Deck 14: Designing the Questionnaire or Observation Form

Question 1

John thought his exam was last week when it was actually three weeks ago.This is an example of

A)implicit alternatives.
B)funnel error.
C)response latency.
D)telescoping error.
E)recall loss.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

When designing questionnaires,hypotheses can be used

A)as a guide to determine what information will be sought.
B)to determine the type of question.
C)to determine the form of response.
D)Both a and b.
E)a,b,and c.

Answer 2

E

Question 3

"Did you vote in the last presidential election?" is an example of which of the following question types?

A)Filter question
B)Leading question
C)Multichotomous question
D)Double-barreled question
E)Telescoping question

Answer 3

A

Question 4

A researcher who is investigating why consumers' tastes in cars are changing has developed lengthy attitude and motivation scales and several open-ended questions.She should use

A)a mail survey.
B)personal interviews.
C)the observation method.
D)telephone interviews.
E)Any of the above would be suitable.

Question 5

In determining the type of questionnaire and the method of administration the researcher need not specify

A)precisely what primary data are needed.
B)how these data might be collected.
C)what degree of structure will be used.
D)what degree of disguise is warranted.
E)the method of statistical analysis to be used.

Question 6

Information that the respondent has forgotten creates a type of error called

A)telescoping
B)response latency
C)recall loss
D)systematic error
E)random error

Question 7

A researcher is interested in obtaining information from a respondent about a purchase event that occurred recently.Which of the following statements is FALSE?

A)The telescoping effect is larger while recall loss effect is smaller.
B)The recall loss effect is larger while the telescoping effect is smaller.
C)The telescoping effect and recall loss effect are about the same.
D)Both a and c are false.
E)Both b and c are false.

Question 8

Which of the following do NOT impact an individual's ability to remember information sought by a researcher?

A)The presence or absence of stimuli that assist in remembering an event.
B)The importance of the event to be remembered.
C)The length of time since the event to be remembered occurred.
D)All of the above impact an individual's ability to remember information.
E)Both b and c.

Question 9

A researcher developing a questionnaire becomes aware of an interesting additional relationship that could be investigated at very little cost and effort.He knows that this is not vital to his present research purpose.He should

A)investigate it to a limited extent.
B)forget it.
C)evaluate the cost.
D)investigate it carefully.
E)investigate it,as this is likely to reduce sampling error.

Question 10

Which of the following is TRUE?

A)In forming a question for a questionnaire,a question should be worded so as to secure an answer with only the required detail,not so as to generate additional information.
B)It is wise to break one question into two when different frames of reference could be used by the respondent.
C)The open-ended question is often employed as the beginning question in that it can provide insight into the respondent's frame of reference.
D)When determining if the individual has the necessary information,the researcher should take into account how important the event was likely to be to the individual and how long ago it took place.
E)All of the above are true.

Question 11

In deciding to ask for specific information,researchers should ask which of the following questions?

A)Is the question necessary?
B)Can two questions be combined in one?
C)Do respondents have the necessary information?
D)Researchers should ask all the above.
E)Both a and c.

Question 12

A person's ability to remember an event is NOT influenced by the

A)length of time since the event.
B)the event itself.
C)stimulus used to facilitate recall.
D)the importance attached to the event.
E)the gender of the respondent.

Question 13

Which of the following is FALSE?

A)There is a definite increase in claimed awareness when a respondent's memory is jogged using a recognition measure rather than an aided recall measure.
B)One thing that affects a respondent's willingness to provide an answer is the amount of work involved in producing it.
C)The only historically successful way of asking about a sensitive issue is to state that the behavior or attitude is not unusual before asking the specific questions of the respondent.
D)In general it is better to address sensitive issues later,rather than earlier,in the survey.
E)The randomized response model is sometimes used to secure sensitive information.

Question 14

Which of the following is TRUE?

