Question 1

The cognitive processing perspective on survey interviewing

Accepted Answer

The cognitive processing perspective on survey interviewing primarily examines the mental steps and processes that respondents go through to understand, retrieve information, and answer survey questions.

Question 2

Theoretical analyses of the interviewer-respondent interaction suggest that respondents typically will

Accepted Answer

Respondents often feel pressured to provide answers quickly during interviews, even if they are unsure, leading to guesses or hasty responses.

Question 3

Suppose a campus survey includes the following two questions: "How would you rate your academic experience?" and "How would you rate your college experience?" According to Grice's maxim of nonredundancy, respondents should

Accepted Answer

According to Grice's maxim of nonredundancy, respondents will assume that each question has a distinct purpose and interpret them as having different meanings, even if they appear similar.

Question 4

According to rational choice theory, __________ behavior is likely when questions are difficult and the respondent's motivation is low; __________ behavior is likely when questions are easily answered and the respondent's motivation is high.

Accepted Answer

Rational choice theory suggests that when questions are difficult and motivation is low, individuals are likely to engage in satisficing, which means they settle for an adequate answer rather than the best one. Conversely, when questions are easy and motivation is high, individuals are more likely to engage in optimizing, seeking the best possible answer.

Question 5

Open-ended questions work best

Accepted Answer

Open-ended questions are effective when respondents have varying levels of knowledge or prior thought on an issue, as they allow for diverse and detailed responses.

Question 6

Compared with closed-ended questions, open-ended questions

Accepted Answer

Open-ended questions require skilled interviewers to guide respondents in providing detailed and complete responses, as they allow for more elaboration and depth in answers.

Question 7

Compared with open-ended questions, closed-ended questions

Accepted Answer

The answer of Compared with open-ended questions, closed-ended questions
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Question 8

Experiments comparing responses to closed-ended and open-ended questions have found that

Accepted Answer

Closed-ended questions can yield similar results to open-ended questions if the response options accurately reflect the most common responses given in open-ended formats.

Question 9

According to the textbook, indirect questions are

Accepted Answer

Indirect questions are based on the notion of projection, where respondents project their own feelings or thoughts onto others or hypothetical situations.

Question 10

Which of the following types of questions is rarely used in survey research today?

Accepted Answer

Indirect questions are rarely used in survey research today because they can lead to ambiguous responses and are less effective in gathering clear, actionable data compared to direct questioning methods.

Question 11

Which of the following is consistent with Grice's relevance principle?

Accepted Answer

Grice's relevance principle suggests that people interpret information in a way that is relevant to the context. In this case, respondents seeing numerical scale values as pertinent to the interpretation of the question aligns with this principle, as they are using available information to make their responses relevant to the question context.

Question 12

Which of the following is true about response formats for survey questions?

Accepted Answer

Adjectival labeling of each response category can help respondents understand the scale better, making it easier for them to provide accurate answers.

Question 13

Which of the following questions would serve best as the opening question for a survey of campus alcohol use?

Accepted Answer

Starting with a direct question about current alcohol consumption sets the context for the survey and engages respondents on the topic of interest.

Question 14

In a survey study of campus alcohol and drug use, what is the best placement within a questionnaire or interview schedule for the following question: "Have you ever gotten into trouble with the law because of drinking?"

Accepted Answer

Sensitive questions, such as those about legal troubles due to drinking, are best placed in the middle of a questionnaire to ensure respondents are more comfortable and engaged before addressing potentially uncomfortable topics.

Question 15

What is the best placement in a survey for the following question: "What is your age?"?

Accepted Answer

The question "What is your age?" is a sensitive question that may make respondents uncomfortable if asked too early in the survey. Placing it towards the end allows respondents to build trust with the researcher and feel more comfortable providing their age.

Question 16

Which of the following questions should be placed toward the end of a questionnaire or interview in a survey study of campus alcohol use?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following questions should be...

Question 17

What is the major wording problem with the following question: "Do you approve of the irresponsible person who would drive after having several drinks?"?

Accepted Answer

The question is leading because it includes the word "irresponsible," which suggests a negative judgment and can influence the respondent's answer.

Question 18

What is the major wording problem with the following question (asked of respondents who say they drink beer): "When you drink beer, how much, on the average, do you usually drink at any one time? [quite a bit] [a moderate amount] [very little] "?

Accepted Answer

The question lacks precision because the response options are vague and subjective, making it difficult for respondents to provide a clear and consistent answer.

Question 19

What is the major wording problem with the following question: "How satisfied are you with the number and fairness of the tests in this course?"

Accepted Answer

The question is double-barreled because it asks about two different aspects: the number of tests and the fairness of tests, which could lead to confusion or inaccurate responses.

Question 20

What is the major wording problem with the following question: "On a typical weekday how many hours do you watch television? [ 0-2 ] [3-5] [6-10] [10] or more"?

Accepted Answer

The question lacks precision because the response options overlap and are not mutually exclusive, particularly with "6-10" and "10 or more."

Quiz 10: Survey Instrumentation