample size can be obtained which should be REPRESENTATIVE of the pop, which a researcher can then GENERALISE from

Question 15

Strength (CQ): easily converted into quantitative data

Answer 15

allows statistical analysis of the responses

Question 16

Strength (CQ): standardised

Answer 16

all respondents are asked EXACTLY the same Qs in exactly the same order

means it can be REPLICATED EASILY to check for reliability

thus a 2nd researcher can use it to check that results= consistent

Question 17

LIMITATION (CQ): lack detail

Answer 17

because responses= FIXED, there’s LESS SCOPE for respondents to supply answers which reflect their true feelings on a topic

Question 18

what are open Qs

Answer 18

they allow people to express what they think in as much detail as they like in their own words

Question 19

when might i want to use OQs?

Answer 19

• if i wanted to gather MORE in-depth answers from my respondents
• if i had more COMPLEX Qs that can’t be answered in a few categories, but require more detail & discussion

Question 20

example of a complex Q

Answer 20

• Lawrence Kohlberg

- presented his PPs w/ moral dilemmas

Question 21

Kohlberg and Heinz

Answer 21

Heinz faced with choice of whether to watch wife die of cancer or steal the only drug that can save her

PPs were asked whether he should steal the drug or not, and more importantly WHY upholding/ breaking the law= RIGHT

Question 22

1 strength of OQs?

Answer 22

• rich qualitative data is obtained as they allow the respondent to ELABORATE on their answer
• means that the researcher can find out WHY a person holds a certain attitude

Question 23

2 Cons of OQs concerning its TIME- CONSUMING NATURE

Answer 23

1) time-consuming to COLLECT data
- takes longer for respondent to complete OQs- problem= smaller sample size may be obtained

2) time consuming to ANALYSE data- as they have to read the answers and try to put them into categories by CODING- can be subjective & difficult

Question 24

Who wrote a book solving the time consuming issue of analysing OQ data?

Answer 24

Smith (1992)
devoted an entire book dedicated to the issues of THEMATIC CONTENT ANALYSIS, which includes 14 different scoring systems for open Qs

Question 25

1 Con of OQs concerning differing education levels

Answer 25

• NOT suitable for LESS educated respondents as open Qs require superior writing skills & a better ability to express one’s feelings verbally

Question 26

Why is it essential a questionnaire is well designed?

Answer 26

Some suffer a response rate as low as 5%

Question 27

6 Factors to consider when designing a questionnaire

Answer 27

1) AIMS
2) LENGTH
3) PILOT STUDY
4) QUESTION ORDER
5) TERMINOLOGY
6) PRESENTATION

Question 28

design: factor 1) AIMS

Answer 28

• make sure ALL Qs ADDRESS the aims of the research

- HOWEVER, only use 1 feature of the construct you’re investigating per item

Question 29

design: factor 2) LENGTH

Answer 29

• LONGER it is, the LESS LIKELY people will complete it

- Qs should be short & concise; any unnecessary Qs should be omitted

Question 30

design: factor 3) PILOT STUDY

Answer 30

• run a small scale PRACTICE study to ensure people understand the Qs
• people will be able to give detailed, honest feedback on the design

Question 31

design: factor 4) QUESTION ORDER

Answer 31

• they should progress logically from
  1) LEAST to MOST SENSITIVE
  2) the FACTUAL & BEHAVIOURAL to the COGNITIVE
  3) the MORE GENERAL to the MORE SPECIFIC

Question 32

design: factor 5) TERMINOLOGY

Answer 32

1) limit technical jargon- Qs should be simple and concise
2) the language should be APPROPRIATE to the vocab of the group being studied
3) use statements which are interpreted in the SAME WAY by members of DIFFERENT SUBGROUPS of the pop of interest

Question 33

design: factor 6) PRESENTATION

Answer 33

• ensure it looks PROFESSIONAL

- include clear & concise instructions so NOT mistaken for JUNK MAIL

Question 34

ethical issues: CONFIDENTIALITY

Answer 34

• researcher must ensure info given is kept confidential, e.g. address, name, etc
• means they’re good for researching SENSITIVE topics as they’ll be MORE HONEST when they can’t be identified
• also reduces likelihood of any psych harm, such as embarrassment

Question 35

ethical issues: INFORMED CONSENT

Answer 35

• must provide it PRIOR to completing it

- must be made aware that they’ve the RIGHT TO WITHDRAW @ ANY time

Question 36

2 problems w/ postal questionnaires

Answer 36

1) data might be INVALID (not truthful) as we can never be sure whether the right person completed it
2) also PQs may be UNREPRESENTATIVE of the target pop because:
- some may be lost in post: reducing sample size
- may be completed by someone who’s NOT a member of the research pop
- those w/ STRONG VIEWS on the subject= more likely to complete it than those w/ feeble interest

Question 37

what is a pilot study?

Answer 37

A practice/ small- scale study conducted BEFORE the main study
allows the researcher to try out the study with a FEW participants so that ADJUSTMENTS can be made BEFORE the main study= saving time & $$

Question 38

4 reasons why it’s important to conduct a questionnaire PS

Answer 38

1) check that they understand the terminology used
2) check EMOTIVE Qs have NOT been used= makes people defensive- could invalidate their As
3) check that leading Qs not used= could BIAS the answer
4) ensure that it can be completed in an APPROPRIATE TIME FRAME (i.e. not too long)