A)Designing a questionnaire is often an iterative process,with steps or sequences of steps often being repeated.
B)It is difficult,if not impossible,to state a question in such a way that it will mean exactly the same thing to every respondent.
C)Gathering information by way of a questionnaire requires decisions with respect to structure and disguise and also whether it will be administered by mail,telephone,or personal interview.
D)Both a and b.
E)a,b,and c.

Question 15

Which of the following is TRUE?

A)A "filter" question can be used to determine if a questionnaire respondent is familiar with a certain topic.
B)Any questionnaire response is a good response.
C)Telescoping error refers to the fact that people tend to remember only events that have occurred rather recently.
D)An optimal reference period used for framing questions is about one year.
E)All of the above are false.

Question 16

Which of the following is(are)useful in deciding what information will be sought in the development of a questionnaire?

A)Randomized response model
B)"Dummy tables" used to structure data analysis
C)The hypotheses
D)Both a and b above.
E)Both b and c above.

Question 17

Which of the following is FALSE?

A)Respondents tend to answer questions even when they do not possess the necessary information to give reasonable answers.
B)Some questionnaire studies fail because the respondent is willing but is unable to provide the information needed.
C)A respondent may be more willing to provide information to a researcher if he or she is capable of articulating answers to the researcher's questions.
D)Any response given by the respondent is good.
E)Offering an incentive often affects the respondent's willingness to participate.

Question 18

The respondent's "frame of reference" refers to the

A)respondent's native language.
B)viewpoint a respondent adopts when answering a question.
C)dictionary commonly used by the respondent.
D)respondent's stage in the family life cycle.
E)respondent's native culture.

Question 19

The first step in designing a questionnaire is to

A)determine the type of questionnaire and method of administration.
B)specify what information will be sought.
C)determine the content of individual questions.
D)determine the form of response to each question.
E)determine the wording of each question.

Question 20

For long reference periods,which of the following is FALSE?

A)Telescoping error is relatively small.
B)Recall loss is relatively large.
C)Telescoping error may outweigh recall loss.
D)The two effects counterbalance each other.
E)Recall loss may outweigh telescoping error.

Question 21

Which of the following is FALSE?

A)Respondents tend to choose either the first or the last response to a multiple-choice question.
B)Item nonresponse invalidates the results of a research project.
C)When designing questionnaires it is good to keep in mind that many people have difficulty with relatively simple tasks.
D)A leading question is one formed so as to give the respondent a clue as to how he or she should answer.
E)Many dichotomous questions can be framed as multichotomous questions and vice versa.

Question 22

Which of the following is NOT true about the randomized-response model?

A)The particular question asked is selected at random.
B)The interviewer does not know which question the respondent is answering.
C)The probability of the sensitive question asked is not known.
D)The probability of the "innocuous" event occurring is known.
E)It requires sophisticated statistical analysis.

Question 23

A fixed-alternative question with three possible responses is a(n)

A)open-ended question.
B)dichotomous question.
C)threatening question.
D)multichotomous question.
E)classification question.

Question 24

Which of the following is TRUE?

A)In the randomized response model,the interviewer must know which question is being answered to determine how many people answered the sensitive question in the affirmative.
B)Behavior can be linked to demographic characteristics when using the randomized response model.
C)Recall loss is a term used to describe the situation in which respondents,for whatever reasons,forget important events that have occurred recently.
D)Generally speaking,the more a respondent has to work to provide an answer to a researcher's question,the higher the quality of the answer.
E)All of the above are false.

Question 25

Which of the following does NOT affect a respondent's willingness to produce a response?

A)Amount of work involved.
B)The person's ability to articulate an answer.
C)The sensitivity of the issue.
D)The individual's ability to remember the event.
E)All of the above affect a respondent's willingness to provide a response.

Question 26

Which of the following is TRUE?

A)A double-barreled question is one that calls for two responses and thereby creates confusion for the respondent.
B)It is extremely important that the first few questions on a questionnaire be simple,interesting,and in no way threatening to the respondents.
C)Opinion questions are typically good openers for a questionnaire because people like to feel their opinion is important.
D)Both a and b.
E)a,b,and c.

