Modern Marketing Research Concepts Methods, and Cases 2nd Edition by Fred M. Feinberg - Test Bank

Modern Marketing Research Concepts Methods, and Cases 2nd Edition by Fred M. Feinberg – Test Bank

 

Instant Download – Complete Test Bank With Answers

 

 

Sample Questions Are Posted Below

 

Chapter 6: Designing Surveys and Data Collection Instruments

 

TRUE/FALSE

 

1. The function of the questionnaire is measurement; measurement error is a serious problem in questionnaire construction.

 

ANS:  T

Questionnaires are designed to measure a wide variety of marketing-related variables. The way a question is worded can have a profound impact on the resultant error.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Easy               REF:   pg 264

 

2. Identification data collected on a questionnaire are typically used only internally and are not reported along with research results for reasons of confidentiality.

 

ANS:  T

Identification data includes information such as the respondent’s name, address, and phone number and is not reported because of confidentiality.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Easy               REF:   pg 266

 

3. Classification data are typically collected among the first five questions of a questionnaire.

 

ANS:  F

Because respondents may be reluctant to disclose personal information, it is best to place these questions at the end.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Moderate       REF:   pg 267

 

4. Questionnaire design has become a fairly exact science that can be mastered by strictly following the set of rules for their creation.

 

ANS:  F

Questionnaire design is  part scientific undertaking and part art form. Slavishly following fixed steps may lead researchers to devise overly lengthy, uninspired survey instruments.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Moderate       REF:   pg 267

 

5. The questionnaire design stage presumes that the research project is well under way and that research objective and information needs have already been identified.

 

ANS:  T

Questionnaire design is based on information needs; these must therefore be specified prior to developing any questionnaires.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Easy               REF:   pg 268

 

6. The more homogeneous the respondent group, the more difficult it is to design a single questionnaire that is universally appropriate.

 

ANS:  F

The more heterogeneous the group (in terms of geodemographics, attitude, and behaviors), the more difficult questionnaire design becomes.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Moderate       REF:   pg 268

 

7. A question should be phrased so as to permit the respondent to admit a lack of knowledge.

 

ANS:  T

When a question implies that the answer should be known, respondents will often answer it even though they have limited knowledge of the topic, causing measurement error,

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Moderate       REF:   pg 269

 

8. The aided recall approach, as the name implies, is intended to overcome respondents’ unwillingness to respond to particular questions.

 

ANS:  F

Aided recall attempts to overcome problems of respondent memory and lack of efficiency in administering questionnaires by providing the respondent with cues and partial information regarding the event of interest.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Challenging    REF:   pg 270

 

9. In mitigating bias resulting from respondents’ unwillingness to respond to questions accurately, the labeled response categories approach phrases the sensitive question so that it refers to “other people,” “people you know,” or even “people like you.”

 

ANS:  F

Referring to “other people,” “people you know,” or  “people like you” is the indirect statement approach to mitigating bias resulting from respondents’ unwillingness to respond accurately. The labeled response category approach presents respondents with a card that lists the sensitive response alternatives identified by letters or numbers. The respondent uses the letter or number to indicate a response to the sensitive question.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Challenging    REF:   pg 272

 

10. The counterbiasing statement approach involves asking a nonsensitive question prior to and immediately after a sensitive question.

 

ANS:  F

The counterbiasing statement  is a statement suggesting that the subject behavior is rather common prior to asking a question about the respondents’ behavior.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Challenging    REF:   pg 272

 

11. Open-ended questions are most appropriate for exploratory research purposes.

 

ANS:  T

Open-ended questions allow respondents to freely express views divergent from the researcher’s expectations, making them useful for exploratory research purposes.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Easy               REF:   pg 274

 

12. Open-ended questions are better suited for self-administered questionnaires than for questionnaires administered by an interviewer.

