Chapter 12 Advanced Measurement Designs for Survey Research

Components of attitudes Cognitive (beliefs) Affective (emotions) Behavioral (conative) Components of attitudes Cognitive (beliefs) Affective (emotions) Behavioral (conative) Attitude - a learned predisposition to act in a consistent positive or negative way to a given object, idea, or set of information. 12-2

Beliefs Examples: Your university Examples: Your university... is a prestigious place to get a degree.... has excellent professors.... is a good value for the money.... needs more and better computers. 12-3

Emotions Examples: You love your university. You hate your classes. You like your professors. You think living in the dorm is fun and exciting. 12-4

... an observable outcome driven by the interaction of a person’s cognitive component (beliefs) and affective component (emotional strength of beliefs) as they relate to a particular object. Behavior Example: Your decision to return to your university for your sophomore year. 12-5

Open-ended = no response options for the respondents. Unprobed Probed Close-ended = have response options that can be answered quickly and easily. Dichotomous = only two response options. Multiple Category = more than two response options. Scaled-response = measures the attributes of some construct under study using a scale. Unlabeled = only the endpoints of the scale are identified. Labeled = all scale positions are identified. Open-ended = no response options for the respondents. Unprobed Probed Close-ended = have response options that can be answered quickly and easily. Dichotomous = only two response options. Multiple Category = more than two response options. Scaled-response = measures the attributes of some construct under study using a scale. Unlabeled = only the endpoints of the scale are identified. Labeled = all scale positions are identified. Question-Response Formats 12-6

Rating Scale Types Defined Likert Scales Likert Scales Semantic Differential Semantic Differential Behavioral Intention Behavioral Intention... ask respondents to indicate the extent to which they either agree or disagree with a series of mental or behavioral belief statements about a given object.... use bipolar adjectives and adverbs (competitive/noncompetitive, helpful/not helpful, high quality/low quality, dependable/undependable) as the endpoints of multiple scales.... collect information on the likelihood that people will demonstrate some type of predictable behavior regarding the purchase of a product or service. 12-7

12-8

12-9

12-10

12-11

12-12

Labeled Scaled-responses Scaled-response questions... utilize a scale selected by the researcher to measure the attributes of some construct under study. Labeled scales – use a scale in which all of the scale points are identified with some description oAdvantages Enables degree of intensity/feelings to be expressed Simple to administer and code Respondents can relate to scale oDisadvantages Scale may be “forced” or overly detailed Labels may be difficult to develop if more than 5- point scales Scaled-response questions... utilize a scale selected by the researcher to measure the attributes of some construct under study. Labeled scales – use a scale in which all of the scale points are identified with some description oAdvantages Enables degree of intensity/feelings to be expressed Simple to administer and code Respondents can relate to scale oDisadvantages Scale may be “forced” or overly detailed Labels may be difficult to develop if more than 5- point scales 12-13

The nature of the property being measured; e.g., gender = dichotomous Previous research studies – use format if objective is to compare results. Data collection mode – influences the type of scale that can be used. Respondent ability – kids, less educated may have difficulty with scaled responses. The desired scale level – higher level scales permit more sophisticated statistical analysis. Question-Response Format Choice Considerations 12-14

Other Types of Scales ComparativeComparativeNoncomparativeNoncomparative 12-15

12-16

12-17

Measurement Design Issues oConstruct Development Issues Constructs should be clearly defined. Avoid double-barreled questions/constructs. Consider screening (filter) questions and skip patterns. oScale Measurement Issues Instructions for both respondents and interviewers should be carefully developed. Use clear wording and avoid ambiguity. Avoid “leading” phrases or words. Make sure the descriptors are relevant to the type of data being sought. oConstruct Development Issues Constructs should be clearly defined. Avoid double-barreled questions/constructs. Consider screening (filter) questions and skip patterns. oScale Measurement Issues Instructions for both respondents and interviewers should be carefully developed. Use clear wording and avoid ambiguity. Avoid “leading” phrases or words. Make sure the descriptors are relevant to the type of data being sought