Question 27

The most versatile type of question format used by researchers is the

A)dichotomous question.
B)multiple-choice question.
C)open-ended question.
D)true-false question.
E)multichotomous question.

Question 28

The best way to insure that the response categories offered in a multichotomous question are exhaustive is to

A)provide an "other" category.
B)provide a space for respondents to write in their answer,such as "e.____."
C)use at least ten categories.
D)use at least fifteen categories.
E)do extensive prior research before formulating the response categories.

Question 29

A split-ballot refers to

A)the practice of using different phrasing or different orders for the alternatives on subsets of questionnaires to combat order bias.
B)the practice of splitting the questionnaire responses in half for more accurate analysis.
C)an administrative procedure in state elections.
D)averaging in scale construction.
E)None of the above.

Question 30

Multichotomous questions

A)increase coding time for a questionnaire.
B)do not permit individuals to elaborate their true position.
C)are often used to begin a questionnaire.
D)allow respondents to elaborate their position.
E)can only be used for demographic information.

Question 31

Questions that place the respondent "on the spot" or which might offend him or her,but which are vital to the research effort,should be

A)hidden among a group of other questions.
B)avoided.
C)phrased in terms of "other people."
D)All the above.
E)Both a and c.

Question 32

In the randomized response model,which of the following questions would NOT be appropriate for pairing with this question: "Have you ever shoplifted?"

A)"Were you born prior to 1960?"
B)"Do you cheat on your income taxes?"
C)"Is your birthday in September?"
D)"Are you male or female?"
E)All of the above could be paired with the question.

Question 33

One method of handling potentially embarrassing questions uses

A)branching questions.
B)the telescoping technique.
C)fixed alternatives.
D)item nonresponse.
E)the randomized-response model.

Question 34

Which of the following is FALSE?

A)Multiple-choice questions tend to bias results by the order in which the alternatives are given.
B)An important advantage of open-ended questions is that respondents may answer them in their own words and are not limited to a set of alternative answers.
C)Because respondents are able to better clarify their answers with open-ended questions than with other types of questions,the results can be more easily coded by the researcher.
D)Both b and c.
E)a,b,and c.

Question 35

The use of a "no opinion" option in multichotomous questions is

A)ineffectual,individuals will always express an opinion.
B)recommended by all leading authorities on questionnaire design.
C)not recommended since it allows individuals to "take the easy way out."
D)a matter of controversy among researchers.
E)not likely to affect the results of the survey.

Question 36

Which of the following is TRUE?

A)An advantage of scales is that a great deal of information can be secured from the respondent in a short period of time.
B)Item nonresponse is the group of respondents who refuse to participate in the survey being conducted.
C)Once a good set of questions has been developed,it is of little consequence as to the order they are asked on the questionnaire.
D)Both a and b.
E)a,b,and c.

Question 37

Which of the following statements is INCORRECT with respect to the randomized-response model?

A)The respondent answers one of several paired questions at random.
B)The interviewer knows which question is being answered by the respondent.
C)It is not possible to link responses to the paired questions with other responses such as demographic characteristics.
D)The respondent is less likely to refuse to answer or to answer untruthfully if the randomized-response model is used.
E)Answers to sensitive questions are more likely to be truthful.

Question 38

"Order bias" refers to the

A)potential for responses to be affected by the sequence in which the alternatives are presented.
B)tendency of individuals to order their thoughts in a chronological manner.
C)desire of individuals to live in an "ordered world."
D)tendency of respondents to follow literally the instructions given by an interviewer.
E)tendency of respondents to complete questions in the order they are presented by an interviewer.

Question 39

What is wrong with this question? "What is your annual income?" (please check)
____ $10,000-$25,000
____ $25,000-$40,000
____ $40,000-$55,000
____ $55,000-$70,000

A)The categories are not of equal ranges.
B)The alternatives are not realistic.
C)The categories are not mutually exclusive.
D)The categories are too broad.
E)The categories are too narrow.

Question 40

Which of the following would NOT be an appropriate technique to use when asking sensitive questions?

