Deck 14: Survey Research

Question 1

As compared with the open-ended format, which of the following represents an obvious disadvantage of the closed question format on a questionnaire?

A) difficult to code and analyze
B) more time consuming tom complete
C) provide more insight into the level of respondent understanding of an issue
D) restrict the range of responses

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Which of the following procedures would be least appropriate to use to assess the score reliability of a questionnaire?

A) Split-half
B) Test-retest
C) Average item-total correlation
D) Average inter-item correlation

Answer 2

B

Question 3

When asking questions about personal behavior in a questionnaire, it is recommended that the researcher

A) ask only general questions.
B) ask only specific questions.
C) ask specific questions before asking general questions.
D) ask general questions before asking specific questions.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Mailed questionnaires are generally ____ than face-to-face interviews.

A) less expensive
B) more anonymous
C) easier for respondents to interpret
D) less representative of the population

Question 5

The Gallup organization surveyed 696 college seniors in the U.S.in order to find out how much they knew about history and American literature.This study would be classified as a

A) census of tangibles.
B) census of intangibles.
C) sample survey of intangibles.
D) sample survey of tangibles.

Question 6

To obtain data in a survey, a mailed questionnaire has been used.Would you advise the researcher to follow up some of those in the sample who failed to respond to the questionnaire?

A) Yes, a large sample will avoid bias.
B) Yes, the respondents may differ from non-respondents.
C) No, delayed returns would be of doubtful value.
D) No, a certain loss of respondents is expected.

Question 7

A questionnaire would be used rather than an interview when

A) a large sample is required.
B) a high return rate is desired.
C) in-depth responses are desired.
D) the cost of the survey is not a major concern.

Question 8

The president of a small company surveys all the employees in order to determine their attitudes toward a new health insurance plan.The type of survey that should be done is

A) sample survey of tangibles.
B) sample survey of intangibles.
C) census of tangibles.
D) census of intangibles.

Question 9

The state superintendent of schools needs representative information on the general level of reading skills of sixth graders in his state.The type of survey recommended would be a

A) sample survey of tangibles.
B) sample survey of intangibles.
C) census of tangibles.
D) census of intangibles.

Question 10

Open-ended questions may be used in pilot interviews in order to

A) save time.
B) facilitate the process of quantifying the results.
C) identify the possible alternative responses for closed questions.
D) all of these are true.

Question 11

A researcher has a low percentage of returns from a questionnaire, even after three follow-up attempts.The researcher should

A) draw conclusions on the basis of the respondents.
B) select another sample to receive the questionnaire.
C) select a random sample of the nonrespondents and interview them.
D) select another sample from the population and do a telephone interview.

Question 12

The most serious problem associated with the use of a mailed questionnaire in research is

A) formulating the questions.
B) obtaining the responses.
C) selecting the sample.
D) analyzing the data.

Question 13

An advantage of the open-ended question format over closed questions in an interview is that the open-ended questions

A) generally take less time to complete.
B) yield data that are easier to code and analyze.
C) are more effective in focusing the subject's mind on the questions at hand.
D) give subjects a chance to reveal the frame of reference for their responses.

Question 14

The principal of a school wants an exact count of how many computers are in the building.The type of survey that should be done is

A) sample survey of tangibles.
B) sample survey of intangibles.
C) census of tangibles.
D) census of intangibles.

Question 15

Given a sample of those who did not respond to a mailed questionnaire, the main purpose for interviewing the sample is to

A) increase the size of the sample.
B) attempt to change the results that the investigator did not like.
C) discover which items were unclear to the subjects.
D) determine whether non-respondents differ from respondents.
E) determine what the non-respondents think about the questionnaire.

Question 16

The method(s) used most often in assessing the score validity of questionnaires require(s) the use of

A) a follow-up interview.
B) direct observation of behavior.
C) equivalent forms of the questionnaire.
D) a and b

Question 17

The main advantage of the interview is the

A) cost.
B) adaptability.
C) minimal time required for gathering data.
D) ease of construction of the interview schedule.

Question 18

Which of the following is not recommended for prompting returns of mailed questionnaires?

A) Include a cover letter explaining the purpose of the study
B) Ask questions the respondent will view as being significant.
C) Select respondents who are not personally involved in the matter being surveyed.
D) Request the questionnaire be returned by a particular date.

Question 19

What is the major flaw in the following questionnaire item: "Do you approve of not having the new policy of 'no pass/no play' for interscholastic sports in the high school athletic program?" The item

A) is too long.
B) is double-barreled.
C) is negatively stated.
D) uses emotionally loaded terms.

Question 20

Using a highly structured interview schedule helps to reduce

A) interviewer bias.
B) time needed to conduct the interview.
C) time needed to train the interviewers.
D) straying from the subject.

