BHV 390 Surveys

Operationalization of Concepts Operationalize means to make measurable You operationalize concepts by turning them into measurable variables. Variables are, by definition, measurable. Surveys are made up of items collecting data on concepts the researcher is studying. Each item was chosen to operationalize a concept into a particular type of variable.

Operationalization in Surveys 1.Validity 2.Level of Data (Nominal, Ordinal, Ratio) 3.The amount of detail (See the section on Operationalization for Exhaustiveness of items 2.Clarity 3.Lack of bias in wording 4.No double barreled questions. 5.Question, item format 6.Participant competence 7.Order of items 8.Contingency options

General Type Specific Type DefinitionExamples DiscreteNominalNumbered for labeling in a category based on equality to or difference from other members of the category African American Asian American Latino Euro-American ContinuousOrdinalItems are ranked in categories with no standard interval implied by their ranking 1)First Place 2)Second Place 3)Third Place (the distance between first and second place, and second and third place may be very different from one another) ContinuousIntervalItems are ranked with a standard interval, but without a standardized zero point. 32 degrees Fahrenheit 64 degrees Fahrenheit (32 does not imply twice as cold as 64, and the Fahrenheit and Centigrade have different, non-standard zeros. ContinuousRatioItems are ranked with a standard interval based on a standardized zero point, and a ranking of 4implies exactly twice that of 2. Age in years Kinds of Variables

Exploratory, Descriptive or Explanatory Goals Descriptive Goals Demographic variables as descriptive tools Open ended questions, items to elicit the point of view of participants Explanatory Goals Demographic variables as independent variables Closed- ended questions to collect identical, comparable information from all participants

General Kinds of Measures Closed Ended Multiple Choice Matrix Contingency items Open Ended Fill in the Blank Short Answer Single Item Composite Measures

Exhaustiveness of Items WRONG 1. What is your ethnicity? _____ African American _____Asian American _____EuroAmerican RIGHT 1. What is your ethnicity? _____ African American _____Asian American _____EuroAmerican _____Native American _____Latino _____Other, please specify: _______________________

Clarity of Questions = Validity If you want to know whether anyone in a participant’s family has ever been in prison: WRONG 1. Has anyone in your family ever gone to jail? OR 1. Has anyone in your family ever been arrested? RIGHT 1. Has anyone in your family ever served a prison sentence? _____Yes _____No

Bias in Questions Example: 1. Don’t you think that women should be stay-at-home moms? ___ Yes___ No Be careful that the questions in your items do not contain the answer you hope to get.

Double Barreled Questions Example: 2.Did you pay your state and federal taxes last year? ___ Yes___ No There are two questions contained in this item. It is possible that a participant paid federal but not state taxes or vice versa. Be sure that you separate out your questions so that there is only one per item.

Contingency Questions WRONG: 1.Are your parents currently married to one another? _____ yes_____ no 2. How many years have they been married? _____ 3.Do you think they have a happy marriage? _____ yes_____ no 4. When did your parent’s marriage end? _____

Contingency Questions WRONG : 1.Are your parents currently married to one another? _____ yes_____ no IF NO, GO TO # 4 2. How many years have they been married? _____ 3.Do you think they have a happy marriage? _____ yes_____ no GO TO # 5 4. When did your parent’s marriage end? _____

Contingency Questions RIGHT: 1.Have you parents ever been married? _____Yes_____no IF NO, GO TO # 6 2. Are your parents currently married to one another? _____ yes_____ no IF NO, GO TO # 5 3. How many years have they been married? _____ 4. Do you think they have a happy marriage? _____ yes_____ no IF YES, GO TO # 7 5. How many years were your parents married before their marriage ended? _____ 6. Have you parents ever lived together? _____yes_____no 7. How old was your mother when you were born? _____

Matrix Items A matrix format sometimes makes it easier for participants to respond to a set of items that all have the same options. The section of the State-Trait Anger inventory below is arranged in a matrix format. Not at all Somewhat Moderately so Very much so 5. I am furious I feel irritated I feel angry I feel like banging on the table I feel like hitting someone I feel like breaking things I feel like yelling at someone I am mad I am burned up I feel like swearing

Steps in Constructing A Survey List all variables that you will measure Determine which of the formats above you will use for each variable. Determine what level of data you will collect for each variable. Organize the items for presentation on a survey according to: format matrix or other clustering of items contingency series influence on each other visual flow Pretest the survey on several individuals who will not be participating in the survey for comprehension logical consistency time Revise according to suggestion that enhance the survey’s effectiveness

Study Guide SurveyOpen-ended OperationalizationClosed-ended VariableFill in the blank ValidityMultiple choice Level of DataContingency items Research goalMatrix format Amount of detail Short answer Exhaustiveness of itemsComposite/multiple item measures ClarityIndex Question/item formatScale Participant competenceBiased questions/items Nominal dataDouble-barreled questions/items Ordinal dataPretesting the survey Ratio data Discrete data Continuous data