 

ANS:  F

They are less suited for self-administered questionnaires, because respondents tend to write more briefly than they speak.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Moderate       REF:   pg 276

 

13. The main issues arising in designing multiple-response questions are the number of alternatives, the alternatives themselves, and interview bias.

 

ANS:  F

Interviewer bias is not present in multiple-choice questions. The third issue is position bias of the response alternative.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Moderate       REF:   pg 277

 

14. A dichotomous question is an extreme form of the multiple-choice question.

 

ANS:  T

A dichotomous question is a multiple-response question that limits the choices to two (yes or no, did or did not, agree or disagree) or at most three (if a neutral alternative is added).

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Easy               REF:   pg 278

 

15. In multiple-response questions, the order in which the response alternatives are listed tends to bias the data.

 

ANS:  T

The order of response alternatives can impact the results. If possible, responses alternatives should be randomized for each respondent.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Easy               REF:   pg 278

 

16. In a telephone survey, recency bias occurs if respondents tend to ignore alternative responses heard after the first few are given.

 

ANS:  F

This is primacy bias. Recency bias results from choosing among the last alternatives given.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Moderate       REF:   pg 278

 

17. The issue of whether to include a neutral response alternative in a dichotomous question is best decided on the basis of the proportion of the respondent group who are truly neutral.

 

ANS:  T

Because only two responses are possible, the central issue  in dichotomous question design is whether respondents should be allowed a neutral or no opinion type of response. If a substantial number of respondents are truly neutral, the inclusion of the neutral alternative should increase the accuracy of the results.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Moderate       REF:   pg 279

 

18. The questionnaire should be comprehensible to that segment of the population with the least vocabulary skills.

 

ANS:  T

The words used in the questionnaire must be comprehensible to nearly all persons likely to be asked to complete it.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Easy               REF:   pg 280

 

19. Leading questions are often needed to accurately assess respondents’ feelings.

 

ANS:  F

A leading question is one that gives respondents a cue as to what the answer should be, thus biasing the results.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Moderate       REF:   pg 281

 

20. When deciding question wording, words like “usually,” “regularly,” “kind,” “normally,” and “frequently” are considered ambiguous and should be avoided.

 

ANS:  T

Because people interpret these words differently, they are ambiguous and should be avoided.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Easy               REF:   pg 281

 

21. The overriding concern when deciding the sequence of questions is that it retain respondent interest and attention without introducing bias.

 

ANS:  T

To obtain accurate answers, researchers must be careful not to bias answers and at the same time maintain interest and attention of the respondent.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Easy               REF:   pg 284

 

22. To reduce sequence bias, ask specific questions first then ask general questions second.

 

ANS:  T

To reduce sequence bias, the general questions should come first.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Easy               REF:   pg 285

 

23. The open-ended response format can be used in the pretest to determine appropriate response categories for what will become a multiple-response question in the final questionnaire.

 

ANS:  T

This is an effective method of assuring that all of the possible responses are identified.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Moderate       REF:   pg 288

 

24. An observational form should require the observer to summarize rather than list in detail the behavior observed.

 

ANS:  F

Observational forms should permit the observer to record the behavior in detail, rather than requiring a summary regarding a number of behavior patterns.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Challenging    REF:   pg 290

 

25. Due to substantial extra expenses when doing international marketing research, questionnaires that are determined to be accurately translated from one language to another generally do not need to be pre-tested as well.

 

ANS:  F

Complexities of international research can add a great deal of pre- and post-processing time and typically cost at least double what a survey costs when run domestically. However, it is not adequate to omit pre-testing.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Easy               REF:   pg 291

 

MULTIPLE CHOICE

 

1. Measurement error in the design of questionnaires

a.	can easily be calculated within a given number of standard deviations
b.	may be of unknown direction and magnitude
c.	does not require the degree of concern that is typically associated with sampling error
d.	results from questions which measure something other than what they are intended to measure
e.	both b and d

 

 

