Questionnaires

Self-Administered Questionnaires

Due to their cost-effectiveness and ease of administration, self-administered questionnaires (in either [Page 809]the traditional or Internet-based form) are popular among social scientists. Because of the sense of anonymity provided by self-administered measures, this method lessens the likelihood of social desirability effects. Thus, these types of questionnaires are especially useful when studying highly sensitive topics. Furthermore, self-administered measures are self-paced, which ensures that respondents have sufficient time to generate meaningful answers to the questions. Internet-based questionnaires tend to be especially cost-efficient, because expenses often associated with a research project (i.e., photocopying of materials and payment of research assistants) are minimized.

Despite such advantages, there are limitations associated with self-administered measures. If researchers mail their questionnaires, they may obtain very low response rates. Furthermore, individuals who take the time to complete the measure may not be representative of the intended sample. Self-administered questionnaires also may not be suitable for respondents with limited cognitive skills or topics that are complex and require extensive explanation.

Interviewer-Administered Questionnaires

One alternative to using self-administered questionnaires is to conduct telephone interviews. Telephone interviews are associated with substantially higher response rates than the use of self-administered questionnaires, which lessens the possibility that one's data will be compromised by nonresponse error. They also allow researchers to probe respondents' answers if they are initially unclear. Unfortunately, there are several drawbacks associated with this method of administration. These include substantially greater expense relative to self-administered questionnaires and increased vulnerability to social desirability effects.

Researchers may also administer their questionnaires via face-to-face interviews. Face-to-face interviews are ideal when one's sample consists of individuals with limited cognitive or verbal abilities, as this type of interview allows researchers to clarify the meaning of more challenging items through the use of visual props (e.g., show cards). Like telephone interviews, face-to-face interviews also allow researchers to clarify the meaning of ambiguous questions and probe respondents for clarifications to their answers. However, face-to-face interviews are more costly and time-consuming than other methods of administration. Such interviews are also the most vulnerable to social desirability effects, potentially making them an inappropriate method of administration when highly sensitive topics are being studied.

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