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Chapter 7--Social Research Methods
Primary Data Collection - Social scientists design and carry out their own data collection. Secondary Data Source - Source collected by someone else. Self-Administered Questionaire (SAQ) - Survey completed directly by respondents through the mail or online. Mode of Administration - Way the survey is administered. Ex: face to face, phone, mail, online Response Categories - Preset answers to questions on a survey. Panel Survey - Type of longitudinal survey in which data are collected from the same subjects at multiple time points. Attrition - Loss of sample members over time from death or dropout. Poll - Very brief single-topic survey.
Split-Ballot Design - Survey of a randomly selected subset of respondents (usually 50%) receives one topical module while the other half receives a different topical ballot. Measurement Error - Occurs when the approach used to measure a particular variable affects or biases the response provided. Coverage Error - Occurs when sampling frame does not adequately capture all members of the target population, either by systematically omitting some or including others more than once. Interviewer Effects - Possibility that the mere presence of an interviewer, or interviewer's personal characteristics, may lead a respondent to answer questions in a particular way, potentially biasing the response. Interview Schedule - Prepared list of questions and follow-up prompts that an interviewer asks the respondent. Paradata - information about the process by which the survey data are collected. Paper-and-Pencil Interview (PAPI) - Researcher asks questions and record responses in a preprinted copy of the survey booklet. Computer-Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI) - Face to face interview in which researcher uses a laptop/tablet that is preprogrammed with survey questions and response categories. Showcard -
Part of the survey question that presents the issue about which the question is asking. Presents the question. Dichotomous Outcome - When only two options are available; i.e. yes or no. Mutually Exclusive - Preset response categories that do not overlap with one another, ensuring that respondents select the single category that best captures their views. Exhaustive - Preset response categories that five all subjects at least one accurate response. Rating Scale - Series of ordered categories. Likert Scale - Type of rating scale that captures the respondent's level of agreement/disagreement with a particular statement. Ex: strongly agree, agree, neutral, disagree, strongly disagree Forced Choice - Questions do not offer choices like "neither agree nor disagree" or "neutral" therefore forcing the respondent to indicate their general leanings toward either side. Acquiescence Bias - Tendency for respondents to answer "agree" to close-ended, attitudinal questions. Ranking Items - Close-ended question asking respondents to rank-order their priorities or preferences.
Unfolding Question - Sequence of questions intended to elicit respondent estimates about topics such as income when respondents are uncertain of the answer. AKA unfolding brackets. Composite Measure - combines multiple items to create a single value that captures a multifaceted concept. Index - Adds the responses to survey items capturing key elements of a particular concept being measured. Scale - Averages responses to a series of related items that capture a single concept or trait. Ex: depressive symptoms Double-barreled Question - Asks about two or more ideas or concepts in a single question. Respondents don't have option to differentiate. Codebook - System of organizing information about a dataset including: variables, possible values for each variable, coding schemes, and decision rules. Response Set - Tendency to select the same answer to several sequential questions perhaps out of boredom or a desire to quickly finish the survey. Order Effects - When the order in which questions appear bias responses.
