CHAPTER 4 - ALTERNATIVES TO EXPERIMENTATION: SURVEYS AND INTERVIEWS
SURVEY RESEARCH
How do researchers analyze data from each
question type?
➔ obtains data about opinions, attitudes,
preferences, and behaviors using ➔ Closed questions = number or percent of
questionnaires or interviews. responses
➔ The survey approach allows researchers to ➔ Open-ended questions = analyzed using
study private experience, which cannot be content analysis, like Yepez's INTERSECT,
directly observed in which responses are assigned to
➔ We can efficiently collect large amounts of categories using objective rules.
data.
➔ Anonymous surveys can increase the What are three concerns when constructing
accuracy of answers to sensitive questions. questions?
➔ Surveys can allow us to draw inferences
about the causes of behavior and can 1. Keep items simple and unambiguous, and
complement laboratory and field avoid double negatives.
experiments. 2. Avoid double-barreled (compound) questions
➔ The survey approach does not allow us to that require responses about two or more
test hypotheses about causal relationships unrelated ideas.
because we do not manipulate independent 3. Use exhaustive response choices.
variables and control extraneous variables.
LEVEL OF MEASUREMENT
What are the major steps in constructing
surveys?
NOMINAL SCALE
1. Identify specific research objectives.
2. Decide on the degree of imposition of units
(degree of response restriction). ➔ assigns items to two or more distinct
3. Decide how you will analyze the survey data. categories that can be named using a
shared feature, but does not measure their
magnitude.
Major questions ➔ For example, you can sort professors into
exciting and dull categories.
1. Closed questions (structured questions)
➔ can be answered using a limited ORDINAL SCALE
number of alternatives and have a
high imposition of units. (yes/no)
➔ For example, "How many songs did ➔ measures the magnitude of the dependent
your roommate illegally download variable using ranks, but does not assign
this month?" precise values.
2. Open-ended questions (open questions) ➔ For example, marathon contestants may
➔ require that participants respond finish from first place to last place.
with more than a yes or 1-10 rating
and have a low imposition of units. INTERVAL SCALE
➔ For example, "Why did your choose
your major?"
➔ measures the magnitude of the DV using
equal intervals between values with no
absolute zero point.
➔ For example, Fahrenheit or Centigrade
temperatures, and Sarnoff and Zimbardo
(1961) 0-100 scale.
SURVEY RESEARCH
How do researchers analyze data from each
question type?
➔ obtains data about opinions, attitudes,
preferences, and behaviors using ➔ Closed questions = number or percent of
questionnaires or interviews. responses
➔ The survey approach allows researchers to ➔ Open-ended questions = analyzed using
study private experience, which cannot be content analysis, like Yepez's INTERSECT,
directly observed in which responses are assigned to
➔ We can efficiently collect large amounts of categories using objective rules.
data.
➔ Anonymous surveys can increase the What are three concerns when constructing
accuracy of answers to sensitive questions. questions?
➔ Surveys can allow us to draw inferences
about the causes of behavior and can 1. Keep items simple and unambiguous, and
complement laboratory and field avoid double negatives.
experiments. 2. Avoid double-barreled (compound) questions
➔ The survey approach does not allow us to that require responses about two or more
test hypotheses about causal relationships unrelated ideas.
because we do not manipulate independent 3. Use exhaustive response choices.
variables and control extraneous variables.
LEVEL OF MEASUREMENT
What are the major steps in constructing
surveys?
NOMINAL SCALE
1. Identify specific research objectives.
2. Decide on the degree of imposition of units
(degree of response restriction). ➔ assigns items to two or more distinct
3. Decide how you will analyze the survey data. categories that can be named using a
shared feature, but does not measure their
magnitude.
Major questions ➔ For example, you can sort professors into
exciting and dull categories.
1. Closed questions (structured questions)
➔ can be answered using a limited ORDINAL SCALE
number of alternatives and have a
high imposition of units. (yes/no)
➔ For example, "How many songs did ➔ measures the magnitude of the dependent
your roommate illegally download variable using ranks, but does not assign
this month?" precise values.
2. Open-ended questions (open questions) ➔ For example, marathon contestants may
➔ require that participants respond finish from first place to last place.
with more than a yes or 1-10 rating
and have a low imposition of units. INTERVAL SCALE
➔ For example, "Why did your choose
your major?"
➔ measures the magnitude of the DV using
equal intervals between values with no
absolute zero point.
➔ For example, Fahrenheit or Centigrade
temperatures, and Sarnoff and Zimbardo
(1961) 0-100 scale.
