Deck 8: Designing the Questionnaire

Question 1

In online surveys, calculating response rates can be a problem due to the:

A) close interaction of researchers with data collection vendors to identify and target participation from specific groups.
B) inadequate number of individuals in organized panels of respondents.
C) possibility of recruitment of participants outside the official online data collection vendor.
D) ban on use of radio buttons, pull-down menus for responses, and the use of visuals.
E) application of graphics and animation.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

In questionnaires, screening questions are used to:

A) prevent unqualified respondents from being included in the study.
B) provide the respondents with an overview of the research.
C) arrange the sequence of questions from general to more specific based on research objectives.
D) identify difficult and sensitive questions and place them toward the end of each section.
E) eliminate or at least minimize response order bias.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which of the following is True of a pretest?

A) The pretest form serves as a blueprint for training people on how to execute the interviewing process in a standardized fashion.
B) The final version of a questionnaire is evaluated using a pretest.
C) The number of respondents for a pretest is most often between 500 and 700 individuals.
D) A pretest is prepared when the order of the questions, or of the closed-end responses to a particular question, influences the answer given.
E) For pretests, the survey questionnaire is given to a large group of respondents.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which of the following statements is True of the skip questions used in questionnaires?

A) They are used to screen the respondents of surveys.
B) They are difficult to code due to their closed-ended nature.
C) They appear at the beginning of questionnaires to encourage respondents to complete the questionnaire.
D) They help ensure that only specifically qualified respondents answer certain items in the questionnaire.
E) They are difficult to use in online surveys.

Question 5

A firm is examining its data requirements to achieve the objectives of its research study. The management team determines that in order to get the needed data, it cannot use an observation method. Instead, it will have to do a mail survey. The team is most likely in which step of the questionnaire design process?

A) Confirming research objectives
B) Developing questions and data scaling
C) Determining layout and evaluate questionnaire
D) Pretesting, revising, and finalizing questionnaire
E) Selecting appropriate data collection method

Question 6

Which of the following statements is True of pilot studies?

A) They serve as a guide for conducting larger main studies.
B) They are most commonly associated with causal experimental research designs.
C) They are small-scale investigations restricted to 10 to 30 subjects.
D) They are primarily used to design pretests.
E) They are studies that require a minimum of 1,000 respondents.

Question 7

A _____ is a descriptive research activity representing a small-scale investigation of 5 to 30 subjects that are representative of the main study's defined target population but focus on a specific subcomponent of the main study.

A) median
B) pilot study
C) mode
D) pilot test
E) pretest

Question 8

_____ are open-ended questions that enable respondents to reply in their own words.

A) Double negative questions
B) Loaded questions
C) Double-barreled questions
D) Unstructured questions
E) Leading questions

Question 9

On a survey, a student comes across a question that asks, "To what extent did you find marketing and accounting courses useful?" This question is (most closely) an example of a(n):

A) incomprehensible question.
B) unanswerable question.
C) leading question.
D) loaded question.
E) double-barreled question.

Question 10

Which of the following is True of structured questions?

A) They are very difficult to code.
B) They are used less often in quantitative surveys in comparison to unstructured questions.
C) They are easier for respondents to answer than are unstructured questions.
D) They are often skipped by respondents.
E) They are open-ended questions that enable respondents to reply in their own words.

Question 11

"Do you have a brother or a sister? If not, please ignore question 6 and proceed." This is an example of a(n):

A) instructive question.
B) directive question.
C) loaded question.
D) leading question.
E) skip question.

Question 12

Which of the following statements is True of unstructured questions?

A) They are ambiguous questions that contain at least two negatives.
B) They are often skipped by the respondents unless the questions are interesting.
C) They are loaded questions that suggest a socially desirable answer or involve an emotionally charged issue.
D) They are questions with a predetermined list of responses available to aid or limit the respondent's answers.
E) They include two or more different attributes or issues but allow the respondents to comment on only a single issue.

Question 13

While filling out a survey, a respondent comes across a statement that reads: "This survey is almost complete. There are only a few questions left." This statement is an example of a(n):

A) introductory statement.
B) concluding statement.
C) transition phrase.
D) layout phrase.
E) skip phrase.

Question 14

Which of the following statements is True of questionnaires?

A) Questions are asked in a natural specific-to-general order to reduce the potential for sequence bias.
B) Any sensitive questions are placed later in the questionnaire before the respondent becomes engaged in the process of answering questions.
C) A well-prepared questionnaire consists of leading and double-barreled questions.
D) The value of a well-constructed questionnaire is difficult to estimate.
E) In good questionnaire design, questions flow from demographic data to more general information.

Question 15

With online surveys, response order bias is not a problem because:

A) the sequence of presentation of questions can be randomized.
B) they are likely to incorporate skip questions.
C) they are not introduced by cover letters.
D) there is no quota associated with them.
E) the introductory section is likely to contain screeners.

Question 16

Which of the following statements is True of the role of cover letters?

A) They are used by interviewers in qualitative research studies.
B) They are designed to enhance respondents' willingness to complete surveys.
C) They are used to exclude respondents that are representative of the defined target population of a study.
D) They are used for training interviewers to correctly select a prospective respondent for inclusion in a study.
E) They serve as a blueprint for training people to complete the interviewing process of a study in a consistent fashion.