A)Hide the question in a group of more innocuous questions.
B)State up front that the subsequent question will be of a sensitive nature to prepare the respondent.
C)Phrase the question in terms of other people and how they may feel or act.
D)Leave sensitive questions until the end of the questionnaire.
E)State that the behavior or attitude is not unusual.

Question 41

Branching questions are less appropriate with

A)personal interviews.
B)telephone interviews.
C)mail questionnaires.
D)mall intercepts interviews.
E)Both a and b.

Question 42

The following is an example of a ____ question. Do you own your own home?

A)multichotomous
B)bi-polar
C)free response
D)dichotomous
E)projective

Question 43

Item nonresponse refers to

A)deception on the part of a respondent.
B)respondent refusing to answer a question.
C)respondent incorrectly answering a question.
D)deception on the part of the researcher.
E)poor phrasing of a question.

Question 44

The question,"Are you in favor of the free-choice policy for determining which school your child attends?" is an example of a(n)

A)implicit alternative.
B)double-barreled question.
C)implicit assumption.
D)leading question.
E)classification question.

Question 45

The question,"How would you judge the price and quality of this product?" is

A)double-barreled.
B)leading.
C)contains an implied alternative.
D)contains an implied assumption.
E)forces generalization on the part of the respondent.

Question 46

A question that cues the respondent to the desired answer is

A)leading.
B)double-barreled.
C)multichotomous.
D)dichotomous.
E)open-ended.

Question 47

The following is an example of a(n)____. Do you think gun control legislation is an effective way to end the senseless slaughter rampant in the inner cities?

A)double-barreled question.
B)leading question.
C)ambiguous question.
D)implied alternative.
E)multichotomous response.

Question 48

The "funnel approach" refers to

A)asking simple questions first.
B)a method of data analysis.
C)successively narrowing the focus of related questions.
D)using a funnel as a visual aid when asking sensitive questions in a personal interview.
E)successively broadening the scope of related questions.

Question 49

The question in a restaurant survey,"What is your evaluation of the speed and courtesy of your waitperson?" is an example of a(n)

A)unambiguous question.
B)branching question.
C)double-barreled question.
D)generalization.
E)redundant question.

Question 50

The question,"Do you exercise often? seldom? sometimes?" is

A)leading.
B)concrete.
C)ambiguous.
D)contains an implied alternative.
E)contains an implied assumption.

Question 51

When using branching questions the researcher should

A)develop a flow chart of the logical possibilities and then prepare the questions and instructions to follow the chart.
B)place the question branched to as close as possible to the question causing the branching.
C)order the questions so the respondent can anticipate what information is required,and thus answer the questions more easily.
D)place the question following the branch on a different page.
E)Both a and b.

Question 52

In any study there should be two pretests,the first should be conducted by ____ and the second by ____.

A)personal interview,mail
B)the planned method of administration,mail
C)personal interview,the planned method of administration
D)the planned method of administration,the planned method of administration
E)There is no one best way to conduct the pretests.

Question 53

Which of the following is FALSE?

A)When using the funnel approach to questionnaire design,the researcher will start with broad questions and progressively narrow the scope of further questions.
B)Classification information is the heart of the survey and is so called because it will be classified into the appropriate categories of the dummy tables.
C)Basic information should be secured first and classification information last.
D)In dealing with sensitive issues when designing a questionnaire,the preferred alternative is to avoid these types of questions altogether,if at all possible.
E)One way of dealing with sensitive questions is to hide them in a group of more innocuous questions.

Question 54

A pretest of the questionnaire is useful for all of the following reasons EXCEPT

A)to assess individual questions.
B)to assess sequence of questions.
C)to determine interviewer problems with questions.
D)to determine if data collected is suitable for analysis.
E)a pretest is useful for all of the above reasons.

Question 55

Which of the following is TRUE?

