Survey Design and Item Writing

These flashcards cover key vocabulary related to survey design and item writing, focusing on the definitions of important terms and concepts.

Frequency claims

Statements that describe the rate or occurrence of a particular characteristic in a population.

Association claims

Claims that suggest a relationship between two variables.

Cause and effect

A relationship where one event (the cause) directly influences another event (the effect).

Construct validity

The degree to which a test measures what it claims to measure, and corresponds with other measures.

Item-writing rules

Guidelines established for creating effective survey questions to accurately measure constructs.

Likert-type items

Survey items that allow respondents to express levels of agreement or disagreement on a scale.

Semantic differential

A type of rating scale that measures the connotative meaning of objects, events, and concepts.

Reverse coding

A method of scoring items in a survey where higher scores indicate the opposite of the raw scores.

Double-barreling

A flawed survey question that asks about two things at once, making it unclear which part the respondent is answering.

Response distortion

The tendency for respondents to give inaccurate responses in surveys due to various biases.

Malingering

The intentional act of feigning illness or disability to achieve a specific goal.

Social desirability

A bias in survey responses where individuals respond in a manner that will be viewed favorably by others.

Reliability

The consistency of a measure; a reliable measurement will yield the same results under consistent conditions.

Bandwidth vs Fidelity

A conceptual distinction in measurement where bandwidth refers to the breadth of a construct, and fidelity refers to its precision.