DES 270 - Quantitative Data: Survey Design

What is Versatility?

• the ability to reasonably apply the results to other similar populations
• Surveys can be used for a variety of different purposes
• cues in an experiment that tell the participant what behavior is expected
• Relatively low-cost & high-speed

What's so good about Versatility in Surveys?

• cues in an experiment that tell the participant what behavior is expected
• Good answer choices makes data collection and analysis efficient, systematic, and meaningful
• The same survey can be used for many different purposes
• To check reliability

What is Efficiency?

• When a researcher performs analysis on a survey that was already completed at some time in the past
• Minimize cognitive load for the participants?
• Good answer choices makes data collection and analysis efficient, systematic, and meaningful
• Efficiency is the relationship between work output and work input.

What's so good about Efficiency in Surveys?

• Only one answer
• cues in an experiment that tell the participant what behavior is expected
• Relatively low-cost & high-speed
• Brain strain

What is Generalizability?

• cues in an experiment that tell the participant what behavior is expected
• the ability to reasonably apply the results to other similar populations
• Validity and Reliability
• Minimize cognitive load for the participants?

What's so good about Generalizability in Surveys?

• Questions in surveys are standardized so they are easy to generalize from
• People who choose neutral answers
• To check reliability
• A question that asks two questions but only allows for one answer

What are Omnibus surveys?

• Minimize cognitive load for the participants?
• When a researcher performs analysis on a survey that was already completed at some time in the past
• Questions in surveys are standardized so they are easy to generalize from
• Surveys that cover a wide range of topics and are intended primarily for secondary survey analysis

What is secondary survey analysis?

• A question that asks two questions but only allows for one answer
• When a researcher performs analysis on a survey that was already completed at some time in the past
• Minimize cognitive load for the participants?
• Validity and Reliability

What is an important general rule with surveys?

• When a researcher performs analysis on a survey that was already completed at some time in the past
• People who provide a response if "Don't know" is not an option, but would chose that if it was an option
• Surveys can be used for a variety of different purposes
• Minimize cognitive load for the participants?

What is cognitive load?

• The same survey can be used for many different purposes
• Brain strain
• A question that asks two questions but only allows for one answer
• A question that contains two negatives, which can muddy the meaning of the question?