Deck 7: Asking People About Themselves: Survey Research

Question 1

In the context of response sets, a person who tries to present himself or herself in a positive way in a questionnaire is showing _____.

A)cognitive dissonance
B)social desirability
C)carryover effect
D)self-serving bias

Answer 1

B

Question 2

In a survey, participants were asked if they agree with the statement "I like spending my free time with other people." They were also asked if they agree with the statement "I enjoy being alone during my free time." This type of questioning helps in identifying _____.

A)loaded questions
B)negative wording
C)response sets
D)simplicity

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which statement best defines a response set?

A)It is a tendency to respond to all questions from a particular perspective rather than to provide answers that are directly related to the questions.
B)It is a tendency to provide a set of responses to the same question, thus confusing the researcher and making the research invalid.
C)It is a tendency to provide personal examples to each questions asked in a survey in order to elaborate on different topics.
D)It is a tendency to provide negative responses to all questions rather than making sure that the response provided are relevant to the questions.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

During question construction, writing questions that are easily understood illustrates _____.

A)positivity
B)objectivity
C)simplicity
D)readability

Question 5

"Do you agree that elected officials should not be allowed to run for more than two consecutive terms in office?" is an example of a _____ question.

A)double-barreled
B)simplistic
C)yea-saying and nay-saying
D)negatively worded

Question 6

To test the hypothesis that younger people are more opposed to the use of nuclear energy than older people, the best method would be a(n) _____.

A)archival study
B)case study
C)survey
D)naturalistic observation

Question 7

"Do you agree that male teenage drivers are more dangerous than female teenage drivers?" is an example of a _____ question.

A)simplistic
B)double-barreled
C)loaded
D)yea-saying and nay-saying

Question 8

"Are you in favor of programs designed to help lower the unreasonably high rent in the county?" is an example of a _____ question.

A)simplistic
B)loaded
C)double-barreled
D)socially undesirable

Question 9

When researchers ask several questions about a topic, a respondent may employ a response set to agree or disagree with all the questions. Such a tendency is referred to as:

A)social desirability or undesirability.
B)open-ended or closed-ended response.
C)negative or positive wording.
D)yea-saying or nay-saying.

Question 10

Instead of providing true responses to questions on a survey, Ali answers in such a way that he could portray a better image of himself. This tendency of Ali to answer questions from a particular perspective is an example of:

A)self-serving bias.
B)a response set.
C)social loafing.
D)a feedback response.

Question 11

In the context of question wording, the question "Proposition Q proposes an increase in property tax to fund road improvement; do you agree with this proposition?" illustrates _____.

A)negative wording
B)simplicity
C)yea-saying and nay-saying
D)probability

Question 12

"Should residents of the city spend more money on parks and road improvements?" is an example of a(n) _____ question.

A)factual
B)double-barreled
C)evaluative
D)negatively worded

Question 13

"Do you agree that the city council members should not get an increase in their pay?" is an example of a _____ question.

A)simplistic
B)double-barreled
C)yea-saying and nay-saying
D)negatively worded

Question 14

_____ are a research tool that is used to ask people to tell us about themselves.

A)Archival studies
B)Naturalistic observations
C)Case studies
D)Surveys

Question 15

When Edgar responds to the questions in a survey, he answers in a way that would reflect most favorably on him. In this scenario, Edgar's behavior best illustrates social _____.

A)loafing
B)acquiescence
C)desirability
D)competence

Question 16

Which general type of survey questions is exemplified by the question "Are you satisfied with the emergency services in your city?"

A)Attitudes and beliefs
B)Facts and demographics
C)Behaviors
D)Objectives

Question 17

"Do you think it is important to reduce the huge amount of money spent during festivals?" is an example of a _____ question.

A)double-barreled
B)negatively worded
C)loaded
D)simplistic

Question 18

In a survey, social desirability response sets can be reduced by:

A)understanding that people consistently misrepresent themselves.
B)withdrawing feedback about the results.
C)communicating that the participant's personal information may be disclosed to third party.
D)communicating the purposes and uses of the research.

