Deck 7: Survey Research: Explaining and Predicting Attitudes and Behaviors

Question 1

A survey research claim that is focused on describing the specific characteristics of a certain group of individuals or messages is considered:

A) Explanatory
B) Exploratory
C) Predictive
D) Associative

Answer 1

B

Question 2

You are creating a survey to find out whether there is a relationship between Greek organization membership and the number of dates a senior student has. The purpose of your survey is:

A) Explanatory
B) Exploratory
C) Predictive
D) Both a and c

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Surveys differ from experiments because they do not

A) Involve people
B) Study variables
C) Involve any manipulation of the variables studied
D) Allow for more advanced data analysis techniques

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Your university regularly surveys first-year students each semester to learn whether they have been accessing the university's counseling and health services. The purpose of this survey is:

A) Explanatory
B) Exploratory
C) Predictive
D) Associative

Question 5

In your study of a network of environmental organizations, each organization is considered

A) A node
B) A social network
C) A pattern of association
D) None of the above

Question 6

You survey married couples, asking each spouse to discuss how their partner communicates during an argument. Your data source is considered:

A) Primary and self-report
B) Primary and other-report
C) Secondary and proprietary
D) Secondary and archived

Question 7

Your university collects data each time you use your student ID card for a transaction at a university store. It later analyzes the data to see how students use services and the cost of those services. The data source is:

A) Primary and self-report
B) Primary and other-report
C) Secondary and proprietary
D) Secondary and archived

Question 8

If a teacher surveys her students one week before the presidential election to see how they would vote, her data collection setting and design are best described as:

A) Longitudinal and field
B) Longitudinal and lab
C) Cross-sectional and field
D) Cross-sectional and lab

Question 9

Which of the following is NOT an advantage of using face-to-face interviews?

A) It costs less than other methods.
B) It can enhance the response rate through personal contact.
C) It allows the researcher to probe for greater depth in responses.
D) All of the above statements are advantages.

Question 10

As you are walking across campus, a political canvasser stops you and asks to survey you about your opinions about the upcoming election. The mode of data collection is

A) Mail
B) Mall-intercept
C) Telephone
D) Online

Question 11

Surveying people by cell phone is challenging because

A) The owner's location is unknown and may affect sample representativeness
B) Households often have more than one cell phone, so multiple numbers at one address
C) Owners often screen their phone calls and so are less cooperative
D) All of the above are challenges

Question 12

An advantage of online surveying is

A) The representativeness of the sample acquired
B) The assurance that the proper person has completed the survey
C) It is easier to use branching and filter questions and avoid non-relevant parts of the survey
D) Response rates may be higher compared to face-to-face surveys

Question 13

A researcher mails out 400 surveys. Of these, 100 are returned with complete and useable data. What is the response rate?

A) 100%
B) 50%
C) 25%
D) 0%

Question 14

Which variable would typically appear as a demographic item on a survey questionnaire?

A) Age
B) Sex
C) Income
D) All of the above

Question 15

An advantage of cross-sectional versus longitudinal surveys includes

A) Cross-sectional is less expensive and time consuming
B) Mortality is not a problem
C) It provides a long-range view of communication over time
D) Both a and b

Question 16

The following is an item you see on a questionnaire, "how satisfied are you with your pay and job conditions?" This is an example of which type of question?

A) Leading question
B) Contingency question
C) Filter question
D) Double-barreled question

Question 17

The following is an item you see on a questionnaire, "Most Americans prefer to purchase products manufactured in the United States. Do you prefer to purchase products manufactured in the United States?" This is an example of which type of question?

A) Leading question
B) Contingency question
C) Filter question
D) Double-barreled question

Question 18

The following is an item you see on a questionnaire, "Do you use social media? Yes go to question 2, No go to question 3." This is an example of which type of question?

A) Leading question
B) Contingency question
C) Filter question
D) Double-barreled question

Question 19

As telephone user have shifted from landlines to cell phones, it has increase which threat to survey studies?

A) Internal validity
B) External validity
C) Reliability
D) All of the above

Question 20

An ethical problem related to crowdsourcing via tools like MTurk concerns

A) The influence of incentives
B) The need to identify the researchers
C) The need to pay fairly and provide reasonable time work estimates
D) All of the above
Essays:

Question 21

First, explain the steps needed to prepare to conduct survey research. Second, discuss why you must complete these steps before you can actually collect the data.

Question 22

If a researcher wanted to assess "interpersonal competence" from the perspectives of different ethnic groups, discuss at least two advantages and disadvantages of conducting an online survey and at least two advantages and disadvantages of telephone surveys.

Question 23

Discuss the key guidelines you will consider when structuring a survey and developing questions for the survey.

Question 24

Discuss some of the innovations in survey modes and distributions. Then discuss how these new ways of conducting surveys may create challenges for the validity and reliability of survey findings.