Question 1

Which of the following statements about types of surveys is TRUE?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following statements about types...

Question 2

Consider the following survey question: "Under what circumstances should the university raise tuition?" This question can be categorized as

Accepted Answer

The question does not provide a limited number of response options and instead allows the respondent to freely express their thoughts and opinions. Therefore, it is categorized as open-ended.

Question 3

Consider the following survey item: "The university should not raise tuition under any circumstances" with these responses options: Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree, or Strongly Disagree. This item can be categorized as

Accepted Answer

This item has a fixed set of response options and does not allow respondents to provide their own answer, making it a closed-ended item.

Question 4

Which of the following statements about open-ended versus closed-ended questions is FALSE?

Accepted Answer

The statement that "responses to open-ended questions are more easily quantified" is false. Open-ended questions often produce qualitative data that can be analyzed for themes and patterns, but it is more difficult to quantify the responses compared to closed-ended questions where responses are pre-defined and can be easily tallied up.

Question 5

Consider the following survey item stem: "Polysyllabic and Latinate verbiage obfuscates signification." This stem violates the question-writing rule of

Accepted Answer

The stem uses complex and academic language (polysyllabic and Latinate verbiage) that may not be easily understood by all research participants, violating the rule of using language that is accessible to the participants.

Question 6

Consider the following survey item stem: "People who do not speak English well should not be allow to teach in college." This stem violates the question-writing rule of

Accepted Answer

The stem includes a negative, which can make the question confusing or difficult for respondents to understand. It would be better to rephrase the stem positively, such as "Should only those who speak English well be allowed to teach in college?"

Question 7

To determine whether respondents are likely to misunderstand or misinterpret a survey question, researchers should

Accepted Answer

Pretesting questions with a sample of the intended population helps identify any potential confusion, ambiguities, or misunderstandings in the questions. This allows researchers to revise and improve questions before the actual survey is conducted, which can increase the validity and reliability of the data collected. Using previous survey items or open-ended questions do not necessarily address the issue of potential misunderstandings or misinterpretations of the question. Relying solely on the researcher's judgment may introduce bias and subjectivity into the question design.

Question 8

A double-barreled question

Accepted Answer

A double-barreled question asks for two or more pieces of information at the same time. It combines multiple questions into one, which can confuse the person being asked and make it difficult for them to provide a clear response.

Question 9

A loaded question

Accepted Answer

A loaded question uses emotional context or language to imply a certain answer or evoke a desired response. It is often designed to manipulate the answerer into answering in a particular way. It may also ask for only one piece of information, but that information is often presented in a biased or leading way.

Question 10

A leading question

Accepted Answer

A leading question is one that suggests a certain answer or response is desired. It "leads" the person being questioned to a particular answer, often by providing a specific context or implying a certain outcome.

Question 11

Consider the following survey item stem: "My teacher speaks clearly and explains things well." This stem would be classified as being part of a(n) ________ question.

Accepted Answer

This question is considered double-barreled because it asks about two different things in one question: the clarity of the teacher's speech and the quality of their explanations. Respondents might agree with one part of the statement and disagree with the other, making it difficult to answer accurately.

Question 12

Consider the following survey item stem: "Do you agree that the state legislature should spend more money on education?" This stem would be classified as being part of a(n) ________ question.

Accepted Answer

The stem is a leading question, as it implies a desired response or suggests a particular answer. It assumes that the respondent agrees that education needs more funding and precludes the possibility of disagreement.

Question 13

Consider the following survey item stem: "Do you agree or disagree that labor unions should be prohibited from forcing their members to support undesirable political candidates?" This stem would be classified as a(n) ________ question.

Accepted Answer

This question is considered "loaded" because it contains emotionally charged language or assumptions that could bias the respondent's answer, specifically by suggesting that labor unions might force members to support "undesirable" political candidates.

Question 14

When writing questionnaire items, one should

Accepted Answer

When writing questionnaire items, it is important to ask questions that are as specific as possible to get accurate and meaningful responses. Assumptions about respondents' personal characteristics or beliefs should be avoided to ensure that the questionnaire is not biased. Tactfulness is necessary when asking about sensitive topics to ensure that the respondents feel comfortable and willing to answer truthfully. Therefore, all three options are important and should be taken into consideration while writing questionnaire items.

Question 15

Sensitive survey topics include those that

Accepted Answer

All of the given options can be considered sensitive survey topics. Privacy intrusion may cause discomfort for respondents, disclosing certain information could pose a threat to their safety or reputation, and questions about behaviors that conflict with social norms may cause embarrassment or shame. Therefore, all answer options should be considered when evaluating the sensitivity of a survey topic.

Question 16

Dr. Patal plans to administer a survey about health-related behaviors that put people at risk for HIV infection. He is concerned that his respondents will be reluctant to answer truthfully. He can reduce this potential for biased responding by

Accepted Answer

Each of the options provided (implying the behavior is common, using authority to justify the behavior, and being casual in phrasing) can help reduce the potential for biased responding by making the respondent feel more comfortable and less judged for their behaviors.

Question 17

The term level of measurement refers to

Accepted Answer

Level of measurement refers to the rules for assigning numbers to observations, such as nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio.

Question 18

A survey question that asks respondents whether they are male or female uses the ________ level of measurement.

Accepted Answer

The question only seeks to categorize respondents into distinct groups based on a characteristic (gender), and does not involve any ranking, ordering or measurement of quantity. Therefore, it is an example of nominal level of measurement.

Question 19

A survey question that asks respondents to rank a group of breakfast cereals from the one they like most to the one they like least uses the ________ level of measurement.

Accepted Answer

This question uses ordinal level of measurement because it involves ranking the breakfast cereals in order of preference. The rankings have a specific order and the cereal with the highest ranking is not necessarily quantitatively better or worse than the cereal with the next highest ranking.

Question 20

A survey question that asks respondents to use a rating scale to note the extent to which they agree or disagree with an item uses the ________ level of measurement.

Accepted Answer

A rating scale measures attitudes or opinions, which are best measured using the interval level of measurement. The interval scale allows for equal intervals between the scale points and a meaningful zero point is not required for this type of measurement. Nominal and ordinal scales do not allow for equal intervals, and ratio scales require a meaningful zero point, which may not be applicable in this case.

Quiz 15: Survey Research