ANS:  E

Unlike sampling error, measurement error can’t easily be calculated and may be of unknown direction and magnitude. It is often the largest source of preventable error in marketing research, far exceeding errors in sampling plans. It results from questions which measure something other than what they are intended to measure.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Challenging    REF:   pg 265

 

2. The _______________ section of the questionnaire asks for such information as the respondent’s name, address, and phone number.

a.	identification data	d.	classification data
b.	request for cooperation	e.	information sought
c.	instructions

 

 

ANS:  A

The identification data section asks for the respondent’s name, address, and phone number. It is often placed first on the questionnaire.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Easy               REF:   pg 266

 

3. The _______________ component of the questionnaire is an opening statement designed to enlist the respondent’s help regarding the interview.

a.	identification data	d.	information sought
b.	request for cooperation	e.	classification data
c.	instructions

 

 

ANS:  B

The request for cooperation is the second part of the questionnaire and is used to enlist the respondent’s help in completing the interview.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Easy               REF:   pg 266

 

4. Often researchers will elect to include the purpose of the study in the _______________ section, if disclosing it will not bias respondent outcomes

a.	identification data	d.	information sought
b.	request for cooperation	e.	classification data
c.	instructions

 

 

ANS:  B

This information, if provided, is placed in the request for cooperation before the instructions are given.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Moderate       REF:   pg 266

 

5. The instructions are comments to _______________ about how to interact with and eventually complete the questionnaire

a.	the respondent	c.	both the interviewer and respondent
b.	the interviewer	d.	the interviewer or the respondent

 

 

ANS:  D

The instructions are written for either the interviewer or respondent, depending on the type of questionnaire and the role of the interviewer in the process.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Moderate       REF:   pg 266

 

6. The _______________ section of the questionnaire forms the major, and invariably the longest portion of the questionnaire.

a.	identification data	d.	information sought
b.	request for cooperation	e.	classification data
c.	instructions

 

 

ANS:  D

This part of the questionnaire solicits the information that is requested.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Easy               REF:   pg 267

 

7. The _______________ section of the questionnaire contains the characteristics of the respondent, primarily geodemographic data.

a.	identification data	d.	classification data
b.	request for cooperation	e.	information sought
c.	instructions

 

 

ANS:  D

This data should locate respondents and allow one to place them in factual categories.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Moderate       REF:   pg 267

 

8. The classification data section of the questionnaire contains the characteristics of the respondent, which is primarily

a.	geodemographic data	c.	psychographic data
b.	personal historical data	d.	behavioral data

 

 

ANS:  A

Geodemographic data includes demographic information, such as gender and age, and geographic information, such as zip code.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Moderate       REF:   pg 267

 

9. From a detailed listing of _______________, the researcher can begin to design the questionnaire

a.	the population and respondent group
b.	measurement scales and communication media
c.	information needs and a clear definition of the respondent group
d.	research objectives and sampling plan

 

 

ANS:  C

To design a questionnaire, researchers need to have a list of the information needs and a clear outline of the respondent group that will be answering the questions.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Challenging    REF:   pg 268

 

10. Each question included in the questionnaire should relate to a specific

a.	research objective	c.	measurement scale
b.	information need	d.	marketing problem

 

 

ANS:  B

Each question included on the questionnaire should relate to a specific information need.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Moderate       REF:   pg 268

 

11. Assuming that the desired data are relevant to the decision problem, the researcher must be sensitive to the respondent’s ability to provide the data, including all of the following except

a.	whether the respondent is uninformed
b.	whether the respondent is forgetful
c.	whether the respondent is unwilling to answer
d.	whether the respondent misremembers

 

 

ANS:  C

The ability to answer accurately assumes the respondent is willing to answer the question but does not have the ability to do so.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Challenging    REF:   pg 269

 

12. What factors affect a respondent’s ability to remember a particular event?

a.	recency of the event	d.	all of the above
b.	importance of the event	e.	both a and c
c.	repetition of the event

 

 

