COMM 2030 Ch. 9

Multiple- choice questions

Questions that offer respondents a selection of answers from which they are instructed to select one or more

Demographic questions

Questions that seek information on such variables as age, marital status, income, and occupation

Survey results typically explain why respondents answered the way they did.

False

Cross-sectional surveys

Surveys taken at one point in time, as opposed to trend studies.

Cross-lagged surveys

Surveys that measure the relationship between a dependent variable and an independent variable at two points in time

In panel studies, the same group of individuals is retained to answer questions over time.

True

Leading questions lead the respondent to give an answer the researcher wants rather than letting respondents respond in their own terms.

True

One advantage of surveys is that respondents are able to answer large numbers of questions rapidly.

True

One problem with surveys is having to decide whether the responses received are valid

True

Semantic differential questions basically ask respondents to mark an answer somewhere between two opposite ideas.

True

Surveys are used primarily for reasons of speed and cost-effectiveness.

True

Trend studies measure the same items over time but draw different samples from the population each time

True

With appropriate sampling, you can make generalizations with a known level of confidence from a survey sample to a wider population.

True

Trend studies measure items at one point in time.

False

Funnel

A set of questions that move from general to specific

Inverted funnel

A set of questions that move from specific to general

Questionnaire

A set of questions to which respondents reply

Cohorts

A group of people defined most typically by having an event in common.

Panel

A group of the same individuals retained to answer questions over time

Op-scan

Optical scanning. Refers to survey forms with machine-readable marks on them

A questionnaire is a specific set of questions that respondents answer.

True

A survey is a series of formatted questions delivered to a defined sample of people.

True

Double negative

A combination of negative wording with a double-barreled question, almost guaranteed to confuse respondents.

Survey

A research method in which predeterminded, formatted questions are distributed to relatively large numbers of people. Typically, respondents respond by phone, mail, email, or website

"Filter" questions or instructions ensure that respondents answer every question in a survey.

False

A questionnaire is a device for randomly generating questions.

False

A semantic differential scale is always anchored by the terms "Strongly Agree" and "Strongly Disagree".

False

Cross-sectional surveys capture information over an extended period of time.

False

Generally, most people are happy to respond to telephone surveys.

False

Likert-type questions always end with a question mark.

False

Most survey designs provide a basis for assessing causal relationships among variables.

False

One advantage of surveys is the increasing willingness of consumers to participate in them,

False

Question format and wording have little effect on respondents' answers to survey questions.

False

Surveys give a good understanding of the "whys" behind the survey answers.

False

Scaled questions

Questions in which respondents are asked to mark their answers on a scale

Negative wording

Questions phrased using a negative rather then a positive

Double- barreled questions

Questions that ask two questions simultaneously but allow for only one answer.

Filter questions

Questions that determine whether a respondent is qualified to answer a question and that typically redirect them to another question if not.

Dichotomous questions

Questions that offer a choice between two possible answers—for example, "yes" or "no."

Leading questions

Questions worded to lead respondents to a particular answer rather than the one they might have genuinely given

Trend studies

Studies that measure the same items over time but draw different samples from the population to do so

Longitudinal studies

Studies that track people change in knowledge, attitude, or behavior over time

Cohorts are groups of people defined, most typically, by having an event in common.

True

Cross-lagged surveys measure a dependent variable and an independent variable at two points in time.

True

Filter questions filter out respondents who cannot or should not answer specific questions

True