Cognitive interviews are
A) interviews that ask respondents to freely think about any topic that comes to mind. This interview method is very qualitative and builds on the ideas of grounded theory.
B) a social psychological interview technique that probes into the deepest cognitive processes of the individual mind.
C) a technique used to learn about how respondents answer a questionnaire. It allows researchers to make final changes to a questionnaire, while respondents "think out loud" while they answer a questionnaire.
D) a technique, used by mostly journalists, where the interviewer leads the respondent to more sensationalized responses.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Cognitive interviews are specifically designed to understand how respondents perceive, understand, and answer questions in a survey or questionnaire. By asking participants to verbalize their thought processes while answering questions, researchers can identify and rectify issues with the questionnaire's design, wording, or structure before it is finalized and distributed more widely. This method is not about exploring the respondent's personal cognitive processes in a broad sense (as in B), nor is it about free thought on any topic (as in A) or leading respondents to sensationalized responses (as in D).

Cognitive Interviews Are