Chapter 6: Surveys and Observations

survey/poll

a method of posing questions to people online, in personal interviews, or in written questionnaires

open ended questions

allows respondents to answer any way they would like

forced-choice questions

people give their opinion by picking the best of two or more options

Likert Scale

scale that contains more than one item and each response value is labeled with specific terms ("agree","strongly agree")

semantic differential format

scale that asks respondents to rate a target using a numerical scale that is anchored with adjectives

leading questions

wording leads people to a particular response

double-barreled question

asks two questions in one, reducing the construct validity of a survey

negatively worded question

a question containing negative phrasing can cause confusion, reducing the construct validity of a survey

response sets (non-differentiation)

a shortcut respondents may use to answer survey questions, reducing the construct validity of a survey

acquiescence (yea-saying)

respondents say "yes" or "strongly agree" to every item instead of thinking carefully about each one

fence sitting

playing it safe by answering in the middle of the scale when items in the survey are controversial

socially desirable responding

respondents are embarrassed, shy, or worried about giving an unpopular opinion

faking good

respondents will not tell the truth on a survey or other self-report measure

observational research

when a researcher watches people or animals and systematically records how they behave or what they are doing

observer bias

occurs when observers' expectations influence their interpretation of the participants' behaviors or the outcome of the study

observer effects (expectancy effects)

observers inadvertently change the behavior of those they are observing, such that participant behavior changes to match observer expectations

masked design (blind design)

observers are unaware of the purpose of the study and the conditions to which participants have been assigned

reactivity

a change in behavior when study participants know another person is watching

unobtrusive observations

make yourself less noticeable