ANS:  D

The probability of forgetting is influenced by the importance of the event and how often it is repeated. The rate of forgetting is quite rapid over the first few days and continues with the passage of time.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Moderate       REF:   pg 269-270

 

13. To help individuals recall an event, without biasing information, researchers can use all of the following methods except

a.	unaided recall	c.	labeled response categories
b.	aided recall	d.	recognition

 

 

ANS:  C

The three main methods are unaided recall, aided recall, and recognition.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Moderate       REF:   pg 270

 

14. Several studies suggest that questions that rely on unaided recall can

a.	overestimate the actual occurrence of the event
b.	underestimate the actual occurrence of the event
c.	cause misremembering, i.e. remembering the wrong information
d.	be effective if pre-tested with recognition tests

 

 

ANS:  B

Studies suggest that individuals tend to underestimate the actual occurrence of the event.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Challenging    REF:   pg 270

 

15. An example of using _______________ would be asking respondents the question “What advertisements do you remember seeing last week?”

a.	unaided recall	c.	recognition
b.	aided recall	d.	pre-testing

 

 

ANS:  A

Unaided recall does not provide any clues or hints.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Easy               REF:   pg 270

 

16. The recognition method

a.	is a form of unaided recall
b.	may create suggestion bias
c.	involves presenting to the respondent the actual event
d.	all of the above
e.	both b and c

 

 

ANS:  E

With the recognition method, the researcher simply asks whether a respondent has in fact come across or experienced something. Recognition is the most biasing of the recall methods.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Challenging    REF:   pg 270-271

 

17. To reduce measurement error from respondents misremembering, researchers can use all of the following methods except

a.	use recognition tests
b.	use scales that provide appropriate time referents
c.	ask the questions in multiple ways to different respondents
d.	rely more on aided recall

 

 

ANS:  A

Using recognition tests may actually increase the occurrences of misremembering.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Moderate       REF:   pg 271

 

18. All of the following are approaches that have been developed to mitigate bias resulting from respondents’ unwillingness to respond to questions accurately except

a.	labeled response categories	c.	indirect statements
b.	recognition questions	d.	counterbiasing statements

 

 

ANS:  B

The approaches developed include counterbiasing statements, indirect statements, labeled response categories, and randomized response technique.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Easy               REF:   pg 272

 

19. An approach that lists alternative responses to a sensitive question by letters or numbers and permits the respondent to answer with a letter or number employs

a.	randomized responses	d.	indirect responses
b.	labeled response categories	e.	split design
c.	counterbiasing statements

 

 

ANS:  B

The labeled response categories method presents the respondent with a card that lists the sensitive response alternatives and has the responses identified by letters or numbers. The respondent uses the letter or number to indicate a response to the sensitive question.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Moderate       REF:   pg 272

 

20. In mitigating bias resulting from respondents’ unwillingness to respond to questions accurately, the _______________ approach begins the question with a statement suggesting that the subject behavior is rather common and then ask the respondent the question.

a.	counterbiasing statement	c.	labeled response categories
b.	indirect statement	d.	randomized response technique

 

 

ANS:  A

Sometimes the unwillingness to provide an accurate response can be overcome by using a counterbiasing statement, suggesting the behavior is rather common.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Moderate       REF:   pg 272

 

21. In mitigating bias resulting from respondents’ unwillingness to respond to questions accurately, the _______________ approach phrases the question with words such as “other people” or “people you know.”

a.	counterbiasing statement	c.	labeled response categories
b.	indirect statement	d.	randomized response technique

 

 

ANS:  B

With sensitive or embarrassing questions that individuals may be reluctant to answer honestly, using an indirect approach will often be successful.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Moderate       REF:   pg 272

 

22. Open-ended questions

a.	are costly
b.	reduce interviewer bias
c.	permit diverse responses which may not have been anticipated
d.	all of the above
e.	both a and c

 

 

