Alternative question forms for attitude scale questions in telephone interviews

Peter V. Miller

doi:10.1086/268882

Alternative question forms for attitude scale questions in telephone interviews

Peter V. Miller^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Communication Studies

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

24 Scopus citations

Abstract

The absence of visual aids in telephone interviews has led investigators to seek methods for asking questions which are commonly accompanied by aids in personal interviews. This study experimentally compared two approaches to asking seven-point scale attitude questions in a national (N = 4, 300) telephone health survey. A random half-sample received the attitude questions as single-step numerical selection tasks. The questions were administered to the other half-sample in two stages, the first asking for a general verbal statement of attitude and the second asking for a more detailed specification. The two question forms produced comparable results in univariate distributions. Items administered with the one-step form showed slightly higher intercorrelations. This study represents one step in the process of empirically testing data collection procedures which have been deemed necessary in the rich folklore of survey research. Overall, the results show more comparability than might be anticipated, given the multiple differences between the forms.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	766-778
Number of pages	13
Journal	Public Opinion Quarterly
Volume	48
Issue number	4
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1086/268882
State	Published - 1984

Funding

Peter V. Miller is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at Northwestern University. This is a revised version of a paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Statistical Association, August 1981. Data for the study were collected when the author was a Study Director at the Survey Research Center, University of Michigan. The author wishes to thank Robert Groves, Duane Alwin, Howard Schuman, and Charles Cannell for help and advice. The author alone is responsible for any errors. The project was funded by the National Center for Health Statistics (contract 233-78-2034). The contents of this paper do not necessarily represent the views of the National Center for Health Statistics.

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Communication
History
Sociology and Political Science
General Social Sciences
History and Philosophy of Science

Access to Document

10.1086/268882

Cite this

@article{001e3a82321f43b88ea3f68d9825ab15,

title = "Alternative question forms for attitude scale questions in telephone interviews",

abstract = "The absence of visual aids in telephone interviews has led investigators to seek methods for asking questions which are commonly accompanied by aids in personal interviews. This study experimentally compared two approaches to asking seven-point scale attitude questions in a national (N = 4, 300) telephone health survey. A random half-sample received the attitude questions as single-step numerical selection tasks. The questions were administered to the other half-sample in two stages, the first asking for a general verbal statement of attitude and the second asking for a more detailed specification. The two question forms produced comparable results in univariate distributions. Items administered with the one-step form showed slightly higher intercorrelations. This study represents one step in the process of empirically testing data collection procedures which have been deemed necessary in the rich folklore of survey research. Overall, the results show more comparability than might be anticipated, given the multiple differences between the forms.",

author = "Miller, \{Peter V.\}",

note = "Funding Information: Peter V. Miller is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at Northwestern University. This is a revised version of a paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Statistical Association, August 1981. Data for the study were collected when the author was a Study Director at the Survey Research Center, University of Michigan. The author wishes to thank Robert Groves, Duane Alwin, Howard Schuman, and Charles Cannell for help and advice. The author alone is responsible for any errors. The project was funded by the National Center for Health Statistics (contract 233-78-2034). The contents of this paper do not necessarily represent the views of the National Center for Health Statistics.",

year = "1984",

doi = "10.1086/268882",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "48",

pages = "766--778",

journal = "Public Opinion Quarterly",

issn = "0033-362X",

publisher = "Oxford University Press",

number = "4",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Alternative question forms for attitude scale questions in telephone interviews

AU - Miller, Peter V.

N1 - Funding Information: Peter V. Miller is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at Northwestern University. This is a revised version of a paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Statistical Association, August 1981. Data for the study were collected when the author was a Study Director at the Survey Research Center, University of Michigan. The author wishes to thank Robert Groves, Duane Alwin, Howard Schuman, and Charles Cannell for help and advice. The author alone is responsible for any errors. The project was funded by the National Center for Health Statistics (contract 233-78-2034). The contents of this paper do not necessarily represent the views of the National Center for Health Statistics.

PY - 1984

Y1 - 1984

N2 - The absence of visual aids in telephone interviews has led investigators to seek methods for asking questions which are commonly accompanied by aids in personal interviews. This study experimentally compared two approaches to asking seven-point scale attitude questions in a national (N = 4, 300) telephone health survey. A random half-sample received the attitude questions as single-step numerical selection tasks. The questions were administered to the other half-sample in two stages, the first asking for a general verbal statement of attitude and the second asking for a more detailed specification. The two question forms produced comparable results in univariate distributions. Items administered with the one-step form showed slightly higher intercorrelations. This study represents one step in the process of empirically testing data collection procedures which have been deemed necessary in the rich folklore of survey research. Overall, the results show more comparability than might be anticipated, given the multiple differences between the forms.

AB - The absence of visual aids in telephone interviews has led investigators to seek methods for asking questions which are commonly accompanied by aids in personal interviews. This study experimentally compared two approaches to asking seven-point scale attitude questions in a national (N = 4, 300) telephone health survey. A random half-sample received the attitude questions as single-step numerical selection tasks. The questions were administered to the other half-sample in two stages, the first asking for a general verbal statement of attitude and the second asking for a more detailed specification. The two question forms produced comparable results in univariate distributions. Items administered with the one-step form showed slightly higher intercorrelations. This study represents one step in the process of empirically testing data collection procedures which have been deemed necessary in the rich folklore of survey research. Overall, the results show more comparability than might be anticipated, given the multiple differences between the forms.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84926279828&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84926279828&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1086/268882

DO - 10.1086/268882

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:84926279828

SN - 0033-362X

VL - 48

SP - 766

EP - 778

JO - Public Opinion Quarterly

JF - Public Opinion Quarterly

IS - 4

ER -

Alternative question forms for attitude scale questions in telephone interviews

Abstract

Funding

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this