Test bank herman aguinis – performance management ch10

Chapter 10—Survey Research: Communicating with Respondents
TRUE/FALSE
1. Interactive survey approaches are those that allow spontaneous two-way interaction between the
interviewer and the respondent.
ANS: T
PTS: 1
NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking

REF: p. 208

2. One of the most important advantage of personal interviews is the opportunity for feedback.
ANS: T
PTS: 1
NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking

REF: p. 209

3. The personal interview is especially useful for obtaining unstructured information.
ANS: T
PTS: 1
NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking

REF: p. 210

4. The interaction between an interviewer and a respondent decreases the chances that the respondent will
answer all of the survey questions over what would be likely to occur in a mail survey.
ANS: F
The social interaction between a well-trained interviewer and a respondent in a personal interview
increases the likelihood that the respondent will answer all the items on the questionnaire.
PTS: 1

REF: p. 211

NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking

5. The presence of an interviewer typically decreases the response rate over what typically happens in a
mail survey.
ANS: F
It typically increases the response rate over what typically happens in a mail survey.
PTS: 1

REF: p. 211

NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking

6. Personal interviews are typically less costly per respondent than telephone surveys.
ANS: F
Personal interviews are expensive, generally substantially more costly than mail, e-mail, Internet, and
phone surveys.
PTS: 1

REF: p. 212

NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking

7. Door-to-door interviews are still used heavily by researchers.
ANS: F
Door-to-door interviews are becoming a thing of the past due to security reasons or executives who are
too busy to grant personal interviews during business hours.
PTS: 1

REF: p. 212

NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking

© 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in
whole or in part.


8. Callbacks are attempts to reconnect individuals selected for the sample who were not available
initially.
ANS: T
PTS: 1
NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking

REF: p. 213

9. In a mall-interview, the interviewer is trying to assemble a representative sample of the total
population of people in the city.
ANS: F
Each mall has its own target market’s characteristics, and there is likely to be a larger bias than with
careful household probability sampling.
PTS: 1

REF: p. 213

NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking

10. Speed of data collection is one of the advantages of phone interviews.
ANS: T
PTS: 1

NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking

REF: p. 215

11. Respondents are typically less willing to answer potentially embarrassing questions in a phone
interview than in a face-to-face interview.
ANS: F
They may be more willing to answer these types of questions.
PTS: 1

REF: p. 215

NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking

12. Computer technology allows responses to telephone interviews to be entered directly into the computer
in a process known as direct entry interviewing (DEI).
ANS: F
This is known as computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI).
PTS: 1
REF: p. 218
NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking| AACSB: Technology
13. Mail surveys can reach geographically dispersed respondents who are otherwise difficult to contact.
ANS: T
PTS: 1
NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking

REF: p. 219

14. Mail surveys allow respondents to check facts that they may be unable to recall.
ANS: T

PTS: 1
NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking

REF: p. 220

15. The basic calculation for obtaining a response rate is to count the number of eligible people who were
asked to participate in the survey, then divide that by the number of questionnaires returned or
completed.
ANS: F
© 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in
whole or in part.


The basic calculation for obtaining a response rate is to count the number of questionnaires returned or
completed, then divide that by the number of eligible people who were asked to participate in the
survey.
PTS: 1

REF: p. 221

NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking

16. The first paragraph of a cover letter that accompanies a questionnaire should explain why the study is
important.
ANS: T
PTS: 1
NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking

REF: p. 222

17. One way to increase response rates in mail surveys is through multiple contacts with the potential
respondents.
ANS: T
PTS: 1
NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking

REF: p. 223

18. An Internet survey is the same thing as an e-mail survey.
ANS: F
E-mail surveys involve making the questionnaire available to a potential respondent via e-mail,
whereas an Internet survey is a self-administered questionnaire posted on a Web site. An e-mail can
include a hyperlink within the body of an e-mail that directs the respondent to a Wet site that contains
the questionnaire, in essence, making the e-mail an Internet survey at this point.
PTS: 1
REF: pp. 226-228
NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking| AACSB: Technology
19. The Internet is an excellent medium for the presentation of visual materials in surveys.
ANS: T
PTS: 1
REF: p. 227
NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking| AACSB: Technology
20. One major advantage of Internet surveys is the computer's ability to sequence questions based on
previous responses.
ANS: T
PTS: 1
REF: p. 229
NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking| AACSB: Technology
21. Internet surveys have real-time data capture, which allows for real-time data analysis.
ANS: T

PTS: 1
REF: p. 229
NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking| AACSB: Technology
22. Internet surveys allow researchers to personalize invitations to potential respondents to try to increase
the response rate for the survey.
ANS: T
PTS: 1
REF: p. 229
NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking| AACSB: Technology
23. Self-selection is a problem when a computer with a touch screen is used at a kiosk at a trade show to
collect survey information.
© 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in
whole or in part.