ANS:  E

Open-ended question allows respondents to freely express views divergent from the researcher’s expectations. Disadvantages include high potential for interviewer bias, because interviewers usually must summarize the respondents’ answers and delete the aspects deemed unimportant, and the time and cost associated with coding the responses.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Moderate       REF:   pg 274

 

23. All of the following would be considered advantages of open-ended questions except

a.	can serve as an excellent first question on a topic
b.	are relatively easy to code and analyze
c.	can establish rapport and gain the respondent’s cooperation
d.	exert minimal influence on subsequent responses, because respondents are not biased by predetermined set of response alternatives

 

 

ANS:  B

Open-ended questions are time consuming and costly to code and analyze.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Easy               REF:   pg 274

 

24. A major disadvantage of using _______________ questions is interviewer bias while recording the respondent’s answers.

a.	open-ended	c.	dichotomous
b.	multiple-choice	d.	indirect

 

 

ANS:  A

Of the three types of question formats, open-ended questions have the highest potential for interviewer bias since the interviewer must attempt to record the answer exactly as it was given, which is rarely done.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Moderate       REF:   pg 274

 

25. To code verbal data in the “excruciatingly correct” manner requires considerable time and _______________ people.

a.	three	c.	six
b.	five	d.	eight

 

 

ANS:  C

Although coding can be done with fewer people, using 6 ensures a much higher level of accuracy.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Challenging    REF:   pg 275

 

26. When designing multiple-response questions, response alternatives should be _______________, which means the set of responses should include all of the possible alternatives.

a.	collectively exhaustive	c.	position unbiased
b.	mutually exclusive	d.	label inclusive

 

 

ANS:  A

Collectively exhaustive implies all possible alternatives are included. Sometimes this is done by adding an “other” category.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Moderate       REF:   pg 277

 

27. When designing multiple-response questions, response alternatives should be _______________, which means the respondent should be able to identify exactly one alternative that clearly represents their response.

a.	collectively exhaustive	c.	position unbiased
b.	mutually exclusive	d.	label inclusive

 

 

ANS:  B

Mutually exclusive means that a respondent is able to identify one response that clearly represents their answer.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Moderate       REF:   pg 275

 

28. Relative to open-ended questions, multiple-choice questions

a.	increase interviewer bias
b.	are more difficult to administer
c.	reduce the time and cost associated with data processing
d.	all of the above
e.	both a and c

 

 

ANS:  C

Multiple-choice questions reduce interviewer bias (in attempting to interpret verbal responses) and the cost and time associated with data processing. They are also typically easy and quick to administer.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Moderate       REF:   pg 277

 

29. In deciding on how many response alternatives to put in a question, the rule of thumb is that the explicit alternatives should contain _______________ percent of the responses.

a.	75	c.	95
b.	85	d.	99

 

 

ANS:  C

Less than 5 percent of the responses should be “other,” and 95 percent should fall within the listed alternatives.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Challenging    REF:   pg 278

 

30. When a list of numbers (such as prices or how many times per week a respondent visits a store) is given for the alternatives in a multiple-response question, there is a high probably that position bias will occur. In this case, the bias would be

a.	toward the lowest numbers
b.	toward the central position
c.	toward the highest numbers
d.	toward the first number in the series
e.	toward the last number in the series

 

 

ANS:  B

When numbers are given in an array, the position bias is towards the center of the array.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Challenging    REF:   pg 278

 

31. When response alternatives are listed for a multiple-response question, the _______________ alternative has a greater chance of being chosen.

a.	first	c.	center
b.	last	d.	penultimate

 

 

ANS:  A

The first alternative tends to be selected more often than any other.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Moderate       REF:   pg 278

 

32. In a telephone interview, if respondents tend to choose among answers they heard last from a list of alternative responses, then _______________ is present.

a.	modal answer bias	c.	primacy bias
b.	recency bias	d.	interviewer bias

 

 

ANS:  B

Recency bias involves choosing an answer they heard last.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Moderate       REF:   pg 278

