Surveys & Polls
Answering in the middle of the scale for every item in a survey or interview.
Fence sitting
Which question format allows participants to answer in their own words, sometimes making it difficult for researchers to code responses?
Open-ended
Which term refers to the phenomenon where participants modify their behavior because they are aware they are being watched?
Reactivity (Hawthorn Effect)
Which approach involves making the observer less noticeable (to reduce the impact of reactivity on participant behavior)?
Unobtrusive observation
Professor Allen surveys his students on their study habits by giving them a set of choices regarding their preferred study times. What type of question does this exemplify?
Forced-choice question format
Name the ways that questions can be posed in such a way that they can affect participant answers.
Double-barreled questions
Leading questions
Order of questions
Negatively worded questions
(Bonus: Loaded questions)
Which question format forces participants to choose between two or more provided options?
Forced-choice
Which phenomenon occurs when an observer's expectations influence their interpretation of participant behavior?
Observer bias
Which research method involves ensuring that the observer is unaware of the study’s purpose or participant conditions to prevent bias?
Masked design (blind design)
At her university, Dr. Kim asks students to rate their satisfaction with campus services on a scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Which question format is being used?
Likert scale question format
What is socially desireable responding?
(Faking good)
Giving answers on a survey or other self-report measure that makes one look better than one really is.
Which question format asks participants to select a number that corresponds to adjectives or descriptive terms?
Semantic differential
Which effect describes the situation where an observer’s expectations affect the behavior of participants, potentially creating a self-fulfilling prophecy?
Observer effects
(Expectancy effects; Clever Hans Effect)
What three methods can you use to prevent observer bias and observer effects in research?
Clear and precise codebooks
Observers with high interrater reliability
Masked design
At a community health fair, a survey asks, "Do you exercise regularly and eat a balanced diet?" This question asks two things at once. What type of problematic question is this?
Double-barreled question
What is nondifferentiation?
(Response Set)
A shortcut respondents may use to answer items in a long survey, rather than responding to the content in each item.
Which question format uses a numeric scale for participants to express degrees of agreement such as strongly agree or strongly disagree?
Likert scale
In a school experiment, a teacher’s high expectations cause her students to adjust their behavior accordingly. This is best described as which effect?
Observer effects
Expectancy effects
Clever Hans effect
What three methods can you use to minimize reactivity in observational studies?
Waiting until the reactivity ceases to start official observations.
Measure traces of behavior left behind instead of witnessing the behavior as it happens.
Unobtrusive observation
An online survey asks, "Do you not support the new environmental regulation?" The negative phrasing in this question makes it an example of which type of problematic question?
Negatively worded question
What is acquiescence?
(Yea-saying)
Answering “Yes” or “strongly agree” to every item in a survey or interview.
In a job satisfaction survey, employees rate statements such as "I feel valued at work" on a five‐point scale. What question format is being used?
Likert scale*
In a study at a local school, an observer’s preconceived ideas about student behavior lead him to misinterpret neutral actions as disruptive. What phenomenon does this illustrate?
Observer bias
Dr. Brown delays the start of his official observations until participants have settled into their natural behavior. Which phenomenon is this technique used to prevent?
Reactivity
Dr. Martinez is conducting a study on favorite cuisines. She asks her participants to describe, in their own words, what makes a dish special to them. Which survey question format is this?
Open-ended question format