Question 21

Which technique would you recommend to a researcher who is interested in obtaining a good sample of a large population?

A) Questionnaire
B) Interview
C) Either one - they are equally effective
D) Observation

Question 22

The main objection to using anonymous questionnaires is that they

A) may have lower score validity.
B) make follow-ups difficult.
C) may elicit responses that are not as thoughtful or complete.
D) make statistical analysis of data more difficult.

Question 23

The cover letter for a questionnaire survey should

A) explain the anticipated findings.
B) emphasize the importance of the study.
C) avoid stating the purpose of the survey.
D) avoid information about the way the recipient was selected.

Question 24

In a survey of n = 100 teachers, 50 preferred year-around school.Set the .95 confidence interval around this sample proportion.

A) .40 to .60
B) .45 to .55
C) .50 to .60
D) .55 to .65

Question 25

The structured questionnaire has an advantage over the unstructured interview in all of the following except in

A) larger samples for research.
B) economy of time and money.
C) objectivity of analyzing and scoring.
D) freedom to respond from an individual frame of reference.

Question 26

A researcher may choose to use open-ended rather than closed questions in a questionnaire when the

A) number in the sample is large.
B) researcher is collecting factual information.
C) researcher wants to identify the possible alternative responses to use later in closed questions.
D) researcher is collecting descriptive data.

Question 27

The main reason for the inappropriateness of an interview study designed to gather parents' opinions of the validity of the new statewide achievement test for elementary students is that

A) it would not be representative of parents' opinions.
B) it would require too much training on the part of interviewers.
C) a questionnaire would more easily provide the information.
D) most parents do not have sufficient knowledge about test validity.

Question 28

What is wrong with the following Likert-type scale item? "The university needs to provide additional computer clusters, and the student technology fee should be increased to provide the necessary funds."

A) Unclear
B) Too long
C) Uses jargon
D) Double-barreled

Question 29

In a survey, statistical precision in estimating population parameters from sample statistics can be increased by

A) increasing sample size.
B) increasing variability of data.
C) limiting the number of subjects surveyed.
D) using a stricter confidence interval.

Question 30

Unstructured interviews are most appropriate for

A) testing a hypothesis in a descriptive study.
B) bringing social research closer to the standards of scientific research.
C) preliminary exploration of pertinent questions in a research study.
D) obtaining more precise data in the latter stages of a research study.

Question 31

The first step in conducting survey research is to

A) select the sample.
B) determine the purpose of the survey.
C) construct a questionnaire on interview items.
D) define the population to be surveyed.

Question 32

A sample of 500 voters was surveyed; 400 said they favored a bond issue and 100 said they opposed it.Based on these sample data, estimate at the 95 percent confidence level the proportion in the population that likely favors the bond issue.

A) .77 to .83
B) .78 to .82
C) .79 to .81
D) .75 to .85

Question 33

If all other factors are held constant, increasing the level of confidence will cause the width of a confidence interval to

A) decrease.
B) increase.
C) show no change.

Question 34

The main advantage of the questionnaire over the interview is that the questionnaire

A) gives respondents more time to think about their answers.
B) results in a higher response rate.
C) is less expensive in terms of time and money.
D) All of these are true.

Question 35

According to the text, ____ percent returns should be a reasonable expectation from a mailed questionnaire.

A) 25-33
B) 34-49
C) 50-70
D) 75-90

Question 36

Which of the following is not a rule for a questionnaire format?

A) Group questions that are similar in content together in the questionnaire.
B) Ask specific questions before general questions on a related topic.
C) Place more objectionable questions on an issue after less objectionable questions.
D) Begin the questionnaire with interesting and nonthreatening questions.

Question 37

The cover letter accompanying a questionnaire typically contains all but one of the following.Which one is not included?

A) A suggested date for the return of the questionnaire
B) An assurance of confidentiality to the respondent
C) An explanation of the purpose of the survey
D) An explanation of the anticipated findings of the survey

Question 38

A university surveyed 36 randomly selected graduate students in a pilot study and found that 27 said they favored the new university health insurance plan and 9 said they opposed it.How many students must the university survey in order to make an estimate of how all graduate students feel about the plan with a margin of error to be no more than 5 percentage points? Use the 95 percent confidence level.

A) 187
B) 288
C) 366
D) 950

Question 39

The .95 confidence interval for a population proportion based on a sample of n cases ranged from .40 to .56.If the sample proportion was unchanged, but the sample size was increased to 4n, the .95 confidence interval would be about

A) .32 to .64.
B) .36 to .60.
C) .44 to .52.
D) .46 to .50.

Question 40

If all other factors are held constant, increasing the number of subjects in a survey will cause the width of a confidence interval to

A) decrease.
B) increase.
C) show no change.

Question 41

The least appropriate use for an interview or questionnaire is to determine a person's

A) attitudes and opinions.
B) preferences and dislikes.
C) experiences.
D) behavior.