ANS: T
PTS: 1
REF: p. 231
NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking| AACSB: Technology
24. A mixed-mode survey is a study that employs any combination of survey methods.
ANS: T
PTS: 1
NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking

REF: p. 231

25. Scanning involves a trial run with a group of colleagues or actual respondents to iron out fundamental
problems in the instructions or design of a questionnaire.
ANS: F
This is pretesting.

PTS: 1

REF: p. 233

NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking

MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Candi received a research questionnaire in the mail. She completed it and sent it back to the
researcher. Which type of survey approach is this researcher using?
a. mixed-mode survey approach
b. simple survey approach
c. noninteractive survey approach
d. interactive survey approach
ANS: C
PTS: 1
NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking

REF: p. 208

2. A personal interview may be conducted in which of the following locations?
a. respondent's home
b. shopping malls
c. telephone
d. all of the above
ANS: D
PTS: 1
NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking

REF: p. 209

3. "Can you tell me more about what you mean by that?" is an example of:
a. a mall intercept
b. a self-administered questionnaire
c. a probe
d. the drop-off method
ANS: C
PTS: 1
NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking

REF: p. 210

4. All of the following are advantages of personal interviews EXCEPT:
a. interviewer influence
b. opportunity for feedback
c. probing complex answers
d. high participation rate
ANS: A
PTS: 1
NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking

REF: pp. 209-211

© 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in
whole or in part.


5. Interviews with respondents that take place in shopping malls are called:
a. pretesting
b. mall intercept interviews
c. the drop-off method of surveys

d. mixed-mode surveys
ANS: B
PTS: 1
NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking

REF: p. 213

6. Which of the following has been considered the mainstay of commercial survey research for years?
a. mall-intercept interviews
b. Internet surveys
c. telephone interviews
d. e-mail surveys
ANS: C
PTS: 1
NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking

REF: p. 214

7. Which of the following is FALSE regarding mobile phone interviews?
a. Phones have varying abilities for automated responses and differing keypads.
b. Area codes for mobile phones are not necessarily tied to geography.
c. Telemarketing calls can be directed toward mobile phone numbers in the United States, but
it is illegal to do so in Europe.
d. The recipient of a mobile phone call is even more distracted than the recipient of a home or
office call.
ANS: C
PTS: 1
REF: pp. 214-215
NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking| AACSB: Technology
8. For which of the following phone survey situations should a callback procedure be used?

a. a busy signal
b. a respondent who does not answer the phone
c. a respondent who is not at home
d. all of the above
ANS: D
PTS: 1
REF: p. 217
NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking| AACSB: Technology
9. When a research agency conducts all telephone interviews from one location where they can hire a
staff of professional interviewers and supervise and control the quality of interviewing more
effectively, this is an example of:
a. central location interviewing
b. single-mode interviewing
c. synergistic interviewing
d. quick-response interviewing
ANS: A
PTS: 1
REF: p. 217
NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking| AACSB: Technology
10. Call Interactive, Inc. is a telephone survey research firm. Telephone interviewers sit at computer
monitors that display the questions one question at a time along with precoded possible responses for
each question. The interviewer reads the question, and when the respondent answers, the interviewer
enters his or her answers directly into the computer. This is an example of:
a. voice-activated telephone interviewing
© 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in
whole or in part.


b. computer-assisted telephone interviewing
c. random digit dialing

d. noninteractive interviewing
ANS: B
PTS: 1
REF: p. 218
NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking| AACSB: Technology
11. Surveys in which the respondent takes the responsibility for reading and answering questions are
called:
a. self-administered questionnaires
b. independent questionnaires
c. stand-alone surveys
d. interactive questionnaires
ANS: A
PTS: 1
NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking

REF: p. 219

12. For mail surveys, the time period between the first mailing and the cut-off date after which no
additional surveys will be analyzed is typically about:
a. 1-2 weeks
b. 2-3 weeks
c. 3-5 weeks
d. 6-8 weeks
ANS: D
PTS: 1
NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking

REF: p. 221

13. The number of questionnaires returned or completed divided by the number of eligible people who

were asked to participate in the survey is called:
a. churn
b. return ratio
c. response rate
d. success rate
ANS: C
PTS: 1
NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking

REF: p. 221

14. Suppose that a mail survey is sent to 220 people and 20 surveys are returned because they were mailed
to the wrong address. If completed surveys are received from 60 people, the response rate for this
study was:
a. 27.3 percent
b. 30 percent
c. 40 percent
d. 55.6 percent
ANS: B
PTS: 1
NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking

REF: p. 222

15. The cover letter for a mail survey should include:
a. a description of the incentive for participating in the study
b. a comment on the postage-paid reply envelope to use to return the survey
c. a description of how the person was selected for the study
d. all of the above
ANS: D

PTS: 1
NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking

REF: p. 222

© 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in
whole or in part.


