Alternatives to Experimentation:Surveys and Interview

1. Presented by: Group 2

2. It is a useful way of obtaining information
about people’s opinion, attitudes, preferences,
feelings and behaviors simplify by asking.
• Surveys allows us to gather data about
experiences, feelings, thoughts and motives
that are hard to observe.
• .

3. • Surveys can be particularly useful for
collecting data or sensitive topics
because they can be anonymously.
• Surveys can be useful for making
inferences about behavior although
they do not allow us to test the
hypotheses about causal relationships
directly.

4. • Surveys allow us to gather large amount of
data efficiently.
• Written questionnaires and face-to-face
interviews are the two most common survey
techniques in psychology research.

5. Constructing a good survey is much more
than a matter of sitting down an hour and writing
out a bunch of questions.
Constructing a good survey is a research
project all by itself, with steps that need to be
followed to ensure that valid information is
gathered and that the questions are really asking
what the researcher intended to ask.

6. Experts in survey construction agree that
the first step of any survey is to map out your
research objectives, making them specific as
possible.
Example:
Your objective is to measure the attitudes of
other psychology students toward animal
research in psychology.

7. 1. Specify each aspects of animal research
that you want evaluate.
2. Write one or more questions to evaluate
each aspects.
3. Look up research done by others on
your topic.
4. Put your objectives in writing so you can
refer to them as you construct your
questionnaire

8. Once you have established your objectives,
the next step is to design the survey items.
• Close questions(structured questions)
answered by limited numbers of
alternatives.
• Open-ended questions(open
questions)
solicit information about opinions and
feelings.

9. Content Analysis
similar to coding behaviors using
systematic observational techniques.
Some tips for getting started:
 Keep items simple, and keep people
involved
 Ambiguous or incomprehensible
questions cannot generate useful
data.

10.  Use language that is easy to comprehend.
 Double-barreled (or compound) meaning
responses with two or more different
ideas in the same questions should be
avoided
 Response choices need to be exhaustible
meaning they need to contain all possible
options

11. The type of format will largely determine
the kinds of statistical analyses we can conduct
on the data.
The level of measurement is the kind of
scale used to measure responses.

12. Nominal Scale
The simplest level of measurement which
classifies response items into two or more
distinct categories on the basis of some
common feature.
It is sometimes called the lowest level of
measurement because it provides no
information about the magnitude.

13. Ordinal Scale
The next level of measurement in which
is a rank ordering of response items. The
magnitude of each value measured in the form
of ranks
Interval Scale
measures magnitude or quantitative size
using measures with equal intervals between
values. However, an interval scale has no true
zero point.

14. Ratio Scale
The highest level of measurement
which has equal intervals between all values
and a true zero point. Measurements of
physical properties, such as height, weight,
are characteristics whose quantity or
magnitude can be measured using ratio
scales

15. Survey responses can be measured by using the
four types of scales.
The best type of scale to use will depend
on two things
 The nature of the variable you are studying
 how much measurement precision you
desire.

16. • The level of measurement needs to fit
the variable being measured.
• Physiological variables lend
themselves to different levels of
measurement beacause they represent
a continuous dimension
• Researchers generally use the
following rule for selecting level of
measurement.

17. According to Czaja and Blair (1996), in
addition to being the start of data collection, the
first question should have these characteristics:
• Relevant to the central topic
• Easy to answer
• Interesting
• Answerable by most respondents
• Close format

18. Response Styles
are tendencies to respond questions or test
items in specific ways, regardless of the content.
Collecting survey data
Can take many forms: written
questionnaires, mail survey, telephone surveys,
internet surveys, interviews, and focus group.
There are pros and cons for each method. We will
explore each method, briefly, in the sections that
follow.

19. Self-Administered Questionnaires
If you are using a written questionnaire, be
sure the instructions are simple and clear. If you
are handing out your questionnaire in person,
consider the possibility of reactivity.
Mail Survey
-If you are sending a questionnaire in mail,
be sure to include a polite and professional cover
letter. Make sure your questionnaire and return
procedures subject’s anonymity.

20. The social desirability response set
- Response styles can reduce the validity
of responses if subjects are not responding to
manifest content, the plain meaning, of our
questions in the way we intend.
Computer and Internet Surveys
- If you have some programming
knowledge and across to laboratory computers,
you might consider building a computer-based
survey in a psychology laboratory.

21. Telephone Surveys
At the present time, telephone surveys are
the most widely used method for conducting
survey research. This meant that people with
unlisted numbers were not called. The problem
that was created was similar to the problem of
nonrespondents in a mail survey-people who
listed their phone numbers might be different in
some ways than people whose numbers were
unlisted.

22. Interview
One of the best way to gather high-
quality survey data is to conduct face to face
interviews, but in terms of timed and money,
this is the most expensive method for
collecting survey data. Interviewers must be
thoroughly trained in interviewing skills and
techniques.

23. Regardless of how you conduct your survey,
one of the most critical issues is sampling,
deciding who the subjects will be and then
selecting them.
Population consists of all people, animals, or
objects that have at least one characteristic in
common.
Sample of Subjects is group that is a subset
of the population of interest.

24. Regardless of how you conduct your survey,
one of the most critical issues is sampling,
deciding who the subjects will be and then
selecting them.
Population consists of all people, animals, or
objects that have at least one characteristic in
common.
Sample of Subjects is group that is a subset of
the population of interest.

25. Systematic random sampling
An elegant variation of random sampling
occurs in systematic random sampling. In cases,
all members of a population are known and can
be listed in an unbiased way, a researcher may
select every nth person from the population.

26. Probability Sampling
Probability refers to the study of the
likelihood of events.
Probability Sampling involves selecting
subjects in such a way that the odds of their
being in the study are known or can be
calculated.
Simple Random Sampling
The most basic form of probability sampling
is the simple random sample, in which a portion
of the whole population is selected in unbiased
way.

27. Stratified Random Sampling
A stratified random sample is
obtained by randomly sampling from
people in such subgroup in the same
proportions as they exist in the
population.

28. Cluster Sampling
When the population of interest is
very large, it is often too costly or
impractical to randomly select subjects
one by one. In such cases, researchers
may use another form of probability
sampling called cluster sampling.

29. Nonprobability Sampling
Even though random selection
of subjects is accepted as a
cornerstone of good survey
research, in reality many surveys are
based on nonprobability samples. As
the name implies, in nonprobability
sampling, the subjects are not
chosen at random.

30. Quota Sampling
In quota sampling, researchers select
samples through predetermined quotas that are
intended to reflect the make up population.
Samples can reflect the proportions of important
subgroups, but the individuals are not selected at
random.
Convenience Sampling
Convenience Sampling is obtained by using
any groups who happen to be available.

31. Purposive Sampling
When nonrandom samples are selected
because the individuals reflect a specific
purpose of the study.
Snowball Sampling
Another form of nonprobability sampling,
a researcher locates one or a few people who
fit the sample criterion and asks these people
to locate or lead them to additional individuals.

32. Reporting Samples
The way a sample is chosen
influences what can be concluded from
the results. A research report must
explain the type of sample used and
how subjects were recruited so that the
results can be interpreted properly.