Question 42

Compared with a longitudinal survey, an important advantage of a cross-sectional survey is

A) the information is collected at several points in time.
B) the data may be collected more quickly.
C) the size of the sample needed is smaller.
D) All of these are true.

Question 43

The instrument most appropriate to collect attitude data from the 4,000 freshman students who come to campus for orientation.

A) personal interview
B) telephone interview
C) mailed or electronic questionnaire
D) directly administered questionnaire

Question 44

If more than 20-25 percent of the questionnaires are not returned after a number of follow-up attempts, the researcher should

A) select another sample and mail them the questionnaire.
B) interview a small random sample of the non-respondents.
C) terminate the survey at this point.
D) weight the results in proportion to the response rate.

Question 45

If a binomial distribution has p =.65, then q =

A) .05.
B) .065.
C) .50.
D) .35.

Question 46

The 2000 graduating class of UC-Berkeley has been sampled every four years to gather attitude data and information on career development.This is an example of a ____ survey.

A) cohort
B) panel
C) trend
D) cross-sectional

Question 47

Respondents may answer more validly on a questionnaire than an interview because

A) they have more time to think about an answer.
B) they believe they have more anonymity.
C) less personal questions are asked on a questionnaire.
D) none of these are true.

Question 48

A survey question whose relevancy depends on the answer to a previous question is called a(n) ____ question.

A) indirect
B) contingency
C) specific
D) stimulus-keyed

Question 49

The cover letter for a mailed questionnaire should

A) avoid setting a time limit for return of the questionnaire.
B) avoid reference to the respondent's status.
C) emphasize the survey's importance.
D) explain briefly the expected findings.

Question 50

The purpose of random digit dialing is to

A) reach people without telephones.
B) guarantee anonymity to the respondents.
C) reach people with unlisted telephone numbers.
D) insure a representative sample.

Question 51

Which of the following is a characteristic of a personal interview?

A) Follow-ups are typically not required.
B) Interpretations of the questions vary across respondents.
C) More appropriate format for gathering data on sensitive issues.
D) Large sample sizes are required.

Question 52

The instrument most likely to minimize the social desirability bias in a survey of the parents of a large school district.

A) personal interview
B) telephone interview
C) mailed questionnaire
D) directly administered questionnaire

Question 53

The instrument most likely to determine the voting preferences of a randomly selected national sample of voters in a presidential election.

A) personal interview
B) telephone interview
C) mailed questionnaire
D) directly administered questionnaire

Question 54

In a sample of 100 teenagers, 80 reported that they were in favor of an increase in the minimum wage and 20 were against it because they feared a loss of available jobs.Based on this sample, find the .95 confidence interval for the true proportion in the population of teenagers who would favor an increase in the minimum wage.

A) .70 to .90
B) .72 to .88
C) .76 to .84
D) .78 to .82

Question 55

The instrument most appropriate to insure at least 90 percent returns from a rather small sample of university faculty.

A) personal interview
B) telephone interview
C) mailed questionnaire
D) directly administered questionnaire

Question 56

A particular national sample of high school seniors has been followed and surveyed periodically for 20 years.This is an example of a ____ survey.

A) cohort
B) panel
C) trend
D) cross-sectional

Question 57

High school math teachers are surveyed every three years to identify new innovations in teaching math.This is an example of a ____ survey.

A) cohort
B) panel
C) trend
D) cross-sectional

Question 58

Which of the following is not appropriate in a structured interview?

A) being friendly and putting the respondent at ease before beginning.
B) recording responses verbatim.
C) skipping questions already answered by the respondent.
D) following the question order precisely regardless of respondent's answers to previous questions.
E) using the same wording for all respondents.

Question 59

Within a short time span, a researcher surveys students 12, 14, and 16 years of age in order to identify the types of personal problems young people experience.This is an example of a ____ survey.

A) cohort
B) panel
C) trend
D) cross-sectional

Question 60

Loss of subjects is most serious in ____ surveys.

A) cohort
B) cross-sectional
C) panel
D) trend

Question 61

A researcher cannot decide on the wording of some questionnaire items.The best way to determine the influence of the wording is to

A) construct two parallel forms of the questionnaire and administer in a pilot study.
B) use the questionnaire on nonequivalent samples of the population.
C) flip a coin.
D) ask a peer to provide feedback

Question 62

An interview survey of parents' opinions about different methods of teaching math would not be recommended mainly because

A) the questionnaire would be a more appropriate procedure.
B) the study has limited generalizability.
C) most parents would not have knowledge about methods of teaching math.
D) it would require considerable training on the part of the interviewer.

Question 63

Which of the following designs would allow a survey researcher to do periodic re-interviews of the original sample?

