Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches

SURVEY RESEARCH

KEY TERMS

closed-ended question

cognitive interviewing

collaborative encounter model

computer-assisted personal

interviewing (CAPI)

computer-assisted self-

administered interviewing

(CASAI)

computer-assisted telephone

interviewing (CATI)

context effect

contingency question

conversational interview

double-barreled question

floaters

full-filter question

funnel sequence

interactive voice response (IVR)

leverage salience theory

matrix question

naïve assumption model

open-ended question

order effects

partially open question

prestige bias

probe

pseudosurvey

quasi-filter question

randomized response technique

(RRT)

recency effect

satisficing

sleeper question

social desirability bias

standard-format question

tailoring

telescope

time budget survey

wording effects

REVIEW QUESTIONS

1.What are the six types of information that surveys often ask about? Give an

example of each that is different from the examples in the book.

2.Why are surveys called correlational,and how do these differ from experiments?

3.Identify five of the ten things to avoid in question writing.

4.What topics are commonly threatening to respondents, and how can a researcher

ask about them?

5.What are advantages and disadvantages of open-ended versus closed-ended

questions?

6.What are filtered, quasi-filtered, and standard-format questions? How do they

relate to floaters?

7.What are differences between and relative merits of a standard versus a

conversational interview?

8.What is cognitive interviewing, and how does it improve survey research?

chapter presented the advantages and disadvantages
of various types of survey research and noted that
interviewing, especially face-to-face interviewing,
can be difficult.
Although this chapter focused on survey
research, we use questionnaires to measure vari-
ables in other types of quantitative research (e.g.,
experiments). The survey, often called the sample
surveybecause random sampling is usually used
with it, is a distinct technique. It is a process of
asking many people the same questions and exam-
ining their answers.

Survey researchers try to minimize errors, but

survey data often contain them. Errors in surveys

can compound each other. For example, errors

can arise in sampling frames, from nonresponse,

from question wording or order, and from inter-

viewer bias. Do not let the potential for errors dis-

courage you from using the survey, however.

Instead, learn to be very careful when designing

survey research and cautious about generalizing

from its results.