MRA Survey Design & Methodology 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which response scale is BEST suited for measuring the intensity of a respondent's attitude on a single dimension?
- Nominal scale
- Semantic differential scale
- Likert scale (Correct answer)
- Ratio scale
Correct answer: Likert scale
A Likert scale measures attitude intensity along a single agree-disagree continuum, making it ideal for unidimensional attitude measurement.
Question 2: A researcher notices that respondents consistently give more positive answers at the beginning of a long survey than at the end. This is MOST likely caused by:
- Social desirability bias
- Acquiescence bias
- Respondent fatigue (Correct answer)
- Order effects
Correct answer: Respondent fatigue
Respondent fatigue occurs when survey length causes declining attention and engagement, leading to less thoughtful responses later in the instrument.
Question 3: In a telephone survey, an interviewer reads questions exactly as written and does not deviate regardless of respondent confusion. This approach is called:
- Standardized interviewing (Correct answer)
- Probing technique
- Unstructured interviewing
- Skip logic compliance
Correct answer: Standardized interviewing
Standardized interviewing requires interviewers to read questions verbatim to ensure consistency and comparability across all respondents.
Question 4: Which of the following BEST describes a 'double-barreled' survey question?
- A question with two correct answers
- A question that asks about two separate issues in one item (Correct answer)
- A question repeated for reliability testing
- A question with bipolar response options
Correct answer: A question that asks about two separate issues in one item
A double-barreled question asks about two distinct concepts simultaneously, making it impossible to know which the respondent is answering.
Question 5: When designing a mail survey to maximize response rate, which element has been shown to have the GREATEST positive impact?
- Using colored paper
- Personalized cover letter with pre-paid return envelope (Correct answer)
- Including a long detailed introduction
- Sending surveys on Monday mornings
Correct answer: Personalized cover letter with pre-paid return envelope
A personalized cover letter combined with a pre-paid return envelope significantly lowers participation barriers and increases perceived importance.
Question 6: A researcher uses 'rotating question order' across survey versions. The PRIMARY purpose of this technique is to:
- Reduce survey completion time
- Control for order effects and carry-over bias (Correct answer)
- Increase the number of valid responses
- Simplify data entry and coding
Correct answer: Control for order effects and carry-over bias
Rotating question order counterbalances position effects so that no single question is systematically influenced by the questions preceding it.
Question 7: Which type of question format is MOST appropriate when the researcher does not want to limit responses to predetermined categories?
- Closed-ended question
- Dichotomous question
- Open-ended question (Correct answer)
- Rating scale question
Correct answer: Open-ended question
Open-ended questions allow respondents to answer in their own words, capturing unanticipated responses and richer qualitative detail.
MRA Survey Design & Methodology 2
Which response scale is BEST suited for measuring the intensity of a respondent's attitude on a single dimension?