Overview of Research Methods
Understanding
of problem
Poor
EXPLORATORY or
SECONDARY
RESEARCH
Good
Objective
answers by
asking?
No
OBSERVATIONAL
RESEARCH
Need estimates
of prevalence?
Yes
No
FOCUS
GROUPS
Yes
SURVEY
Nature of survey research
◦ People naturally do what they do;
◦ you measure this through selfreports
◦ most typically in the form of
interviews or questionnaires
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Timing
◦ Past (“Retrospective”)
◦ Future (“Prospective”)
Agent
◦ Yourself (“Self Report”)
◦ Others (“Informant”)
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1. Measuring rates of occurrence
Interest in a product, product purchase, media use
2. Examining relationships
Between the cause (Independent Variable)
and the outcome (Dependent Variable)
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1.
Quick and easy
◦
2.
Standardized
◦
3.
People behave naturally, you merely measure that.
Qualitative or quantitative information
◦
6.
Can get most any type of info in a variety of ways
Measuring a natural phenomenon
◦
5.
Offers consistency
Flexible
◦
4.
When fast info is needed
Numbers or words
Control for subgroup differences
◦
e.g. Separate analyses for men and women
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1.
Problems Due to Respondent
• Nonresponse error

Self-selection bias
• Response bias

Social desirability bias

Acquiescence bias

Extremity bias

Interviewer bias

Auspices bias
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2.
Problems Due to Administration
•
•
•
Sample selection error
Data processing error
Interviewer error




Cheating or falsifying data
Fatigue
Misunderstanding of method
Unconscious cues
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3.
Many participants needed
4.
Cannot prove causation
5.
Limited time and complexity for phone
6.
Limited visuals for many survey forms
7.
Does not measure actual behaviour
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
Cross-sectional
◦ One shot

Longitudinal
◦ More than one shot
 Cohort: ask different people each time
 Panel: ask the same people at different times
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