Chapter 8- Survey Research

1. Which of the following is not a general feature of survey research? A) direct observation of behavior B) large probability samples C) structured questionnaires and/or interviews D) quantitative data analysis 2. (Box 8.1) Which of the following is true of open-ended questions? A) They work best in questionnaire surveys where respondents have more time to respond. B) They are easier to analyze than closed-ended questions. C) They can provide in-depth understanding. D) They work best in structured interviews. 3. (Box 8.1) In which type of study are open-ended questions most likely to be found? A) structured interview B) mail questionnaire survey C) Web survey D) semi-structured interview 4. The Constructing the Family Survey (CFS), described throughout chapter 8, A) is a panel survey. B) uses only closed-ended questions. C) has a target population consisting of all undergraduate students in the United States. D) is a telephone interview survey. 5. Suppose you hypothesize that the more sociology courses a student takes, the more sensitive he or she becomes to the needs of others. You then ask a random sample of students at your college how many sociology courses they have taken and also ask them a set of questions measuring social sensitivity. Finally, you calculate the association between the two variables. This is an example of a A) laboratory experiment. B) cross-sectional survey. C) longitudinal survey. 6. To study marital adjustment among newlyweds, researchers select a sample of couples who applied for marriage licenses in Worcester County, Massachusetts, between April and June 2015. They then interview the couples repeatedly over a four-year period. This is an example of a A) cross-sectional study. Page 1

B) trend study. C) panel study. 7. To determine how much racial prejudice declined in the last half of the 20 th Century, a researcher examines answers to the same questions asked in several different polls conducted from the 1940s through 1990s. This is an example of a A) cross-sectional survey. B) trend study. C) panel study. 8. A survey design in which people are asked questions at essentially one point in time is called a(n) __________ study; a survey design that questions the same people repeatedly over time is called a(n) __________ study. A) cross-sectional; panel B) explanatory; descriptive C) descriptive; cross-sectional D) panel; explanatory 9. Compared with face-to-face interview studies, telephone interview studies A) cost more. B) take more time to complete. C) demand greater attention to staff supervision. D) require simpler survey questions. 10. Which of the following is an advantage of the mailed questionnaire over the face- to-face interview? A) greater flexibility B) higher response rate C) lower cost D) greater control over respondents' reactions to the survey 11. Sample quality tends to be lowest in a __________ survey, and response rates generally are highest in a __________ survey. A) face-to-face; telephone B) face-to-face; mail C) mail; face-to-face D) mail; telephone E) telephone; telephone 12. Presently, the most common survey design is a __________, and the most Page 2

18. Mixed-mode surveys A) are of limited use because of their added cost. B) are recommended when the timeliness of the survey is important. C) may be used to screen and locate respondents and to increase response rates. D) have declined in popularity because they tend to compound survey error. 19. Which of the following sequences is correct regarding the process of planning and conducting a survey? A) choose sampling frame  design sample  choose survey mode  recruit respondents B) choose survey mode  construct questionnaire  pretest  collect data C) construct questionnaire  pretest  choose survey mode  collect data D) pretest  choose survey mode  recruit respondents  collect data E) design sample  choose sampling frame  choose survey mode  recruit respondents 20. (Box 8.2) What is the major wording problem with the following question: “Do you approve of the irresponsible person who would drive after having several drinks?”? A) inappropriate vocabulary B) leading question C) lack of precision D) double-barreled 21. (Box 8.2) What is the major wording problem with the following question (asked of respondents who say they drink beer): “When you drink beer, how much, on the average, do you usually drink at any one time? [ ] quite a bit [ ] a moderate amount [ ] very little”? A) inappropriate vocabulary B) leading question C) lack of precision D) double-barreled 22. (Box 8.2) What is the major wording problem with the following question: “How satisfied are you with the number and fairness of the tests in this course?”? A) inappropriate vocabulary B) leading question C) insensitive wording D) lack of precision E) double-barreled Page 4

23. Which of the following questions would serve best as the opening question for a questionnaire study of campus alcohol use? A) Do you ever drink alone? B) Would your father approve of your present drinking habits? C) What is your major? D) Do you presently drink beer, liquor, or wine? E) What is your year in school? 24. In a survey study of campus alcohol and drug use, what is the best placement within a questionnaire or interview schedule for the following question: “Have you ever gotten into trouble with the law because of drinking?” A) opening question B) toward the beginning C) middle D) end 25. Which of the following questions should be placed toward the end of a questionnaire or interview in a survey study of campus alcohol use? A) Do you ever drink alone? B) What is your year in school? C) Would your father approve of your present drinking habits? D) When did you have your first drink of beer or wine? E) How often do you have a beer, liquor, or wine? 26. Which of the following questions is field pretesting least likely to address? A) Is the language of questions appropriate for the target population? B) Do respondents understand the meaning of questions? C) Are transitions smooth and informative? D) Are there questions that respondents resist answering? E) Is a respondent's gender related to his or her responses to questions? 27. Random-digit dialing in telephone surveys serves to A) increase response rates. B) increase sample quality by reaching respondents with unlisted numbers. C) decrease the cost of telephone surveys by reducing dialing time. D) increase sample size. 28. To gain the cooperation of nonrespondents, survey researchers A) may make numerous follow-up attempts to reach them. B) have found that more than one follow-up is not cost effective. Page 5

36. Computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI) eliminates the need for a live interviewer. A) True B) False 37. Face-to-face interviews tend to generate lower response rates than other survey modes. A) True B) False 38. Although popular in the 1970s, telephone interviewing is now seldom used because of its high cost. A) True B) False 39. Administration and staff supervision in a telephone interview are simpler than in a face-to-face interview study. A) True B) False 40. Computer-assisted interviewing can eliminate biases due to the respondent's reaction to personal characteristics of the interviewer. A) True B) False 41. Web surveys generally allow for more flexible questionnaire design than other survey modes. A) True B) False 42. Choice of survey mode and choice of sampling frame are interdependent. A) True B) False 43. A good source of survey questions is questions developed by other researchers. A) True B) False Page 7

44. Slight changes in question wording can produce great differences in responses. A) True B) False 45. It is good to use words such as “usually,” “occasionally,” and “sometimes” because respondents are uncomfortable in giving more precise answers. A) True B) False 46. Leading questions are an effective way of getting honest, unbiased answers on sensitive issues. A) True B) False 47. Routine background questions are best placed at the beginning of a questionnaire because that is where respondents expect to see them. A) True B) False 48. Sensitive questions are best placed at the beginning of a survey when the respondent's interest is high. A) True B) False 49. The purpose of pretesting is to check for associations among variables to see if a larger study is worth doing. A) True B) False 50. Follow-up efforts seldom are made in surveys because of their negligible effect on response rates. A) True B) False 51. Like experiments, surveys are susceptible to reactive measurement effects. A) True B) False Page 8

Page 10

Answer Key 1. A 2. C 3. D 4. D 5. B 6. C 7. B 8. A 9. D 10. C 11. C 12. B 13. A 14. A 15. D 16. D 17. A 18. C 19. B 20. B 21. C 22. E 23. D 24. C 25. B 26. E 27. B 28. A 29. D 30. C 31. D 32. B 33. A 34. A 35. A 36. B 37. B 38. B 39. A 40. B 41. A 42. A 43. A 44. A Page 11