A)Branching questions are easy to develop for a mail questionnaire.
B)Sequence bias is potentially more of a problem in telephone interviews than in mail questionnaires.
C)With the exception of telephone interview questionnaires (which are never seen by the respondents),it is generally appropriate to number the questions on a questionnaire.
D)The physical appearance of a questionnaire is especially influential in securing cooperation to studies done by mail.
E)All of the above are false.

Question 56

Which of the following is NOT true about question sequencing?

A)The first few questions should be simple and interesting to respondents.
B)Narrow questions should be asked first and the questions should get progressively broader.
C)Classification information should be asked last.
D)Basic information,or the information most germane to the study,should be asked for first.
E)Questions on sensitive issues should be asked later.

Question 57

Which of the following about questionnaire design is TRUE?

A)If the early steps in questionnaire design are carefully followed,the questionnaire usually does not need to be revised.
B)When designing questionnaires,the researcher should expect to do a good deal of iteration and looping among the steps.
C)As a general rule,larger questionnaires are favored over smaller ones,because they are less crowded.
D)Both a and b.
E)a,b,and c.

Question 58

"Please indicate your opinion on congressional spending and tax reform." This question

A)would be a good opening question for a survey.
B)uses the funnel approach.
C)contains an implicit assumption.
D)is double-barreled.
E)is dichotomous.

Question 59

Which of the following statements is INCORRECT with respect to branching questions?

A)Branching questions are more appropriate for mail surveys than telephone or personal interviews.
B)The evidence indicates that branching instructions increase the rate of item nonresponse for items immediately following the branch.
C)When designing branching questions,it is generally good practice to develop a flow chart of the logical possibilities and then prepare the question to follow the flow chart.
D)It is a good idea to order branching questions so that respondents cannot anticipate what additional information is required.
E)Place the question that follows the branch as close as possible to the original question.

Question 60

The question,"Do you feel the government should be forced to stop picking our pockets with excessive taxes and return a portion of the taxes collected to taxpayers?"

A)Is leading.
B)Contains an implicit alternative.
C)Is double-barreled.
D)Both a and c.
E)None of the above.

Question 61

An interviewer gives the respondent very subtle cues such as saying "yes" and nodding his head to statements with which the interviewer agrees.This is an example of

A)double barreling the respondent.
B)unintentional respondent fraud.
C)leading the respondent.
D)interviewer misunderstanding.
E)there is nothing wrong with saying "yes."

Question 62

Which of the following statements does NOT describe an advantage of physically smaller,over larger,questionnaires?

A)They generally take less time to complete.
B)They are less likely to cause respondents to refuse to participate.
C)They are easier to carry in the field.
D)They are easier to sort,count,and file in the office.
E)They sometimes appear cluttered.

Question 63

The following is an example of a ____ question. Should Macy's continue its excellent gift-wrapping program during Christmas?

A)double-barreled question
B)leading question
C)sensitive question
D)dichotomous question
E)Both b and d.

Question 64

Which of the following about observational forms is FALSE?

A)When using observational forms,interviewer/observer bias may still be a problem.
B)When constructing an observational form it is best to loosely define what is to be observed so the observer is free to react to each individual situation.
C)One of the most critical things in designing an observational form is to determine precisely what is to be observed.
D)A paper-and-pencil observation form assessing purchasing behavior should parallel the logical sequence of the purchase act.
E)All of the above are true.

Question 65

The problem with using the following words: "like","for example" in a question is

A)it is used to introduce an example and the choice of an example influences response.
B)it refers to something akin to the subject of the sentence,yet is not the subject of the sentence.
C)it does not translate easily into foreign languages.
D)All of the above are problems with using "like" or "for example"
E)None of the above;that is,it's ok to use the word "like."

Question 66

When utilizing observational methods of data collection,which of the following should be specified by the researcher?

A)Who should be observed?
B)What behaviors should be reported?
C)When should the observations be made?
D)Where should the observations be made?
E)All of the above.

Question 67

Which of the following is TRUE?

A)Smaller questionnaires that do not appear crowded are better at securing cooperation than larger ones.
B)One thing that seems to promote respondent cooperation is physically numbering the questions on a questionnaire.
C)The first pretest should uncover any problems with question wording or question sequence.
D)The second pretest should reveal any problems unique to the planned mode of administration.
E)All of the above are true.

