Question 1

Jennifer is investigating people's attitudes towards social norms. She is considering using either an in-person interview or web-based survey to collect data. What is a potential research benefit of using the web-based survey compared to the in-person interview?

Accepted Answer

Anonymity on a web-based survey may make participants more comfortable with revealing potentially controversial attitudes about social norms that they may be less likely to disclose in an in-person interview. This increased comfort level with anonymity may lead to more accurate and honest responses overall.

Question 2

Jennifer is analyzing the data from her survey study on people's attitudes towards social norms. She discovers that a participant had chosen "strongly disagree" to all the items on the last page of the survey, even for contrasting items. For example, the participant chose "strongly disagree" for the items "I am outgoing and love attending parties" and "I generally prefer to be alone at home". The participant has likely displayed:

Accepted Answer

The participant has likely displayed a response set, which is a tendency to respond to items in a survey in a similar way without considering the content of each item. The participant's response of "strongly disagree" to contrasting items suggests a lack of consideration for the content of the items and instead reflects a consistent response set.

Question 3

A psychologist wants to examine the effect of artificial light exposure on eating behavior. She recruits her clients from her private, upscale clinic as participants for this study and all of them agree to take part in it. Given only this information, which of the following is the largest problem with her study's design?

Accepted Answer

The largest problem is selection bias because the participants are all clients from a private, upscale clinic, which may not be representative of the general population, potentially skewing the results.

Question 4

When participants are tired from responding to a survey, the data is always less likely to:

Accepted Answer

When participants are tired from responding to a survey, they may have a tendency to rush through the questions or give random responses, resulting in less valid data. This can lead to inaccurate findings and conclusions.

Question 5

What is a common benefit shared by surveys that are short and surveys that have been customized based on each participant's responses, in contrast to longer surveys?

Accepted Answer

Short and customizable surveys typically have lower participant attrition rates because they are less burdensome and more engaging, leading to higher completion rates.

Question 6

Gail sent out 50 surveys to students staying at her dormitory, asking them about their exercise behavior. After two weeks, she receives all fifty surveys back. Gail need not be worried about:

Accepted Answer

Self-selection bias is not a concern in this scenario because all 50 surveys were returned, indicating that participation was not optional or selective based on the participants' willingness or interest in the topic.

Question 7

In a study by Wells et al. (2012) on attitudes about carrying handguns, the researchers compared responses of students who completed a survey in class with those of students who were given the option to complete the survey online. They found that students who responded to the web survey were more extreme in their attitudes than the in-class sample. These findings could possibly be a result of:

Accepted Answer

This is an example of motivated respondent bias. It suggests that individuals who choose to complete the survey online may be more motivated to express their attitudes in a more extreme way than those who complete the survey in class. This bias could have implications for the generalizability of the results.

Question 8

As mentioned in the textbook, a 2005 Pew Research survey found that 51% of respondents favored "making it legal for doctors to give terminally ill patients the means to end their lives," but only 44% favored "making it legal for doctors to assist terminally ill patients in committing suicide". Anderson wants to show that his participants support euthanasia. Knowing the results of the Pew Research survey, he chooses to use the first phrasing in his survey to college students. As a result, Anderson's study is affected by:

Accepted Answer

Experimenter bias occurs when the researcher's expectations or preferences about the outcome of the study influence the results. By choosing wording that is known to elicit a more favorable response towards euthanasia, Anderson is introducing his own bias into how the survey is conducted and potentially affecting the results.

Question 9

When conducting surveys, an important consideration is how the phrasing of survey items influences participant responses. Researchers should avoid ______________ bias when writing survey items, which is an example of a __________________ effect.

Accepted Answer

Experimenter bias refers to any impact that the researcher's expectations might have on the outcome of a study, including how questions are phrased. The framing effect describes how the way information is presented can influence decisions and judgments, making "experimenter; framing" the correct pairing.

Question 10

Consider the following scenario:
Item 47 of a 200-item questionnaire is "Please select Strongly Disagree". What is this item addressing?

Accepted Answer

This item is addressing the response set, as it is asking the participant to select "Strongly Disagree" as their response.

Question 11

In a survey on attitudes towards college cheating, the researcher would like to insert the item, "I always tell the truth". The responses are on a 5-point scale, Strong Agree, Agree, Neither Agree nor disagree, Disagree and Strongly Disagree. Esther claims that this item does not directly relate to cheating on tests, exams and assignments, however, Deena claims that including the item might be useful. Which of the following biases might this item help address?