Question 19

Stacy has a difficult time answering the question "Should parents increase the likelihood of desirable behaviors in their children by using reinforcement and punishment?" because it is a(n) _____ question.

A)evaluative
B)double-barreled
C)descriptive
D)open-ended

Question 20

During a survey, Alberto was asked to indicate his age, gender, and marital status. Which type of survey questions do these items represent?

A)Attitudes and beliefs
B)Facts and demographics
C)Behaviors
D)Objectives

Question 21

Students are asked to evaluate the food provided in the university cafeteria on 7-point scales with bipolar adjectives such as poor-good and inexpensive-expensive. What type of scales do these measures represent?

A)Graphic rating
B)Comparative rating
C)Semantic differential
D)Behavioral measure

Question 22

When constructing a survey, researchers should place the most interesting and important questions:

A)at the beginning of the survey.
B)in the middle of the survey.
C)at the end of the survey.
D)scattered throughout the survey.

Question 23

Which of the following is a disadvantage of questionnaires?

A)They are more expensive than interviews.
B)They do not allow the respondent to be completely anonymous.
C)They cannot be administered in person to groups or individuals.
D)They require the respondents to read and understand the questions.

Question 24

A disadvantage of conducting online surveys is that they do not:

A)provide the researcher with immediate access to the responses.
B)offer the scope of asking open-ended questions.
C)allow the researcher to obtain samples of people with particular characteristics.
D)offer a higher response rate than traditional surveys.

Question 25

Asking students "Does your instructor show up on time?" and requiring them to indicate their response with a "yes" or "no" is an example of a _____ question.

A)loaded
B)double-barreled
C)negatively worded
D)closed-ended

Question 26

Veronica assesses voters' attitudes toward their likelihood of voting in the city elections by asking them to mark their preferences on a 100-millimeter line that is anchored with "very unlikely" at one end and "very likely" at the other end. This is an example of _____ rating scale.

A)semantic differential
B)graphic
C)behavioral measure
D)comparative

Question 27

The question "Are you a full-time student?" with answer options "yes" or "no" is an example of a(n) _____ question.

A)loaded
B)open-ended
C)closed-ended
D)double-barreled

Question 28

Which of the following is an advantage of conducting online surveys?

A)They offer a higher response rate than traditional surveys.
B)They offer a clear picture of the individuals providing information for the study.
C)They do not allow people to misrepresent their age, gender, or ethnicity.
D)They provide the researcher with immediate access to the responses.

Question 29

Chandra and colleagues surveyed participants three times over the course of a 3-year period to examine the relationship between exposure to sexual content on television and teen pregnancy. This is an example of a(n) _____ study.

A)panel
B)focus group
C)internet-based
D)archival

Question 30

Which of the following is an accurate statement about questionnaires?

A)They do not lead to any problem of motivation.
B)They are not as expensive as interviews.
C)They do not require the respondents to read or understand the questions.
D)They cannot be administered through the mail.

Question 31

A(n) _____ is an interview with a group of about 6 to 10 individuals brought together for a period of usually 2-3 hours.

A)focus group
B)group interview
C)in-group review
D)group analysis

Question 32

Which of the following is a disadvantage of interviews?

A)In most cases, response rates tend to be lower when interviews are used.
B)People are more likely to leave questions unanswered in an interview than on a written questionnaire.
C)People are more likely to agree to answer a mailed questionnaire than answer questions for a real person.
D)The interviewer could subtly bias the respondent's answers by inadvertently showing approval or disapproval of certain answers.

Question 33

Research on semantic differential scales shows that concepts are rated along three basic dimensions. Which of the following is one of these dimensions?

A)Accuracy
B)Validity
C)Evaluation
D)Reliability

Question 34

Which of the following is an accurate statement about closed-ended questions?

A)They allow the respondents to answer in any way they like.
B)They require time to categorize the responses.
C)They are costlier than open-ended questions.
D)They are easier to code than open-ended questions.

Question 35

Which of the following is an accurate statement about open-ended questions?

A)They are less time-consuming to code than closed-ended questions.
B)They are cheaper to analyze than closed-ended questions.
C)They offer very few response alternatives in comparison to closed-ended questions.
D)They are more useful in evaluating people's thoughts than closed-ended questions.