16. Which of the following has typically been shown to produce the highest response rates in mail surveys
as an incentive for participation in the study?
a. an enclosed ball-point pen
b. a monetary incentive
c. an appeal for help
d. a donation to a charity
ANS: B
PTS: 1
NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking

REF: p. 222

17. For mail surveys, the _____ attempts made to try to obtain a returned survey from a potential
respondent, the _____ their chance of their responding to the survey.
a. more; less
b. fewer; greater
c. more; greater
d. none of the above
ANS: C
PTS: 1
NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking

REF: p. 223

18. All of the following are ways to increase response rates for mail surveys EXCEPT:
a. cover letter
b. interesting questions
c. advance notification
d. always revealing the sponsor of the research
ANS: D
PTS: 1
NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking

REF: pp. 222-225

19. Which of the following is an advantage of including a questionnaire in an e-mail?
a. lower distribution costs than a mail survey
b. faster turnaround time than a mail survey
c. faster speed of distribution
d. all of the above
ANS: D
PTS: 1
REF: p. 226
NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking| AACSB: Technology
20. Clark was asked to complete a self-administered questionnaire posted at MySurvey.com. What type of
survey did Clark complete?
a. Internet survey
b. mixed-mode survey
c. computer-assisted interactive survey
d. networked survey
ANS: A

PTS: 1
REF: p. 227
NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking| AACSB: Technology
21. All of the following are advantages of Internet surveys EXCEPT:
a. random sampling
b. speed
c. visual appeal
d. accurate real-time data capture
ANS: A

PTS: 1

REF: pp. 227-230

© 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in
whole or in part.


NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking| AACSB: Technology
22. John was called by a researcher and asked a few questions about his television viewing habits. The
researcher then asked him to go to a Web site to complete a more comprehensive survey. This type of
study that employs a combination of survey methods is called a:
a. two-stage survey
b. pre- and posttest
c. multi-media survey
d. mixed-mode survey
ANS: D
PTS: 1
NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking

REF: p. 231

23. Which of the following methods offers the lowest degree of geographic flexibility?
a. telephone interview
b. door-to-door personal interview
c. Internet survey
d. mail survey
ANS: B
PTS: 1
NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking

REF: p. 232

24. Which of the following survey research methods offers the lowest degree of respondent anonymity?
a. telephone interview
b. mail survey
c. mall intercept interview
d. Internet survey
ANS: C
PTS: 1
NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking

REF: p. 232

25. Which of the following survey research methods is the most expensive?
a. door-to-door personal interview
b. mall intercept personal interview
c. telephone interview
d. mail survey
ANS: A

PTS: 1
NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking

REF: p. 232

26. A trial run of a survey with a group of respondents who are representative of the target group for the
survey is called a:
a. callback
b. pretest
c. drop-off method
d. dry run
ANS: B
PTS: 1
NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking

REF: p. 233

27. Which of the following can be considered to be a pretest?
a. screening the questionnaire with other research colleagues
b. screening the questionnaire with a client or the research manager who ordered the research
c. a trial run with data collected from a small number of respondents
d. all of the above
© 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in
whole or in part.


ANS: D
PTS: 1
NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking

REF: p. 233

COMPLETION
1. A face-to-face communication in which an interviewer asks a respondent questions is called a(n)
____________________.
ANS: personal interview
PTS: 1

REF: p. 209

NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking

2. When an interviewer asks a respondent to clarify what he or she meant by a response, this is known as
____________________.
ANS: probing
PTS: 1

REF: p. 210

NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking

3. When a respondent fails to answer a survey question in a personal interview, this is called an item
____________________.
ANS: nonresponse
PTS: 1

REF: p. 211

NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking

4. When a respondent is asked to participate in a research study while walking through a shopping mall,
this is an example of a(n) ____________________.
ANS: mall intercept interview
PTS: 1

REF: p. 213

NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking

5. An attempt to re-contact a potential respondent in a phone survey when no one answered the phone on
a previous attempt is called a(n) ____________________.
ANS: callback
PTS: 1

REF: p. 213

NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking

6. When a table of random numbers is used to generate phone numbers that will be called to contact
potential respondents in a phone survey, this is called ____________________.
ANS: random digit dialing
PTS: 1
REF: p. 217
NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking| AACSB: Technology
7. When answers to a phone survey can be entered directly into a computer to speed up the time needed
for data processing, this is called ____________________.
ANS:
CATI
© 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in
whole or in part.

computer-assisted telephone interviewing
PTS: 1
REF: p. 218
NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking| AACSB: Technology
8. When a respondent is asked to read the questions on a survey and to answer them by himself or herself
in writing, this is an example of a(n) ____________________.
ANS: self-administered questionnaire
PTS: 1

