Question 1

When Jenn completes the Student Evaluation of Instruction form at the end of the semester she doesn't really think much about it, she just gives her professor all "5's" indicating that he is great. Jenn's method of completing the evaluation survey would seem to be indicative of the response bias referred to as

Accepted Answer

Jenn's method of completing the evaluation by uniformly giving all "5's" without much thought indicates a tendency towards a response set bias. This type of bias occurs when respondents use a pattern in their responses (such as agreeing with all items or rating them similarly) rather than carefully considering each item.

Question 2

The problem of response set can be addressed by

Accepted Answer

The problem of response set, where respondents might consistently choose a particular type of answer, can be addressed through various methods: eliminating middle options to prevent neutral responses, interspersing different types of questions to maintain engagement and reduce patterned responses, and including reverse-scored items to counteract the tendency to agree with statements regardless of content.

Question 3

When using Likert scaling researchers often combine survey items resulting in a single value to represent the construct being measured. In doing so the researcher must be confident that the survey is internally reliable. As a measure of internal reliability they should report

Accepted Answer

Cronbach's alpha is a measure of internal consistency, which is how closely related a set of items are as a group. It is considered to be a measure of scale reliability. A high value for Cronbach's alpha indicates that the items measure the same underlying construct, making it appropriate for assessing the internal reliability of a survey instrument.

Question 4

Why is a five point rating scale generally preferred over a dichotomous scale?

Accepted Answer

A five-point rating scale allows for more nuanced responses, enabling participants to express varying degrees of opinion strength, which provides richer data for analysis.

Question 5

________is a scaling method that includes a series of opposing adjective pairs

Accepted Answer

The semantic differential is a type of scale used for psychological or marketing research that presents opposing adjectives at each end of the scale, allowing individuals to express their attitudes or feelings towards a given subject by marking a position along the scale between the two adjectives.

Question 6

Which of the following is an example of a dichotomous closed-ended question?

Accepted Answer

A dichotomous closed-ended question is a type of question that offers two possible answers, often "Yes" or "No." Option A, "Do you drive a car? Yes or No," fits this definition perfectly, as it provides only two mutually exclusive options for a response.

Question 7

_________items should be used to measure constructs in a survey.

Accepted Answer

Multiple items are recommended for measuring constructs in a survey to ensure reliability and validity, capturing various dimensions of the construct.

Question 8

Which of the following is an example of an open-ended question?

Accepted Answer

Open-ended questions allow for a wide range of responses, rather than limiting to yes/no or a set of predefined options. Option C, "Please list your favorite cereals," invites respondents to provide any answer they choose, fitting the definition of an open-ended question.

Question 9

________questions are a combination of both open and closed ended questions.

Accepted Answer

Mixed questions combine elements of both open-ended and closed-ended questions, allowing for a range of responses that can include specific, predetermined options as well as more open, narrative answers.

Question 10

Pilot testing your survey can help to

Accepted Answer

Pilot testing a survey is a crucial step in the survey design process, as it helps to identify problems, practice protocols, and clear up any ambiguity in the questions or the survey structure, ensuring that the final survey is as effective and clear as possible.

Question 11

Suppose you want to assess student attitudes of the new campus center by surveying 100 students at your school. In this example the group of 100 students represents the____ and all of the students at your school represent the____ .

Accepted Answer

The group of 100 students surveyed is a subset of the entire student body, making it the sample, while all students at the school represent the total group of interest, or the population.

Question 12

Which of the following is NOT true of binary forced choice questions?

Accepted Answer

Binary forced choice questions offer only two options, not three, making choice B incorrect.

Question 13

__________questions ask the respondent to check all responses that apply

Accepted Answer

Checklist questions allow respondents to select multiple answers from a list of options, fitting the description of asking respondents to check all responses that apply.

Question 14

________questions ask the respondent to put their responses in ascending or descending order.

Accepted Answer

Ranking questions require respondents to arrange their answers in a specific order, either ascending or descending, based on their preferences or priorities.

Question 15

The principle advantage of open-ended questions is that they

Accepted Answer

Open-ended questions allow respondents to answer in their own words, offering them greater flexibility in how they express their thoughts and feelings, unlike closed-ended questions which limit responses to predefined options. This flexibility can lead to more detailed and nuanced responses.

Question 16

Dr. Bell is interested in creating a survey on road rage. Since not everyone drives a car, he should ask an)_________ question at the beginning of the survey to see which participants drive cars and then have only those who do drive answer questions 2-10 on road rage while driving.

Accepted Answer

A contingency question is used to determine if respondents are qualified or relevant for the subsequent questions in a survey. In this case, it would identify those who drive cars and are therefore relevant for the road rage survey.

Question 17

You plan to develop a survey and would like to compute a single score to represent the construct you are measuring. Which type of items should you use?

Accepted Answer

Likert scales are designed to measure attitudes or opinions across a continuum and allow for the computation of a single score representing the construct being measured. This makes them suitable for surveys where a quantifiable measure of a construct is desired.

Question 18

A question that directs the survey taker to a particular place within the survey e.g., "if your income is over $50,000 go to question #15") is called an) ________question.

Accepted Answer

Contingency questions in surveys are designed to direct respondents to different parts of the survey based on their responses to certain questions. This allows for more relevant and tailored questions to be asked based on the respondent's previous answers, such as directing someone to a different question based on their income level.

Question 19

When ordering the questions on your survey it is advisable to include________ questions first.

Accepted Answer

The answer of When ordering the questions on your survey...

Question 20

Using a face-to-face interview method of 200 randomly selected college students Juanita found that no one had ever used marijuana. Juanita's results may be compromised by

Accepted Answer

Social desirability bias is likely affecting Juanita's results because individuals may be unwilling to admit to illegal or socially frowned upon behaviors like marijuana use in a face-to-face interview setting.

Quiz 12: Survey Research