Accepted Answer

Including the item "I always tell the truth" can help address social desirability bias, which is the tendency for respondents to answer in a way that they believe is socially acceptable or favorable. By including this item, it may encourage respondents to answer honestly and thus provide a more accurate representation of their attitudes towards cheating.

Question 12

Which of the following strategies best works to reduce the impact of social desirability bias on survey responses?

Accepted Answer

Asking about controversial issues subtly by framing all responses as normal behavior can help to reduce the impact of social desirability bias on survey responses. Participants may be more likely to answer honestly if they believe their responses will be viewed as normal or typical. The other options do not necessarily address the issue of social desirability bias directly. Inserting an item that requests participants to select "Strong disagree" may not be effective if participants still feel pressure to appear agreeable in other parts of the survey. Asking participants to promise to answer honestly may not be effective as people may not want to admit to dishonesty. Discarding survey data could lead to biased results if participants who do not complete the survey systematically differ from those who do complete it.

Question 13

Julie is analyzing her survey data and suspects that a respondent has answered the second half of her survey in a response set. However, she is unable to prove it. What is the best course of action for Julie to take?

Accepted Answer

Discarding potentially invalid data is the best course of action to prevent compromising the overall accuracy and reliability of the survey results. If Julie suspects that a respondent has answered a portion of the survey incorrectly or inappropriately, it is best to err on the side of caution and eliminate that data from the analysis. This ensures that the results are based on trustworthy, meaningful data.

Question 14

A web-based survey that offers respondents full anonymity without any direct connection between researcher and respondent could offer the benefit of _________________________ but also poses the problem of __________________________.

Accepted Answer

A web-based survey that offers respondents full anonymity would reduce social desirability bias since respondents are more likely to give honest answers when they are not worried about judgment or how their responses may be perceived. However, this anonymity could also pose the problem of careless respondents, as the lack of direct connection between researcher and respondent may lead to a lack of accountability for responses.

Question 15

Jaime is checking her survey data for instances where respondents had answered inconsistently for similar items. She is checking for:

Accepted Answer

Inconsistent answers can often be a sign of careless responding, where the respondent is not paying attention to the questions or is answering without much thought. This can result in unreliable data and skew the results. Checking for consistency in responses is important to ensure the quality of the data collected.

Question 16

In interviews with some special populations, researchers may use the Mini-Mental State Examination to quickly assess cognitive functioning. What does this assessment serve in the context of research?

Accepted Answer

The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) is a tool commonly used to assess cognitive functioning, including orientation to time and place, attention, memory, language, and the ability to follow basic verbal and written commands. By administering this test prior to an interview, researchers can determine if participants have the cognitive capacity to understand and respond accurately to interview questions. This helps to ensure that the data obtained is valid and reliable. Additionally, if cognitive impairment is detected during the MMSE, researchers can adjust their interview protocols or connect participants with appropriate resources or medical attention.

Question 17

Which of the following is the best definition of acquiescence bias?

Accepted Answer

Acquiescence bias refers to the tendency for respondents to agree with statements/questions regardless of whether they actually believe them or not. This bias is not limited to interviews only, but can also occur in surveys. Option A is too narrow in scope. Option C relates to social desirability bias, not acquiescence bias. Option D refers to peer pressure, which is not the same as acquiescence bias.

Question 18

Diana is running a study where she wants to find out the general impact of IQ on an individual's success in graduate school. She wants to exclude any effect of an individual's socio-economic status (SES) on their graduate school success. In her analysis, SES would be…

Accepted Answer

SES is being used as a control variable in this study, as Diana wants to eliminate its impact on the relationship between IQ and graduate school success. A dependent variable is the outcome being measured in a study, an independent variable is the one being manipulated, and a confound variable is an extraneous variable that can affect the outcome of interest.

Question 19

Which of the following is not a benefit of using an existing survey instrument as compared to coming up with your own?

Accepted Answer

Using an existing survey may not necessarily help you formulate your research questions to suit the survey items. This choice requires careful consideration of whether the existing survey is a good fit for your research.

Question 20

Boris is concerned that existing, established surveys in the field of health psychology do not directly address his research question. He decides to write his own survey. Which of the following is true about Boris' constructed survey?

Accepted Answer

Boris' constructed survey is more likely to face questions about validity because established surveys have already undergone extensive testing and validation, while Boris' survey is newly created and untested. Without established validity, the results from the survey may be less reliable and less meaningful. The other answer choices are not necessarily true and depend on the specific circumstances of Boris' research question and survey design.

Quiz 7: Survey and Interview Approaches