 

33. A(n) _______________ question is one that gives the respondent a cue as to what the answer should be.

a.	ambiguous	d.	leading
b.	biasing	e.	double-barreled
c.	counter-biasing

 

 

ANS:  D

Leading questions often reflect the researcher’s or decision maker’s viewpoint and hints at what the answer should be.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Moderate       REF:   pg 281

 

34. The use of a brand or company name in a question

a.	can cause the respondent to believe that the company or brand is the sponsor of the survey
b.	can promote a more positive response to the brand or company
c.	make affect open-ended questions that follow
d.	all of the above

 

 

ANS:  D

By using a brand name or company name in a question, respondents may believe that company is the sponsor and will tend to be more positive to that brand or company. In addition, that brand or company can impact responses to open-ended questions that follow.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Moderate       REF:   pg 281

 

35. A(n) _______________ question includes words or phrases that are emotionally colored and that suggest a feeling of approval or disapproval.

a.	leading	c.	biasing
b.	ambiguous	d.	double-barreled

 

 

ANS:  C

By using emotionally charged words or phrases, researchers can bias the responses.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Moderate       REF:   pg 281

 

36. The question “Are you in favor of curtailing the amount of sugar allowed in children’s cereals?” violates which of the following guidelines for question wording?

a.	use simple language	d.	avoid biasing questions
b.	avoid implicit assumptions	e.	avoid double-barreled questions
c.	avoid estimates

 

 

ANS:  B

The idea that sugar is detrimental is implicit as an assumption built into built into the question. A better-worded question makes the nature of the question or choice explicit, like “Are you in favor of curtailing the amount of sugar allowed in children’s cereal if it will result in lower rates of tooth decay, the use of artificial sweeteners, and a 10 percent cost increase?”

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Challenging    REF:   pg 282

 

37. The question “How many cans of soft drinks do you purchase in a year?” violates which of the following guidelines for question wording?

a.	avoid implicit alternatives	d.	avoid biasing questions
b.	avoid implicit assumptions	e.	avoid double-barreled questions
c.	avoid estimates

 

 

ANS:  C

This is a poorly worded question because respondents would have to estimate how many they purchased in a year. The time frame should be a smaller unit, such as week or possibly a month.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Challenging    REF:   pg 283

 

38. The question “What is your evaluation of the restaurant’s appearance and service?” violates which of the following guidelines for question wording?

a.	avoid leading questions	d.	avoid biasing questions
b.	avoid implicit assumptions	e.	avoid double-barreled questions
c.	avoid estimates

 

 

ANS:  E

Double-barreled questions ask two questions in one. In this case appearance and service are two concepts.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Moderate       REF:   pg 283

 

39. Sequence any questions that are embarrassing, sensitive, complex, or dull

a.	at the beginning of the questionnaire
b.	near the beginning of the questionnaire
c.	well down in the questionnaire
d.	with a more interesting question before and after

 

 

ANS:  C

These type of questions should be asked only after rapport is built with the respondent, late in the question sequence.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Moderate       REF:   pg 285

 

40. Which of the following are not among the guidelines for determining question sequence?

a.	Arrange questions in logical order.
b.	Ask general questions last.
c.	Place uninteresting and difficult questions early in sequence to make the rest of the questionnaire seem easier.
d.	Use a simple and interesting opening question.
e.	both b and c

 

 

ANS:  E

Questions should be arranged in a logical order; general questions should be asked before specific questions; uninteresting and difficult questions should be placed late in the sequence; and the opening question should be simple and interesting.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Challenging    REF:   pg 285

 

SHORT ANSWER

 

1. Identify the five sections of a questionnaire.

 

ANS:

The sections are:

1. identification data
2. request for cooperation
3. instructions
4. information sought
5. classification data

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Moderate       REF:   pg 266

 

2. What can cause respondents to be unable to answer a question accurately?

 

ANS:

Respondents may be unable to answer accurately if they are uninformed, forgetful, or (unintentionally) misremember.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Moderate       REF:   pg 269

 

3. What are four methods for mitigating bias from respondents being unwilling to answer sensitive questions?

 

ANS:

Methods to mitigate this bias involve using a counterbiasing statement, an indirect statement, labeled response categories, or the randomized response technique.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Challenging    REF:   pg 272

 

4. What are the steps for coding of responses to open-ended questions?

 

ANS:

Step 1. Two reviewers independently read through all responses.