Question 36

In order to study changes in answers to survey questions over time, a researcher could conduct a(n) _____ study.

A)panel
B)transversal
C)case
D)archival

Question 37

A survey researcher is most likely to use a(n) _____ question when the dimensions of the variables are well defined.

A)negatively worded
B)double-barreled
C)open-ended
D)closed-ended

Question 38

To study diversity in an organization, 10 employees belonging to different departments are brought together by a psychologist to discuss their perceptions of diversity in the company. In the context of interviews, this is an example of a(n) _____.

A)panel study
B)focus group
C)internet-based study
D)online survey research

Question 39

Javier wants to know what teenagers believe is the most significant social problem faced by today's youth. Which type of question would be the most useful to Javier in this scenario?

A)Closed-ended
B)Double-barreled
C)Open-ended
D)Loaded

Question 40

While interviewing Lia, Matthew nods his head and smiles whenever Lia responds with an answer that he likes. Matthew's behavior is an example of:

A)carryover effect.
B)social desirability.
C)sampling bias.
D)interviewer bias.

Question 41

The head of the psychology department in a university is interested in finding the attitudes of her students toward implementing an internship as a requirement for completion of the degree. She obtains a list of all students who are psychology majors, randomly selects 100 students from the list, and surveys those who are selected. What type of sampling technique has she employed?

A)Simple random sampling
B)Stratified random sampling
C)Cluster sampling
D)Haphazard sampling

Question 42

A professor of mathematics wants to study how the students in his college perceive the subject. He walks into the college cafeteria and starts asking the students present there if they like mathematics. Which sampling technique is used by the professor in this scenario?

A)Cluster sampling
B)Stratified random sampling
C)Haphazard sampling
D)Simple random sampling

Question 43

It is important to use _____ sampling when researchers want to make precise statements about a specific population on the basis of the results of their survey.

A)haphazard
B)quota
C)probability
D)purposive

Question 44

The city council wants to examine the citizens' opinions about allowing dogs at the city's beaches. It prepares a list of all the blocks in the city and randomly selects 20% of the blocks to sample. It then surveys all residents of the selected city blocks. Which of the following sampling techniques does this sampling strategy exemplify?

A)Stratified random sampling
B)Simple random sampling
C)Quota sampling
D)Cluster sampling

Question 45

To assess the presidential candidate preferences of the registered voters in Maricopa county, classified by social class and age, a researcher randomly selects voters from each subgroup according to their proportion in the entire county. This sampling technique is called _____ sampling.

A)quota
B)haphazard
C)simple random
D)stratified random

Question 46

Which of the following is an accurate statement about sample size?

A)A smaller sample size will reduce the size of the confidence interval.
B)Sample size is a constant percentage of the population size.
C)A larger sample size is needed for increased accuracy.
D)Sample size is independent of the confidence interval.

Question 47

A researcher stands outside a restaurant and asks the youngsters leaving the restaurant if they enjoyed the food there. What type of sampling technique has the researcher employed?

A)Simple random sampling
B)Stratified random sampling
C)Cluster sampling
D)Purposive sampling

Question 48

Which of the following best describes the relationship between sample size and confidence interval?

A)A larger sample size will reduce the size of the confidence interval.
B)A larger sample size will not affect the size of the confidence interval.
C)A smaller sample size will not affect the size of the confidence interval.
D)A smaller sample size will reduce the size of the confidence interval.

Question 49

Ricardo wants to study the academic performance of graduate students in the U.S. First, he decides that he will study schools in only 15 states and randomly selects those states. He then randomly selects 30 schools from these 15 states. Over a period of 3 months, Ricardo travels to these 30 schools and studies the academic performance of their students. Identify the sampling technique used by Ricardo in this scenario.

A)Cluster sampling
B)Quota sampling
C)Haphazard sampling
D)Purposive sampling

Question 50

Which of the following is a probability sampling technique?

A)Simple random sampling
B)Quota sampling
C)Haphazard sampling
D)Purposive sampling

Question 51

You read in the newspaper that Proposition Q is favored by 57% of those polled. The results of the survey are said to be accurate within ±2 percentage points using a 95% level of confidence. From the information provided, it can be inferred that the actual population value is probably between _____.

