Deck 10: Preparing Data for Quantitative Analysis

Question 1

The first step in developing codes for the anticipated responses to open-ended questions is:

A)consolidation of responses.
B)generating a list of potential responses.
C)assigning a numerical value as a code.
D)assigning a value to each response.
E)assigning coded values to missing data.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

In the four-step process of developing codes for responses, in which stage does one address the issue of missing data?

A)Consolidation of responses
B)Generating a list of potential responses
C)Completing the partial responses with best judgment responses
D)Assigning a value to each response
E)Assigning a numerical value as a code

Answer 2

E

Question 3

Assume that for a data field, only the codes 1 or 2 should appear. If a researcher mistakenly inputs any other number (say, 3), an error message is immediately displayed on the screen. This indicates that the software being used for data entry probably has a(n):

A)data input detection system.
B)input error capture mechanism.
C)error edit routine.
D)catch-error template.
E)outlier detection routine.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which of the following statements is NOT true about data editing?

A)Before being validated, the data must be edited for mistakes.
B)Editing involves checking the data for mistakes made by the interviewer.
C)Editing involves checking the data for mistakes made by the respondents.
D)Editing involves making sure that proper questions were asked of the respondents.
E)Editing involves making sure that data were collected from only qualified respondents.

Question 5

If a researcher recontacts a respondent to collect information on a question that was accidentally skipped by the interviewer, the researcher is checking which area of concern while editing data?

A)Courtesy and respect
B)Accurate recording of answer
C)Correct screening questions
D)Reponses to open-ended items
E)Probing for a deeper response

Question 6

An example of fraud in the data validation process is when:

A)the interviewer contacts the respondent simply to get a name and address and then proceeds to falsify the interview.
B)the interviewer, unconsciously or not, injects a tone of negativity.
C)the interviewer misrepresents himself / herself to the respondent.
D)the interviewer does not submit all the data collected during the collection process.
E)the interviewer distributes the data collected to various organizations thereby violating confidentiality agreements.

Question 7

A researcher decides to assign a value of 1 if the respondent is male and a value of 2 if the respondent is a female. By assigning numbers to different genders, the researcher is engaged in the process of:

A)coding.
B)editing.
C)validation.
D)data summarization.
E)data tabulation.

Question 8

While preparing data, Sheila identifies a number of tasks that have to be performed. She should begin with which of the following?

A)Data validation
B)Editing and coding
C)Data analysis
D)Data entry
E)Data tabulation

Question 9

The process of converting information from a form / questionnaire is referred to as data preparation. This process follows a four-step approach. Which one of the following is the last step in this process?

A)Data validation
B)Editing
C)Coding of the data
D)Data entry
E)Data tabulation

Question 10

In all of the following situations, one should prefer cross tabulation over one-way tabulation, EXCEPT:

A)to determine the number of males and females buying Nike or Reebok shoes.
B)to determine the number of males and females voting democrat, republican, or independent.
C)to determine the number of males and females included in the sample.
D)to determine the number of males and females assigned to control versus experimental condition.
E)to determine the number of males and females preferring bus travel or train travel.

Question 11

One-way tabulation can do all of the following, EXCEPT:

A)determine the amount of non-response to individual questions in a questionnaire.
B)tabulate responses to one question against those to another question.
C)locate mistakes in data entry.
D)profile sample respondents.
E)construct one-way frequency tables.

Question 12

A researcher contacts a respondent who meets all the requirements for inclusion in the sample. The researcher starts the interview process and after completing the first five questions, skips directly to the second last question. He later on makes up the answers to the questions that he had never asked of the respondent. This inappropriate behavior falls under which of the following data validation areas?

A)Fraud
B)Mid-survey validation
C)Skip question validation
D)Completeness
E)Screening

Question 13

An example of curbstoning is:

A)when the respondents improperly fill out the questionnaire.
B)when the interviewer fills out the instrument without interviewing the respondent.
C)when the interviewer contacts respondents by phone and then records their observations.
D)when the interviewer interviews respondents and records their observations.
E)when the respondents are unreachable.

Question 14

An example of procedure in the data validation process is when:

A)the interviewer contacts the respondent simply to get a name and address and then proceeds to falsify the interview.
B)the raw data is checked for mistakes made by either the interviewer or respondent.
C)a sample of respondents is recontacted and asked to verify whether they answered various questions from different parts of the interview form.
D)a sample of respondents is recontacted to ensure the interview took place at the proper setting.
E)a sample of respondents is recontacted to ensure that they are qualified to participate in the exercise.

Question 15

If a researcher recontacts a respondent to make certain that a qualified consumer provided the actual data, and that the questions were answered in a correct sequence, the researcher is checking which area of concern while editing data?