Step 2. Each reviewer forms a comprehensive list of key words and phrases.

Step 3. Together with a third reviewer, the two lists should be merged into one list.

Step 4. Have two additional individuals sort the responses based on the categories created in the third step.

Step 5. The two individuals from Step 4 with another new individual should come to an agreement on the sorting of responses.

 

Note that the first 3 steps should be considered adequate, whereas steps 4 and 5 are considered “excruciatingly correct” or too costly to be practicable.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Challenging    REF:   pg 275

 

5. Give an example of a double-barreled questions.

 

ANS:

Student examples will obviously vary. A double-barreled question is one in which the wording calls for two responses, such as “What is your evaluation of the snowmobile’s ride and acceleration?” Test to see if the question can be split into two separate questions that could have different answers.

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Moderate       REF:   pg 283

 

ESSAY

 

1. Outline the broad interrelated guidelines in constructing a questionnaire.

 

ANS:

The guidelines are:

1. review preliminary considerations
2. decide on question content
3. decide on response format
4. decide on question wording
5. decide on question sequence
6. decide on physical characteristics
7. carry out pre-testing and revision
8. make the final draft

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Challenging    REF:   pg 268

 

2. Describe the randomized response technique—why it is used, how it is applied, and an example of its use.

 

ANS:

With the randomized response technique, the respondent is presented with two questions, one sensitive, one not. A randomizing device, such as a coin toss, is used to decide which question the respondent answers. The interviewer does not know the answer to the non-sensitive question and does not get to see the result of the randomizing device.

 

For example, the sensitive question might be “Have you had hemorrhoids in the past month?” and the non-sensitive question might be “Do you have the same birthday as your best friend?” If the randomizing device has a probability of one half, the proportion of respondents whose answer would be “Yes” on the sensitive question can be calculated as equal to twice the incidence of respondents answering “Yes” overall minus the probability of answering “Yes” on the non-sensitive question (in this case, one twelfth).

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Challenging (very)                          REF:   pg 272-274

 

3. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of open-ended questions.

 

ANS:

Advantages include:

1. can serve as an excellent first question on a topic
2. can establish rapport and gain the respondent’s cooperation in answering more specific questions
3. exert minimal influence on subsequent responses
4. can provide researchers with additional insights

 

Disadvantages include:

1. high potential for interviewer bias
2. time and cost associated with coding the responses
3. extra weight given to respondents who are more articulate

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Challenging    REF:   pg 274

 

4. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using multiple-response questions.

 

ANS:

Advantages include:

1. reduce interviewer bias
2. reduce cost and time associated with coding open-ended questions
3. good for self-administered questionnaires
4. researchers can limit responses to a particular set that matters

 

Disadvantages include:

1. design of effective questions requires considerable time and cost upfront
2. typically an exploratory study using open-ended questions is required beforehand
3. tend to bias the data by the order in which alternative responses are listed

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Challenging    REF:   pg 277

 

5. How questions are worded impacts the type of response that will be received. Discuss the general guidelines for appropriate question wording.

 

ANS:

Guidelines for appropriate question wording include:

1. simple language
2. use unambiguous words
3. avoid leading questions
4. avoid biasing questions
5. avoid implicit alternatives
6. avoid implicit assumptions
7. avoid estimates
8. avoid double-barreled questions
9. consider the frame of reference

 

PTS:   1                    DIF:    Challenging    REF:   pg 280