Question 1

The cognitive processing perspective on survey interviewing
A) attends to the mental steps required to answer survey questions.
B) focuses on the mental tasks demanded of the interviewer.
C) focuses on the cognitive rules for successfully sustaining the respondent's attention.
D) suggests that interviews are more demanding cognitively than other forms of interaction.

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
A) tell interviewers when they perceive a question as vague or ambiguous.
B) not answer opinion or attitude questions when they have no opinion.
C) assume automatically that more difficult questions require more time to answer.
D) feel pressure to respond promptly, even if their reply is a haphazard guess or hasty estimate.

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
A) be annoyed by having to answer questions that are nearly redundant.
B) interpret the questions as having a different meaning.
C) give highly similar responses to the two questions that will undermine measurement validity.
D) invariably ask interviewers to explain how the questions differ from one another.

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.
A) satisficing; optimizing
B) optimizing; satisficing
C) antagonistic; cooperative
D) optimizing; cooperative
E) satisficing; antagonistic

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
A) in questionnaires and in the later stages of research.
B) with less motivated respondents.
C) when respondents vary widely in their knowledge or prior thought on an issue.
D) with large samples that generate a wide variety of responses.

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
A) require skilled interviewers to elicit complete responses.
B) work best in mail questionnaire surveys where respondents have more time to respond.
C) are more difficult to develop.
D) tend to be used by researchers when they have a thorough knowledge of respondents.

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
A) are easier to develop.
B) require less prior knowledge of respondents.
C) require less effort from respondents and interviewers.
D) are more difficult to code and analyze.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Compared with open-ended questions, closed-ended questions
A) are...

Question 8

Experiments comparing responses to closed-ended and open-ended questions have found that
A) open-ended questions are better.
B) closed-ended questions are better.
C) the results are similar as long as the response options in the closed question represent the most frequent responses to the open question.
D) the results are similar as long as the questions are similarly worded.

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
A) based on the notion of projection.
B) easier to code than direct questions.
C) frequently used in modern survey research.
D) relatively high in reliability and validity.

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?
A) open-ended questions
B) closed-ended questions
C) contingency questions
D) filter questions
E) indirect questions

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?
A) Respondents voluntarily answer "don't know" if this option is not explicitly offered.
B) Respondents see the numerical scale values of a question as pertinent to the interpretation of the question.
C) Respondents use the option "Other_____(please explain)" when the listed alternatives do not match their true feelings.
D) Respondents respond differently to a general question when it is preceded by a specific question than when the general question is asked first.

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?
A) It is always better to include an explicit "don't know" option for opinion questions.
B) For measuring attitudes, the optimum number of categories is four.
C) Because of their explicit meaning, the numerical values of rating-scale endpoints (e.g., 0 to 6 or -3 to +3) are arbitrary.
D) Adjectival labeling of each response category can clarify the meaning of rating scales.

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?
A) Do you ever drink alone?
B) Would your father approve of your present drinking habits?
C) What is your major?
D) Do you presently drink beer, liquor, or wine?
E) What is your year in school?

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?"
A) opening question
B) toward the beginning
C) middle
D) end

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?"?
A) opening question
B) toward the beginning
C) middle
D) end

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?
A) Do you ever drink alone?
B) What is your year in school?
C) Would your father approve of your present drinking habits?
D) When did you have your first drink of beer or wine?
E) How often do you have a beer, liquor, or wine?

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?"?
A) inappropriate vocabulary
B) leading question
C) lack of precision
D) double-barreled

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] "?
A) inappropriate vocabulary
B) leading question
C) lack of precision
D) double-barreled

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?"
A) inappropriate vocabulary
B) leading question
C) insensitive wording
D) lack of precision
E) double-barreled

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"?
A) inappropriate vocabulary
B) leading question
C) lack of precision
D) double-barreled

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

The cognitive processing perspective on survey interviewing

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

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

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.

Open-ended questions work best

Compared with closed-ended questions, open-ended questions

Compared with open-ended questions, closed-ended questions

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

According to the textbook, indirect questions are

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

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

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

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

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?"

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

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

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

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] "?

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?"

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"?