A)Courtesy and respect
B)Proper recording of answer
C)Correct screening questions
D)Reponses to open-ended items
E)Probing for a deeper response

Question 16

To assign numerical value to each questionnaire, a researcher decides to use a four-digit code. There are probably how many questionnaires in the data set?

A)323
B)99
C)999
D)576
E)1249

Question 17

All of the following statements are true about coding, EXCEPT:

A)coding can be tedious if certain issues are not addressed prior to collecting the data.
B)a well-planned questionnaire can reduce the amount of time spent on coding.
C)for open-ended questions, a coding process should be prepared before collecting data.
D)numerical codes are easier to input than alphanumeric codes.
E)coding involves grouping and assigning values to responses to the survey questions.

Question 18

If a researcher asks if a tone of negativity was injected into the interviewing process, the researcher is dealing with a question of:

A)fraud.
B)screening.
C)procedure.
D)completeness.
E)courtesy.

Question 19

If a researcher makes a subjective judgment about classifying a response into a predefined category, the researcher is working on which aspect of the data editing process?

A)Courtesy and respect
B)Accurate recording of answer
C)Correct screening questions
D)Reponses to open-ended items
E)Probing for a deeper response

Question 20

The best way to handle missing data is:

A)to assign a coded value to it.
B)to substitute the missing values with the median of the variable.
C)to leave the data space blank for missing data.
D)to substitute the missing values with the mean of the variable.
E)to check on how your data analysis software will handle missing data and then determine a course of action.

Question 21

In a survey, a total of 500 surveys were filled out. One hundred of these responses had to be removed because of missing values for a particular question ("What is your gender?"). If 40 people indicated "Male" in response to this question, what was the valid percentage of "Male" responses?

A)40%
B)8%
C)10%
D)18%
E)20%

Question 22

As a part of the data validation process, usually all the respondents initially interviewed are recontacted by the research firm.

Question 23

One-way tabulations can be used to locate mistakes in data entry.

Question 24

Developing consolidated categories is a subjective decision.

Question 25

Calculate the mode of the following raw responses: 2, 3, 3, 4, 5, 5, 6, 6, 6, 7, 8.

A)4
B)5
C)6
D)7
E)8

Question 26

Error detection cannot be done by reviewing a printed representation of the entered data.

Question 27

Scanning technology cannot be used to enter data.

Question 28

Because of the possibility of curbstoning, data validation becomes a necessary step in the data acquisition process.

Question 29

When coding, researchers prefer using verbal codes (such as labels "male" or "female") instead of numerical codes (such as "1" for male and "2" for female) because verbal codes are easier to interpret.

Question 30

A one-way frequency table illustrates the number of respondents who responded to questions given by the possible alternatives available.

Question 31

Calculate the range of the following raw responses: 2, 3, 3, 4, 5, 5, 6, 6, 6, 7, 8.

A)4
B)5
C)6
D)7
E)8

Question 32

In the process of editing responses to open-ended questions, researchers typically fill out the incomplete answers based on their best judgment.

Question 33

In assigning numerical values to questionnaires, normally a four-digit code is used if there are fewer than 1000 questionnaires.

Question 34

Cross-tabulation is most often used with nominally or ordinally scaled data.

Question 35

One-way tabulations can profile sample respondents.

Question 36

It is impractical to create codes for open-ended questions before the data has been collected.

Question 37

Which of the following measures requires that the responses be first arranged in a hierarchical pattern?

A)Cross-tabulations
B)Mean
C)Median
D)Mode
E)Standard deviation

Question 38

As part of the data validation process, professional research firms even check for things like researcher's appearance, communication and interpersonal skills.

Question 39

Which of the following measures is an indicator of how similar or dissimilar the numbers are in the set of responses?

A)Cross-tabulations
B)Mean
C)Median
D)Mode
E)Standard deviation

Question 40

Converting information from surveys or other data sources so it can be used in statistical analysis is referred to as data conversion.

Question 41

Percentage distribution can be calculated by converting a frequency distribution into percentages.

Question 42

In order to determine the mode, one has to find the number with the lowest frequency.

Question 43

In what ways does data validation help?

Question 44

In order to establish valid percentages, missing responses must be removed from the calculation.

Question 45

When does it make the most sense to use mode over median or mean?

Question 46

Median is typically not included in the summary statistics.

Question 47

The two types of measures often used to describe data are quantitative and qualitative measures.

Question 48

What is the difference between a simple one-way tabulation and a cross-tabulation?

Question 49

Respondents are typically recontacted under what conditions?

Question 50

What are the benefits of using numerical codes?