MRA Survey Design & Methodology 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A survey measures consumer brand awareness by asking 'Which brands of running shoes can you name?' without any prompts. This is an example of:
- Aided recall
- Unaided (spontaneous) recall (Correct answer)
- Recognition testing
- Association mapping
Correct answer: Unaided (spontaneous) recall
Unaided recall asks respondents to name brands without cues, reflecting top-of-mind awareness and true memorability.
Question 2: The concept of 'face validity' in survey design refers to:
- Statistical correlation between items and the construct
- The degree to which a measure appears to assess what it intends to on its surface (Correct answer)
- Whether the survey predicts a known external criterion
- Agreement across multiple measurement methods
Correct answer: The degree to which a measure appears to assess what it intends to on its surface
Face validity is a subjective judgment that the survey items look relevant and appropriate for the intended construct.
Question 3: A researcher uses a 10-point numeric scale where 1 = 'Not at all likely' and 10 = 'Extremely likely.' What is the PRIMARY advantage of this scale over a 5-point scale?
- It eliminates midpoint neutrality bias
- It provides greater variance and sensitivity to detect differences (Correct answer)
- It is easier for respondents to complete quickly
- It automatically yields ratio-level data
Correct answer: It provides greater variance and sensitivity to detect differences
A wider scale range increases variance among responses, improving the ability to detect meaningful differences between groups or time points.
Question 4: Which survey mode is MOST susceptible to interviewer bias?
- Self-administered paper surveys
- Online surveys
- Face-to-face interviews (Correct answer)
- Interactive Voice Response (IVR) surveys
Correct answer: Face-to-face interviews
Face-to-face interviews introduce interviewer bias because respondents may alter answers based on the interviewer's appearance, tone, or nonverbal cues.
Question 5: In questionnaire pre-testing, a 'cognitive interview' is primarily used to:
- Assess the speed of survey completion
- Understand how respondents interpret and process each question (Correct answer)
- Measure inter-rater reliability among coders
- Test statistical validity of the scale
Correct answer: Understand how respondents interpret and process each question
Cognitive interviews ask respondents to think aloud while answering, revealing misinterpretations, confusing wording, or recall difficulties.
Question 6: A researcher adds a 'screener' section at the beginning of a consumer survey. What is the PRIMARY function of screener questions?
- To warm up respondents before sensitive questions
- To qualify respondents and ensure the sample meets study eligibility criteria (Correct answer)
- To test for social desirability response patterns
- To establish respondent anonymity
Correct answer: To qualify respondents and ensure the sample meets study eligibility criteria
Screener questions filter out ineligible respondents to ensure the sample consists only of people who meet the study's target population criteria.
Question 7: When using a Likert-type scale, including a 'Don't Know / No Opinion' option alongside the agree-disagree continuum is MOST useful for:
- Increasing overall response rates
- Reducing respondent fatigue
- Separating genuine neutrality from lack of knowledge or opinion (Correct answer)
- Avoiding midpoint clustering
Correct answer: Separating genuine neutrality from lack of knowledge or opinion
A 'Don't Know' option allows researchers to distinguish between respondents who are truly neutral and those who simply have no basis for an opinion.
MRA Survey Design & Methodology 3
A survey measures consumer brand awareness by asking 'Which brands of running shoes can you name?' without any prompts.
This is an example of: