Question 1

When the variable "religious affiliation" is classified as Protestant,Catholic,or Jewish,this variable has the important quality of being
A)mutually exclusive.
B)exhaustive.
C)interchangeable.
D)ratio scale.

Accepted Answer

Mutually exclusive means that only one category can be chosen for each individual.

Question 2

The following exemplifies an improper way to ask a question: "Are you satisfied with this textbook and with your research instructor's teaching style?

Accepted Answer

The question is improperly worded as it presents a loaded question by implying that the respondent is expected to be dissatisfied. A better way to phrase the question would be, "What are your thoughts on the textbook and your research instructor's teaching style?" to avoid influencing the respondent's answer.

Question 3

Which of the following statements is(are)INCORRECT?
A)Closed-ended questions should limit respondents to three or four choices.
B)Closed-ended questions should have response categories that are mutually exclusive and exhaustive.
C)Closed-ended questions should cover the range of likely responses.
D)None of these; they are all correct.

Accepted Answer

Closed-ended questions can have more than three or four choices; the number of choices depends on the context and the range of possible responses.

Question 4

The questionnaire item "Which is not a serious problem in the U.S.today,anomie or the socialization of the young?" violates which of the following guidelines?
A)Avoid double-barreled questions.
B)Avoid short items.
C)Avoid leading the respondent.
D)Avoid negative items.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The questionnaire item "Which is not a...

Question 5

Professor Milne was preparing to do some unstructured qualitative interviewing.Milne knew that you were a research-methods student and asked for your advice.You told Milne
A)to try not to alter the specific wording of questions.
B)to try to use the same probes with the same wording for each respondent.
C)to try not to alter the sequence of questions.
D)all of these.
E)none of these.

Accepted Answer

Unstructured qualitative interviewing is flexible and allows for changes in wording, probes, and sequence to adapt to the flow of conversation and the respondent's answers.

Question 6

The length of a question has no bearing on how effectively the respondent will answer.

Accepted Answer

The length of a question can affect comprehension and focus, potentially impacting the quality of the response.

Question 7

Which of the following statements is true regarding the order in which items appear in a questionnaire?
A)The order should be random.
B)The order does not matter.
C)Researchers should attempt to estimate the effect of question order and use their judgment so as to minimize any order problems
D)The order can be random because it does not matter.

Accepted Answer

The order of questions in a questionnaire can influence participant responses, and researchers should try to estimate and minimize any potential bias. Therefore, option C is the best choice. Options A and D suggest the use of random order, which may not be ideal for all questionnaires. Option B is incorrect as the order of questions is an important factor that can affect responses.

Question 8

Which of the following statements is/are true about comparing quantitative and qualitative instrument construction?
A)Both approaches should avoid biased wording.
B)Both approaches should avoid questions that are very complex.
C)Quantitative measures are likely to be more highly structured.
D)Quantitative measures are likely to use close-ended questions.
E)Qualitative measures are likely to rely primarily on interviews.f.All of these.
F)All of these.

Accepted Answer

All of the statements are true about comparing quantitative and qualitative instrument construction. Both approaches should avoid biased wording and questions that are too complex. Quantitative measures are typically more structured and use close-ended questions, while qualitative measures rely primarily on interviews.

Question 9

Which of the following statements is/are true about constructing qualitative measures?
A)You should rely primarily on close-ended questions.
B)Highly structured self-administered questionnaires are more desirable than interview guides.
C)Interviews can range from completely unstructured, informal conversational interviews that use no measurement instruments to highly structured, standardized interviews in which interviewers must ask questions in the exact order and with the exact wording in which they are written out in advance.
D)All of these.

Accepted Answer

Qualitative measures can involve different levels of structure in interviews, including highly structured, standardized interviews or completely unstructured, informal conversational interviews. Close-ended questions may limit the depth and richness of qualitative data. Highly structured self-administered questionnaires may not allow for the flexibility needed in qualitative research.

Question 10

Contingency questions:
A)Are used to increase the likelihood of responses from those for whom the questions are relevant.
B)Should not be used because they frustrate respondents.
C)Enable the researcher to ask several questions that have the same set of answer categories.
D)All of these.

Accepted Answer

Contingency questions are used to increase the likelihood of responses from those for whom the questions are relevant. By making the question relevant to the respondent, they are more likely to answer.

Question 11

Which of the following statements is/are true about questionnaires?
A)Researchers can avoid the need for pretesting if they are very careful in the way they word questions.
B)Because it is virtually impossible to avoid some mistakes in wording, questionnaires should be pretested in a dry run.
C)When pretesting, the pretest sample should be very large.
D)When pretesting your questionnaire, it's better to ask people to read through it looking for errors rather than to complete the questionnaire.

Accepted Answer

Pretesting questionnaires is necessary because it is difficult to completely avoid mistakes in wording. A smaller pretest sample size is acceptable as long as it is diverse and representative of the target population. Asking participants to complete the questionnaire during pretesting can provide valuable information about the clarity and validity of the questions.

Question 12

The following answer categories about gender are exhaustive and mutually exclusive: Male ________ Female ________

Accepted Answer

The answer categories of "Male" and "Female" are exhaustive and mutually exclusive as they include all possible options and do not overlap.