A)58% and 64%
B)57% and 95%
C)55% and 59%
D)93% and 97%

Question 52

_____ sampling has the advantage of a built-in assurance that the sample will accurately reflect the numerical composition of the various subgroups.

A)Cluster
B)Haphazard
C)Stratified random
D)Purposive

Question 53

With _____ sampling technique, each member of the population has an equal probability of being selected for the sample.

A)haphazard
B)cluster
C)simple random
D)stratified random

Question 54

Keziah stands outside a grocery store on the west side of the town and surveys exiting shoppers about their preference in frozen desserts. What type of sampling technique does Keziah's survey represent?

A)Cluster sampling
B)Nonprobability sampling
C)Stratified random sampling
D)Simple random sampling

Question 55

_____ indicates the amount of deviation in results obtained from a sample compared to the true population value.

A)Syntax error
B)Halo effect
C)Sample variance
D)Sampling error

Question 56

Angelika wants to study how sixth graders perform in math exams. She obtains a list of all districts in the state, randomly selects 5% of the districts, and administers achievement tests to all sixth graders in these districts. This sampling method used by Angelika is called _____ sampling.

A)stratified random
B)quota
C)cluster
D)haphazard

Question 57

Jake's research methods instructor asks him to conduct a survey on "cheating" with a random sample of graduate students. To save time, he goes to the cafeteria and distributes the survey questionnaires among the students present there. In this case, the sampling method used by Jake is called _____ sampling.

A)simple random
B)haphazard
C)cluster
D)stratified random

Question 58

In which sampling technique do researchers choose a sample that reflects the numerical composition of various subgroups in a population?

A)Simple random sampling
B)Quota sampling
C)Cluster sampling
D)Purposive sampling

Question 59

Using a 95% confidence interval, Mike reports that 48% to 52% of the population favors Proposition D. The difference between 48% and 52% reflects the _____.

A)census limits
B)confidence values
C)sampling error
D)sample size

Question 60

Political analysts are interested in analyzing the social perceptions of the current Democratic Party candidates in New York City. The number of registered Democrats and Republicans in the city is known. To form a sample of 1000, the analysts send out a team to sample the Democrats and the Republicans in proportion to the numbers registered. The team goes to major shopping malls and stops people as they enter, asking whether they are registered with one of the two parties. If so, the person is asked to fill out a questionnaire. The sampling technique used here would best be described as:

A)simple random sampling.
B)cluster sampling.
C)quota sampling.
D)stratified random sampling.

Question 61

Researchers are often not worried about obtaining random samples from the "general population" for their research because:

A)random samples are too difficult to obtain.
B)populations are similar regardless of where the samples are obtained from.
C)relationships between variables will change over time.
D)most psychological research is focused on studying the relationships between variables.

Question 62

The _____ in a survey is simply the percentage of people in the sample who actually completed the survey.

A)confidence interval
B)response set
C)response rate
D)sampling frame

Question 63

Which of the following is a nonprobability sampling technique?

A)Simple random sampling
B)Quota sampling
C)Stratified random sampling
D)Cluster sampling

Question 64

As people exit the polling booth, they are asked how they voted on the various propositions on the ballot in order to predict election outcomes. This sampling method is called _____ sampling.

A)haphazard
B)purposive
C)quota
D)cluster

Question 65

The _____ is the actual population of individuals, or clusters, from which a random sample will be drawn.

A)sampling frame
B)response set
C)confidence interval
D)focus group

Question 66

In general, the lower the response rate for a survey, the:

A)greater the likelihood of biases distorting the findings.
B)lesser the likelihood of sampling errors distorting the findings.
C)greater the confidence one has in generalizing the results.
D)lesser the confidence one has in the validity of the test.

Question 67

Which of the following is an advantage of convenience samples?

A)They provide accurate representation of the entire population.
B)They are very effective in eliminating sample bias.
C)They make it cheaper for the researcher to obtain research participants.
D)They help in generalizing the research data to the entire U.S. population.