Deck 9: Information From Respondents: Issues in Data Collection

Question 1

The homophily criterion states that

A)communication is enhanced when the interviewer and the interviewee are, or perceive themselves to be, relatively similar
B)a "home-like" environment is best suited for personal interviewing
C)interviewers should be chosen with similar characteristics
D)males are better discussion group leaders than females
E)none of the above

Answer 1

communication is enhanced when the interviewer and the interviewee are, or perceive themselves to be, relatively similar

Question 2

Telephone survey is the least expense form of data collection.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

One of the reasons people refuse to participate in surveys is fear of the motives of an interviewer or of the uses to which the data will be put.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

A researcher should be aware that, when in doubt, a respondent will give too little rather than too much information about past behavior.

Question 5

One of the reasons which motivates people to answer survey questions is the opportunity for social interaction.

Question 6

Open-ended questions are most suited for self-administered questionnaires.

Question 7

An interview conducted using a given list of questions asking third person questions is an example of

A)structured direct interview
B)structured indirect interview
C)unstructured direct interview
D)unstructured indirect interview
E)none of the above

Question 8

Toward the end of a long interview, the accuracy of responses is likely to decline.

Question 9

Survey data only cover knowledge, behavior, and classification variables.A survey is inadequate for recording a respondent's attitudes.

Question 10

The reading and writing skills of the respondents and their motivation to cooperate are two salient considerations in choosing a mode of data collection.

Question 11

Respondent's impression of the interviewer impacts interviewer error

Question 12

People who refuse to be interviewed are likely to be different in important respects from those who agree to participate.For this reason, a high rate of refusal may be a major source of survey error.

Question 13

The length of the questionnaire is immaterial in any type of research.

Question 14

One way to reduce nonresponse error is to try to interview respondents in ways that are less intrusive in their lives

Question 15

In general, a researcher may assume that one person can speak for all members of a household.

Question 16

A researcher who is doing a survey has the advantage of being able to collect a great deal of data about an individual respondent at one time.

Question 17

Respondents who answer questions to which they do not know the answers can be classified as basically deceptive.

Question 18

How can the problem of interviewer bias be minimized?

A)switching to an alternative mode of data collection
B)increasing the sample size
C)validating a certain percentage of completed interviews
D)disguising the purpose of the research project
E)none of the above

Question 19

Group administered surveys are marked by poor response rates.

Question 20

There is consistent evidence that people's willingness to answer survey questions is related to their belief that market research studies benefit the public.

Question 21

The primary data collection method widely used in marketing research is the

A)survey method.
B)observation method.
C)focus group method.
D)experiment method.
E)Thematic appreciation test.

Question 22

The length of the questionnaire depends upon

A)the research information sought.
B)the quantity of information required.
C)the availability of respondents.
D)the budget allocated for the research study.
E)the survey method employed.

Question 23

Which of the following conditions must a researcher reasonably satisfy in order to get meaningful survey results? 1-The population has been correctly defined and the sample is representative of the population. 2-The respondents who are selected are willing to participate. 3-The respondents understand the interviewers' questions and the interviewers correctly record the questions.

A)1
B)2
C)3
D)2 and 3
E)1, 2, and 3

Question 24

The best solution to minimizing interview errors involves

A)the recruitment and selection of interviewers.
B)the training of interviewers.
C)the motivation of interviewers.
D)the control of interviewers.
E)all of these.

Question 25

A phenotypic source of refusals refers to

A)the indigenous characteristics of respondents such as age, sex and occupation)
B)characteristics of the data collection procedure questions asked, length of the interview)
C)respondents who refuse to clarify their answers and who seem anxious to end the interview.
D)respondents who forget how many times in the past month they have been shopping and who underestimate or overestimate the number of
Times when asked.
E)None of the above.

Question 26

Measuring behavior usually involves:

A)what the respondents did or did not do
B)where the action takes place
C)the timing of action
D)the frequency or persistence of behavior
E)all of the above

Question 27

High refusal rates

A)are more likely in personal interviewing than in a mail survey.
B)are a major source of error, since those who refuse to participate are likely to differ in important respects from
Respondents.
C)are beyond a researcher's control.
D)are not a problem in some surveys because those who refuse to participate can be replaced by cooperative respondents.
E)none of the above.

Question 28

___________ are the most costly form of data collection.

A)Telephone interviews
B)Mail surveys
C)Personal interviews
D)Fax surveys
E)E-mail surveys

Question 29

In the case of a self-administered questionnaire, it is better to opt for ____________ questions.

A)open-ended
B)close-ended
C)visual
D)long
E)double-barreled

Question 30

A genotypic source of refusals refers to

A)the indigenous characteristics of respondents such as age, sex and occupation)
B)characteristics of the data collection procedure questions asked, length of the interview)
C)respondents who refuse to clarify their answers and who seem anxious to end the interview.
D)respondents who forget how many times in the past month they have been shopping and who underestimate or overestimate the number of
Times when asked.
E)None of the above.

Question 31

Which one of the following is not true of collecting data by telephone?

A)virtually everyone can be reached
B)cost is relatively low
C)a good way to reach executives and other important people
D)eliminates interviewer bias
E)none of the above

Question 32

Group administered surveys are characterized by

A)no response rates.
B)low response rates.
C)high response rates.
D)nonfeasibility.
E)none of the above.

Question 33

Inaccuracy in response refers to all of the following except

A)distortion of answers to an income question.
B)respondents who refuse to clarify their answers and who seem anxious to end the interview.
C)respondents who forget how many times in the past month they have been shopping and who underestimate or overestimate the number of
Times when asked.
D)a wife who makes educated guesses about her husband's reading habits.
E)an interviewer who makes up survey answers to questions that seem silly and obvious.

Question 34

The best way to improve the response rate of mail interviews is to

A)offer an incentive
B)pre-notify people of the survey
C)use colored questionnaires
D)use first class mail
E)none of the above

Question 35

All of the following are sources of interviewer error except

A)an interviewer who shares with a respondent basic characteristics, such as age and social class.
B)an interviewer in a shopping center who selects a respondent on the basis of appearance.
C)an interviewer who tailors the language of the questionnaire to fit an individual respondent's social characteristics.
D)an interviewer who establishes rapport with a respondent by agreeing with the respondent's views.
E)all of these are sources of interviewer error.