Question 68

A questionnaire using quality paper and printing techniques

A)is an unnecessary expense.
B)reflects the importance of the study.
C)is unimportant in gaining respondent cooperation.
D)is unimportant to questionnaire design.
E)causes mistrust in the respondent.

Question 69

In a recent McDonald's survey about new menu items,one question is "How much do you like the sugar-free apple pies? Check one: dislike,dislike slightly,do not dislike or like,like slightly,like a great deal." This is an example of a(n)____ question.

A)open-ended
B)double-barreled
C)dichotomous
D)multichotomous
E)Both a and d.

Question 70

The statement "Do you believe wholesalers or retailers are responsible for the high cost of meat in supermarkets today" is an example of a(n)____ question.

A)double-barreled question
B)leading question
C)open-ended question
D)ambiguous question
E)All of the above.

Question 71

When the pretest results are analyzed and recorded in the dummy tables,which of the following is most likely to have occurred if some part of a table remains empty?

A)The response rate was poor.
B)The interviewer asked leading questions.
C)Some respondents did not understand a particular question.
D)A necessary option was omitted.
E)The researcher has no way of knowing.

Question 72

The question "How much was the price per gallon of gasoline when you last purchased it at a full-service service station?" should be avoided because it

A)is beyond the respondent's ability or experience.
B)uses a specific example to represent a general case.
C)asks respondents for specifics when only generalities are likely to be remembered.
D)is a double barreled question.
E)There is nothing wrong with the question.

Question 73

The Marketing Research Corporation of America has been hired to administer a series of "yes/no" questions to shoppers in a local mall.If questions on a survey have only two possible answers (such as "yes/no" questions),this type of questions are called

A)open-ended questions.
B)double-barreled questions.
C)dichotomous questions.
D)multichotomous questions.
E)Both b and c.

Question 74

Observation forms are generally easier to construct because

A)they need not follow a logical pattern.
B)they rely on observer judgment to determine response categories.
C)response categories need not be exhaustive.
D)the question and the way it is asked will not influence the respondent's actions.
E)response categories need not be multichotomous in nature.

Question 75

Physically numbering the questions on a questionnaire

A)promotes respondent cooperation.
B)is a hindrance when filter-type questions are used.
C)makes it harder to edit the responses.
D)causes respondent suspicion.
E)is unnecessary.

Question 76

Which of the following is FALSE?

A)One problem with all questionnaires is that a question and the way it is asked will affect the response.
B)Initial pretests are best done by personal interview even if the survey is to be handled by mail or telephone.
C)Initial pretests are best done by personal interview unless the survey is to be handled by mail.
D)Both a and b.
E)Both a and c.

Question 77

The physical appearance of a questionnaire is important in securing respondents' cooperation,particularly for

A)personal interviews.
B)mail questionnaires.
C)telephone interviews.
D)All of the above.
E)Both b and c.

Question 78

Which of the following is NOT included in the introduction part of the questionnaire?

A)Identification of the sponsor/researcher.
B)The purpose of the survey.
C)Explanation of how the respondent was selected.
D)Demographic questions.
E)Almost anything can be in the introduction part of the questionnaire.

Question 79

Which of the following is NOT recommended to facilitate handling and control of a questionnaire?

A)Stapling multiple pages together.
B)Leaving enough room for open-ended questions.
C)Numbering the questions.
D)Using paper no larger than 8 1/2 x 11 inches.
E)All of the above are all recommended to facilitate handling and control of questionnaires.

Question 80

If you were told that a young monk was rebuffed by his superior when he asked if he could "smoke while he prayed." A friend advised the monk to ask the question a different way: "May I pray while I smoke?" This illustrates that

A)questions may be worded to always get a positive response.
B)questions may be worded so that the response is biased by the question itself.
C)questions should be worded to support the interests of the research sponsor.
D)monks shouldn't smoke.
E)a,b,and c.