REF: p. 219

NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking

9. A self-administered questionnaire that is sent to potential respondents through the United States Postal
Service (USPS) is called a(n) ____________________.
ANS: mail survey
PTS: 1

REF: p. 222

NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking

10. The percentage found when the number of completed surveys returned in a mail survey is divided by
the number of people who were mailed the survey less the people who were mailed the survey at the
wrong address is known as the ____________________.
ANS: response rate
PTS: 1

REF: p. 221

NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking

11. The letter that is on top of a mail survey that explains why the potential respondent should fill out the
survey is called the ____________________.
ANS: cover letter
PTS: 1

REF: p. 222

NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking

12. When the researcher travels to the respondent's place of business and leaves a survey to be filled out
and that she will pick up the next day, this method of questionnaire distribution is called the
____________________.
ANS: drop-off method
PTS: 1

REF: p. 225

NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking

13. A self-administered questionnaire posted on a Web site is called a(n) ____________________ survey.
ANS: Internet
PTS: 1
REF: p. 227
NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking| AACSB: Technology
14. A study that employs any combination of survey methods is called a(n) ____________________.
ANS: mixed mode survey

PTS: 1

REF: p. 231

NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking

© 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in
whole or in part.


15. When a researcher uses a "trial run" with a group of people to try to discover any problems with a
survey before it is mailed to the sample of potential respondents, this is called a(n)
____________________ of the survey.
ANS: pretest
PTS: 1

REF: p. 233

NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking

ESSAY
1. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of conducting surveys using personal interviews.
ANS:
A personal interview is a form of direct communication in which an interviewer asks respondents
questions face-to-face. It offers many unique advantages:
(1) Opportunity for feedback
(2) Opportunity to follow up by probing
(3) Can be longer than other forms of surveys
(4) Item nonresponse is low
(5) Can use props and visual aids

(6) High participation rate
Personal interviews also have some disadvantages:
(1) Respondents are not anonymous and may be reluctant to provide confidential information to
another person
(2) Interviewer may influence respondents’ answers
(3) Expensive
PTS: 1
REF: pp. 209-212
NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking| AACSB: Communication
2. Explain how technology has enhanced telephone interviewing.
ANS:
Probably the biggest impact of technology on telephone interviewing include computer-assisted
telephone interviewing (CATI) and computerized voice-activated telephone interviewing. CATI
technology allows answers to telephone interviews to be entered directly into a computer for
processing. Monitors display the questionnaires, one question at a time, along with precoded possible
responses to each question. The interviewer reads each question as it appears on the screen. When the
respondent answers, the interviewer enters the response directly into the computer. Technological
advances have combined computerized telephone dialing and voice-activated computer messages to
allow researchers to conduct telephone interviews without human interviewers.
PTS: 1
REF: p. 218
NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking| AACSB: Communication| AACSB: Technology
3. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of mail surveys.
ANS:

© 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in
whole or in part.


A traditional mail survey is a self-administered questionnaire sent to respondents through a postal

service. This paper-and-pencil method has several advantages and disadvantages. Mail questionnaires
can reach a geographically dispersed sample simultaneously because interviewers are not required.
They are relatively inexpensive compared with personal interviews, though they are not cheap. They
can be filled out when the respondents have the time, so respondents are more likely to take time to
think about their replies. They also allow respondents to collect facts that they may not be able to
recall. Anonymity of respondents may result in them being more likely to provide sensitive or
embarrassing information as well as reducing social desirability bias. Although the absence of an
interviewer can induce respondents to reveal sensitive or socially undesirable information, this lack of
personal contact can also be a disadvantage. Once the respondent receives the questionnaire, the
questioning process is beyond the researcher’s control. While mail questionnaires are highly
standardized, this could be a disadvantage due to the difficulty in changing the format of the questions.
If time is an issue, mail surveys may not be a good communication medium. Finally, mail
questionnaires can be relatively long in length.
PTS: 1
REF: pp. 219-221
NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking| AACSB: Communication
4. Explain how response rates are determined for surveys and discuss ways to increase response rates for
mail surveys.
ANS:
The response rate is the number of questionnaires returned or completed divided by the number of
eligible people who were asked to participate in the survey. Typically, the number in the denominator
is adjusted for faulty addresses and similar problems that reduce the number of eligible participants.
Ways to increase response rates for mail surveys include:
(1) Include a cover letter
(2) Offer monetary incentive or premiums
(3) Include interesting questions
(4) Conduct follow-ups, which may include a duplicate questionnaire or merely be a reminder to return
the survey; use codes to key questionnaires
(5) Notify respondents in advance
(6) Keep survey sponsor anonymous

(7) Other techniques include types of envelopes, stamps, and color of questionnaire paper
PTS: 1
REF: pp. 221-225
NAT: AACSB: Reflective Thinking| AACSB: Communication

© 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in
whole or in part.