Question 13

Which of the following statements is/are true about informal conversational interviews?
A)They are often unplanned and unanticipated.
B)They are the most close-ended form of interviewing.
C)They require the use of a structured measurement instrument.
D)Because they are informal, there is less need to be concerned about how questions are worded.
E)All of these.

Accepted Answer

Informal conversational interviews are often unplanned and unanticipated, making them different from more formal structured interviews that are planned in advance.

Answer: D 
 While there is less structure in informal conversational interviews, it is still important to be concerned about how questions are worded to ensure that responses are accurate and useful.

Therefore, the correct answer is A, D.

Question 14

In order to avoid measurement error in a questionnaire,it is a good idea to
A)use unbiased wording.
B)use terms that subjects will understand.
C)test out the instrument in a dry run with a few people in the target population
D)all of these.

Accepted Answer

It is important to use unbiased wording and terms that subjects will understand. Additionally, testing the questionnaire with a small sample of the target population can help identify any potential issues or unclear questions, reducing measurement error. Therefore, all of these options should be followed to decrease measurement error.

Question 15

Assume that the following would be reasonable conversational questions/statements based on a subject's previous statement.Which is the best probe?
A)"In what ways is that a better job?"
B)"How is that a better job?"
C)"Tell me more about why that's a better job."
D)"How do you mean that's a better job?"
E)All of these are equally good probes.

Accepted Answer

All of these probes are appropriate and would encourage the speaker to provide more information and elaboration on their statement without leading them in a particular direction. It may be helpful to vary the probes used in a conversation to avoid sounding repetitive or insincere.

Question 16

Asking subjects "Did your children go to high school and college?" after they told you that they have no children violates which of the following criteria in question construction?
A)Avoid double-barreled questions.
B)Questions should be relevant.
C)Avoid biased items.
D)Avoid double-barreled questions and questions should be relevant.

Accepted Answer

Questions should be relevant to the topic being studied, and double-barreled questions should be avoided.

Question 17

Qualitative measures rely on interviews that are usually open-ended with in-depth probes.

Accepted Answer

Qualitative measures typically use open-ended interviews with in-depth probes to gather rich and detailed data about experiences, opinions, and perceptions.

Question 18

The questionnaire item "Did you file federal and state income tax reports last year?" with a response set of yes,no,can't remember,other,is an example of
A)an open-ended question.
B)an ordinal variable.
C)a double-barreled question.
D)a negative item.

Accepted Answer

This is a double-barreled question because it asks about two different things (filing federal and state income tax reports) in one question, making it unclear which part a respondent is answering.

Question 19

In constructing a questionnaire it is better to squeeze questions and response categories close together and have a shorter,cluttered questionnaire than it is to have a longer,uncluttered questionnaire.

Accepted Answer

It is better to have a longer, uncluttered questionnaire with more space and easy-to-read font to avoid confusion and increase response rates. A cluttered questionnaire may discourage respondents from completing it or misinterpret their responses.

Question 20

Respondents would not be competent to answer a question if they:
A)did not remember the relevant information.
B)did not know about the relevant information in the first place.
C)have psychological or biological impairments
D)all of these.

Accepted Answer

If respondents do not remember or do not have knowledge of the relevant information, they would not be competent to answer a question. Additionally, if they have psychological or biological impairments, this could also impact their ability to answer accurately. Therefore, option D, "all of these", is the best choice.

Quiz 9: Quantitative and Qualitative Measurement Instruments

When the variable "religious affiliation" is classified as Protestant,Catholic,or Jewish,this variable has the important quality of being

The following exemplifies an improper way to ask a question: "Are you satisfied with this textbook and with your research instructor's teaching style?

Which of the following statements is(are) INCORRECT?

The questionnaire item "Which is not a serious problem in the U.S.today,anomie or the socialization of the young?" violates which of the following guidelines?

Professor Milne was preparing to do some unstructured qualitative interviewing.Milne knew that you were a research-methods student and asked for your advice.You told Milne

The length of a question has no bearing on how effectively the respondent will answer.

Which of the following statements is true regarding the order in which items appear in a questionnaire?

Which of the following statements is/are true about comparing quantitative and qualitative instrument construction?

Which of the following statements is/are true about constructing qualitative measures?

Contingency questions:

Which of the following statements is/are true about questionnaires?

The following answer categories about gender are exhaustive and mutually exclusive: Male Female

Which of the following statements is/are true about informal conversational interviews?

In order to avoid measurement error in a questionnaire,it is a good idea to

Assume that the following would be reasonable conversational questions/statements based on a subject's previous statement.Which is the best probe?

Asking subjects "Did your children go to high school and college?" after they told you that they have no children violates which of the following criteria in question construction?

Qualitative measures rely on interviews that are usually open-ended with in-depth probes.

The questionnaire item "Did you file federal and state income tax reports last year?" with a response set of yes,no,can't remember,other,is an example of

In constructing a questionnaire it is better to squeeze questions and response categories close together and have a shorter,cluttered questionnaire than it is to have a longer,uncluttered questionnaire.

Respondents would not be competent to answer a question if they: