Survey Research

Question 1

Surveys useful to directly observe;

Answer 1

Cognitions e.g. stereotypes
Emotions e.g. attachment
Behaviours hard to observe directly e.g. sex

Question 2

What is a survey

Answer 2

Field study
Collection of data from sample of people from well-defined pop
Through the use of a questionnaire

Question 3

Distinguishing characteristics

Answer 3

Used to quantitatively deserve specific aspect of given pop
By asking people questions (self-report)
Collect data from a subset of pop

Question 4

Advantages

Answer 4

Enables to study large variety of topics in real life natural settings
Increased confidence in generalising findings to gen pop
Provides ideal conditions to examine moderating role of personal, social or cultural variables

Question 5

Disadvantages

Answer 5

Correlational nature

We usually do not manipulate IV’s & therefore cannot infer causal relationships between variables

Question 6

Cross-sectional design

Answer 6

Collection of data at a single point in time from a sample drawn from a specified pop
Often used to assess- frequency with which people enact certain behaviours, number of people who have particular attitudes or beliefs
Also used to assess differences between subgroups in pop
Also provides opportunity to assess relations between variables

Question 7

Repeated cross-sectional design/ successive independent samples design

Answer 7

Date collected from independent samples drawn from the same pop at 2 or more points in time
Useful if wanting to describe changes in additives or behaviours over time
May provide evidence to support causal relation- changes over time in IV should be mirrored by changes in DV

Question 8

Panel Survey (longitudinal design)

Answer 8

Data collected from same individuals at 2 or more points in time
Test causal hypotheses in at least 2 ways-
1) Examine whether changes over time in an IV correspond to change in DV
2) examine whether initial levels of an IV predict changes in DV

Question 9

Experiments within surveys

Answer 9

Respondents randomly assigned to different versions of questionnaire
Differences in responses between groups can be attributed to specific elements that were manipulated
Hypothetical scenarios
Manipulate certain characteristic of actor or circumstances
Examine Pp reactions & attitudes

Question 10

Survey sampling

Answer 10

Sampling is a procedure in which a specified number of individuals are drawn from a sampling frame that represents an actual list of the pop

Question 11

Probability sampling

Answer 11

Selection procedures in which individuals randomly selected from sampling frame
Equal chance per pp

Question 12

Advantages of probability sampling

Answer 12

Increased representativeness

Generalisability

Question 13

Types of probability sampling

Answer 13

Simple random sampling

Stratified sampling

Cluster sampling

Question 14

Simple random sampling

Answer 14

Individuals drawn from the pop at random, equal chance

Question 15

Stratified sampling

Answer 15

Sampling frame is divided into subgroups (strata) & sampling process conducted separately on each strata

Question 16

Cluster sampling

Answer 16

Sample of individuals is drawn from natural groups (clusters) rather than one-by-one
Then all individuals within a given cluster are sampled

Question 17

Evaluation of cluster sampling

Answer 17

\+ve= reduces time & cost 
-ve= reduces accuracy/representativeness

Question 18

Measurement error

Answer 18

What can go wrong

Increasing sample size tends to reduce sampling error but cannot correct methodological problems such as non-response & coverage errors

Question 19

Sampling error

Answer 19

Discrepancy between sample data & true pop data
Caused by random differences between sample & sampling frame

Chances are dependent on sample size, variance & pop size
Can calculate estimates of sampling error & know the magnitude of uncertainty regarding our data

Question 20

Non-response error

Answer 20

Often some individuals chosen for the sample are unable or unwilling to participate
Error occurs when sampled individuals who did not respond differ systematically from those who did

Need to minimise apparently costs of responding & maximise rewards for doing so
Low response rate does not equal non-response error

Question 21

Coverage Error

Answer 21

Discrepancy between sampling frame & the pop

Question 22

Non-probability sampling

Answer 22

Selection procedures in which individuals not randomly selected

Question 23

Advantages of non-probability sampling

Answer 23

Convenience

Cost

Question 24

Convenience Sampling

Answer 24

Pp selected solely on basis of convenience

e.g. through newspaper ads

Question 25

Problem with convenience sample

Answer 25

People who happen to be in certain place or respond to ads do not represent the pop

Question 26

Purposive Sampling

Answer 26

Convenience sampling among members of particular subgroup within pop

Question 27

Snowball sampling

Answer 27

A few members of subgroup located, each asked to suggest other members of subgroup for researcher to contact

Question 28

Quota sampling

Answer 28

Members of various subgroups of pop selected to create sample that reflects known characteristics of pop
Relevant demographics, plan in advance how many individuals recruited from each demographic category
Base quotas on accurate info about composition of pop
Relatively representative sample compared to convenience sampling but not probability sampling