Question 17

After preparing a questionnaire but before submitting it to the client for approval, the researcher should:

A) be aware of the number of attempts to contact respondents and complete a questionnaire.
B) work closely with data collection vendors to identify, target, and request participation from specific groups so accurate response rates can be calculated.
C) give the client an opportunity to provide suggestions of topics overlooked or to ask any questions.
D) obtain the final evaluation of the questionnaire from a pretest by asking respondents to pay attention to words, phrases, instructions, and question sequence.
E) review the document carefully to determine whether each question is necessary and if the overall length is acceptable.

Question 18

Which of the following is True of respondents' behavior while answering questionnaires?

A) Respondents generally answer the demographic questions early in the survey while they are still "fresh."
B) Respondents prefer questionnaires with questions that flow from demographic data to more general information.
C) With numeric alternatives, respondents tend to select central values.
D) Answers that appear at the beginning or the end of a list are rarely selected by respondents.
E) Respondents typically end answering a questionnaire with a thank-you statement.

Question 19

_____ is present in survey responses when the answers given by respondents to the independent and dependent variable questions are Falsely correlated.

A) Response order bias
B) Random error variance
C) Research question section
D) Comparative rating scale
E) Common methods variance

Question 20

A researcher is in the process of putting together a blueprint for training people to complete the interviewing process in a consistent fashion. The researcher is most likely developing a:

A) supervisor instruction form.
B) respondent instruction form.
C) cover letter.
D) screening form.
E) quota sheet.

Question 21

Susan meets the necessary requirements for inclusion in a survey. Yet she is not included in the survey. Which of the following supplemental documents might have been used by the interviewer to exclude her from the sample?

A) Rating cards
B) Call record sheets
C) Interviewer instructions
D) Quota sheets
E) Supervisor instructions

Question 22

Complex formats or designs can ensure reliable and valid results.

Question 23

If pretesting reveals that respondents have skipped a lot of questions or are circling the same answer for all questions within a group, it is a sign of possible boredom or tiring on the part of the respondent.

Question 24

In quantitative surveys, unstructured questions are used much more often than structured questions.

Question 25

Questions related to income are considered sensitive in nature.

Question 26

The first step in the process of designing a questionnaire is to select the appropriate data collection method.

Question 27

The process of implementing a survey is standard whether the survey is self-administered or interviewer-completed.

Question 28

It is difficult to use screening questions in computer-assisted surveys.

Question 29

Questionnaires should be designed to eliminate or at least minimize response order bias.

Question 30

Despite advances in communication systems, the Internet, and software, the principles behind designing questionnaires remain essentially unchanged.

Question 31

Before beginning the process of designing a questionnaire, the researcher must obtain initial client approval.

Question 32

It is easier to calculate response rates for online surveys than for phone surveys.

Question 33

For online questionnaires, the length of answer in open-ended questions is unaffected by the size of the response box.

Question 34

One should avoid asking questions using a different measurement format in the same section of the questionnaire.

Question 35

An interviewer asks a person if he has traveled to foreign countries. The interviewee replies that he has not traveled to foreign countries. Based on this response, the interviewer decides to exclude him from his study. In this scenario, in order to exclude the interviewee from the study, the interviewer has used a(n) _____.

A) rating card
B) screening question
C) interviewer instruction
D) quota sheet
E) supervisor instruction

Question 36

Call records are used to:

A) gather basic information about an interviewer's performance efficiency.
B) ensure that data is collected from the correct respondents by limiting respondents to a predefined quota.
C) ensure the respondents included in a study are representative of the defined target population.
D) obtain the respondent's cooperation and willingness to participate in the research project.
E) create double-barreled questions that can be used in an unstructured way.

Question 37

Asking questions in a natural general-to-specific order reduces the potential for sequence bias.

Question 38

Which of the following statements is True of the role of quotas in surveys?

A) They are used to evaluate the efficiency of interviewers.
B) They are used to increase the response rates for self-administered questionnaires.
C) They are used as blueprints for training people to complete the interviewing process in a consistent fashion.
D) They are used to ensure that data is collected from the correct respondents.
E) They are primarily used to train interviewers to correctly select a prospective respondent for inclusion in a study.

Question 39

A cover letter is typically used with self-administered questionnaires only.

Question 40

Equipment and facility requirements are typically mentioned in the:

A) supervisor instruction form.
B) respondent instruction form.
C) cover letter.
D) screening form.
E) quota sheet.

Question 41

A supervisor instruction form serves as a blueprint for training people to complete the interviewing process in a consistent fashion.

Question 42

In what ways can a researcher frame "bad questions"?

Question 43

Describe the response order bias and the common methods variance.

Question 44

The number of interviewers required in a study is typically mentioned in the cover letter.

Question 45

Quotas are used to estimate the efficiency of interviewing.

Question 46

Information gathered from contact records includes length of time of the interview, completions by quota categories, number of terminated interviews, reasons for termination, and so on.

Question 47

What are the two functions performed by a transition phrase in a survey?

Question 48

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of unstructured questions as compared to structured questions.

Question 49

Self-administered surveys have very high response rates.

Question 50

What is the purpose of pretesting a survey?