CHAPTER 7 ASKING PEOPLE ABOUT THEMSELVES SURVEY RESEARCH

Surveys and Interviews Ask people about themselves Range of topics: Personality to demographics

WHY CONDUCT SURVEYS? Provides a methodology for ask people to tell about themselves Way to study relationships among variables and ways that attitudes and behaviors change over time Provides useful information for making public policy decisions Important complement to experimental research findings

Response Sets Response set = tendency to respond to all questions from a particular perspective Ex. Answer ‘true’ to all questions Social desirability = faking ‘good’

CONSTRUCTING QUESTIONS TO ASK Defining the Research Objectives Attitudes and beliefs Facts and demographics Behaviors

CONSTRUCTING QUESTIONS TO ASK Question Wording Potential problems that stem from difficulty understanding the question: - Vague or imprecise terms - Ungrammatical sentence structure - Phrasing that overloads working memory - Embedding the question with misleading information

CONSTRUCTING QUESTIONS TO ASK Important considerations when writing questions: Simplicity Double-barreled questions Loaded questions Negative wording Yea-saying and nay-saying

RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS Closed- Versus Open-Ended Questions Closed ended: response options provided Open ended: participant writes in response Number of Response Alternatives Can be dichotomous Many in the 5 to 7 options range

Responses to Questions Rating Scales Graphic rating scale Attractive Unattractive Semantic differential scale Marijuana should be legalized Good __ __ __ __ __ __ __ Bad Strong __ __ __ __ __ __ __ Weak Active __ __ __ __ __ __ __ Passive Nonverbal scale for children  

Responses to Questions Labeling Response Alternatives _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ Strongly Agree Undecided Disagree Strongly Agree Disagree How often do you floss? __ at least once a day__ more than once a week __ 6 x per week__ once a week __ 4 x per week __ every two weeks __ 2 x per week__ once a week

FINALIZING THE QUESTIONNAIRE Formatting the Questionnaire Should appear attractive and professional Neatly typed and free from errors Use point scales consistently Refining Questions Proof questions with others