Chapter 8

Univariate analysis

Analysis of a single variable.

bivariate analysis

Analysis of the relationships between two variables.

contingency table

Displays how variation on one variable may be contingent on variation on another.

pretesting

Getting feedback on a questionnaire so that it can be improved before it is administered.

Trend Panel Cohort

List the type of survey research: Researcher examines changes in trends over time; the same people do not necessarily participate in the survey more than once. Researcher surveys the exact same sample several times over a period of time. Researcher identifies some category of people that are of interest and then regularly surveys people who fall into that category.

Fence-sitters

Respondents who present themselves as neutral when in truth they have an opinion.

trends features

Survey research is often used by researchers who wish to explain ----- or ------ of large groups. It may also be used to assist those planning some more focused, in-depth study.

response options

The answers that are provided to for each question in a survey.

questionnaire

The document (either hard copy or online) that contains survey questions on which respondents read and mark their responses.

social desirability

The idea that respondents will try to answer questions in a way that will present them in a favorable light.

response rate

The percentage of completed questionnaires returned; determined by dividing the number of completed questionnaires by the number originally distributed.

nonresponse bias

The possible result of having too few sample members return completed questionnaires; occurs when respondents differ in important ways from nonrespondents.

cross-tabulate

The process for creating a contingency table

standardized

The same questions, phrased in the same way, are posed to all participants, consistent.

one over longitudinal in person snail mail online

Time is a factor in determining what type of survey researcher administers; cross-sectional surveys are administered at (one/over) time, and longitudinal surveys are administered (one/over) Retrospective surveys offer some of the benefits of ----- research but also come with their own drawbacks. Self-administered questionnaires may be delivered in hard copy form to participants --- ----- or via ---- ----or ------

people participating/ number selected in sample

formula for response rate

Identify what it is they wish to know. Keep questions clear and succinct. Make questions relevant to respondents. Use filter questions when necessary. Avoid questions that are likely to confuse respondents such as those that use double negatives, use culturally specific terms, or pose more than one question in the form of a single question. Imagine how they would feel responding to questions. Get feedback, especially from people who resemble those in the researcher's sample.

in order to pose effective survey questions, researchers should :

Cost-effective Generalizable Reliable Versatile

list the four benefits to survey research

false, they are less important than we once thought SPSS, MicroCase, and Excel Data analysis Contingency tables

t/f: While survey researchers should always aim to obtain the highest response rate possible, some recent research argues that high return rates on surveys may be more important than we once thought. There are several computer programs designed to assist survey researchers with analyzing their data include: ----- ------ is about identifying, describing, and explaining patterns. ------ ------ show how, or whether, one variable covaries with another.

median

the middle score in a distribution; half the scores are above it and half are below it

Mode

the most frequently occurring score(s) in a distribution

Cross-sectional surveys

Surveys that are administered at one point in time.

Longitudinal surveys

Surveys that enable a researcher to make observations over some extended period of time.

Inflexibility Validity

list the two cons of survey research

retrospective surveys

A type of survey in which participants are asked to report events from the past.

multivariate analysis.

the analysis of the simultaneous relationships among several variables

mean

the arithmetic average of a distribution, obtained by adding the scores and then dividing by the number of scores

Brainstorming literature relevant filter feedback true Pretesting

--------- and consulting the ------ are two important early steps to take when preparing to write effective survey questions. Make sure that your survey questions will be ----- to all respondents and that you use ----- questions when necessary. Getting ------ on your survey questions is a crucial step in the process of designing a survey. t/f: When it comes to creating response options, the solution to the problem of fence-sitting might cause floating, whereas the solution to the problem of floating might cause fence sitting. ----- is an important step for improving one's survey before actually administering it

codebook

A document that outlines how a survey researcher has translated her or his data from words into numbers.

versatility

A feature of survey research meaning that many different people use surveys for a variety of purposes and in a variety of settings.

Survey research

A quantitative method for which a researcher poses the same set of questions, typically in a written format, to a sample of individuals.

filter question

A question designed to identify some subset of survey respondents who are then asked additional questions that are not relevant to the entire sample.

double-barreled question

A question that is posed as a single question but in fact asks more than one question.

self-administered questionnaires

A set of written questions that a research participant responds to by filling in answers on her or his own without the assistance of a researcher.

open-ended questions

A survey question for which the researcher does not provide respondents with response options; instead, respondents answer in their own words.

closed-ended questions

A survey question for which the researcher provides respondents with a limited set of clear response options

contingency question

A survey question intended for only some respondents, determined by their responses to some other question

panel surveys

A type of longitudinal survey in which a researcher surveys the exact same sample several times over a period of time.

trend survey

A type of longitudinal survey where a researcher examines changes in trends over time; the same people do not necessarily participate in the survey more than once.

cohort survey

A type of longitudinal survey where a researcher's interest is in a particular group of people who share some common experience or characteristic.

covariation

Occurs when changes in one variable happen together with changes in another.

independence

Occurs when there is no relationship between the variables in question.

matrix

Question type that that lists a set of questions for which the answer categories are all the same.

Floaters

Respondents who choose a substantive answer to a question when in truth they don't understand the question or the response options.