A) Panel design
B) Static group comparison design
C) Cross-sectional design
D) Elaboration design

Question 64

The following is an example of what type of survey item? My students reacted positively to my use of technology in the classroom.

A) Likert-type item
B) Checklist
C) Ranking items
D) Scaled items
E) Completion

Question 65

You want to survey 120 teachers in a school district that has 200 elementary teachers (i.e., 160 women and 40 men), 100 junior high teachers (i.e., 60 women and 40 men), and 100 high school teachers (i.e., 40 women and 60 men).How many men and women from among the elementary teachers would you choose for a proportional stratified sample?

A) 30 women and 30 men
B) 18 women and 12 men
C) 48 women and 12 men
D) 60 women and 15 men

Question 66

In reporting the findings of a sample survey using a mailed questionnaire, one should always include

A) percentage of respondents among those receiving the questionnaire.
B) percentage of the respondents giving each response on the questionnaire.
C) size of the target population.
D) a and b
E) b and c

Question 67

A representative sample for survey research should

A) always be randomly selected.
B) always be a probability sample.
C) have the same proportion of characteristics as the population from which it was drawn.
D) all of these are true.

Question 68

A researcher wants to determine how citizens of Indianapolis feel about the mayor's proposed changes for the Indianapolis public school system.Which of the following sampling procedures would you recommend to this researcher?

A) Insert a questionnaire in the magazine, Indianapolis Monthly, and ask readers to complete and return the questionnaire.
B) Procure a list of voters from the city clerk's office and draw a random sample to receive the questionnaire.
C) Draw a random sample from the Indianapolis telephone directory to receive the questionnaire.
D) Take a random sample of 100 blocks from a city map and interview all the adults in those blocks.

Question 69

In which of the major content areas typically covered in questionnaires and interviews would you expect to obtain the most valid answers from respondents?

A) Facts
B) Attitudes
C) Behavior
D) There is no difference in the validity of answers for the content areas.

Question 70

A respondent fails to understand a question during a structured interview.The interviewer should

A) reword the question.
B) explain the meaning of the question.
C) skip the question.
D) slowly repeat the question.

Question 71

In what type of survey question would a response bias to avoid the extremes be the biggest problem?

A) Checklist
B) Ranking item
C) Scaled item
D) Completion

Question 72

A sample survey of intangibles typically is used instead of a census of intangibles because

A) collecting information from a population may be excessively expensive in terms of time and money.
B) it is often impossible to collect information on all people in a population.
C) a representative sample reflects the characteristics of the population within a well-defined margin of error.
D) All of these are true.

Question 73

The following is an example of what type of survey item? How would you rate your students' computer skills?
$\begin{array}{lccc} ----& \text { Very poor} & ----& \text { More than adequat } \\----& \text { Less than adequate }& ----& \text { Excellent } \\----& \text { Adequate }\end{array}$

A) Likert-type item
B) Checklist
C) Ranking items
D) Scaled items
E) Completion

Question 74

A researcher interested in studying test anxiety in college students gave an anxiety inventory to random-samples of freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors at their university at the beginning of the academic year.What type of survey research does this study represent?

A) Panel
B) Trend
C) Cohort
D) Cross-sectional

Question 75

The following is an example of what type of survey item? What type of technology do you use in your classroom? $\begin{array}{lccc} ----& \text { VCP, laser disc } & ----& \text { Mobile video projection } \\----& \text { CD-ROM }& ----& \text { Computer Projection } \end{array}$

A) Likert-type item
B) Checklist
C) Ranking items
D) Scaled items
E) Completion

Question 76

At each data collection point in a trend survey, a researcher

A) studies a different sample from the same general population.
B) studies a different sample from the same specific population.
C) studies the same sample of individuals.
D) studies a subset of a population at a specific point in time.

Question 77

The following is an example of what type of survey item? What is the major problem you have encountered in using technology?

A) Likert-type item
B) Checklist
C) Ranking items
D) Scaled items
E) Completion

Question 78

An advantage of closed-ended questions on a survey is that they

A) enhance consistency of response across respondents.
B) give the respondent an opportunity to elaborate.
C) are easier to write than open-ended questions.
D) enhance the breadth of response across respondents.

Question 79

The following is an example of what type of survey item? Indicate the order of your preference among the available technology:
$\begin{array}{lccc} ----& \text { VCP, laser disc } & ----& \text { Mobile video projection } \\----& \text { CD-ROM }& ----& \text { Computer Projection } \end{array}$

A) Likert-type item
B) Checklist
C) Ranking items
D) Scaled items
E) Completion

Question 80

The major advantage of recording an interview in survey research is that it

A) reduces the cost of the survey.
B) makes the interviewer's task easier.
C) makes the interviewee more at ease and less inhibited.
D) increases the accuracy of the record of the respondent's answers.