Psy301 - Lecture 1 - Survey Design 1

Lecture 1
Survey Research & Design in Psychology
James Neill, 2010

Introduction to
Survey Research

7126/6667 Survey Research & Design in PsychologySemester 1, 2010, University of Canberra, ACT, AustraliaJames T. Neillhttp://ucspace.canberra.edu.au/display/7126http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Survey_researchhttp://ucspace.canberra.edu.au/display/7126/Lecture+-+Survey+Research

Overview

Types of research

Survey research characteristics

Purposes of survey research

Goals of survey research

Pros and cons

Summary

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Types of Research

Types of Research
(Research Methods)

There are 3 main research methods:Experimental

Quasi-experimental

Non-experimental

Surveys and questionnaires may be applied in each type of research.

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Types of Research -
Experimental

Characterised by:Random assignment

Control over extraneous variables

Powerful method, but can be difficult to do and may not be ecologically valid

Types of Research -
Quasi-experimental

Characterised by:Use of naturally occuring groups e.g., fans of different football codes

Non-random assignment

Control over some extraneous variables e.g., use criteria for selecting codes and fans

Types of Research -
Non-experimental

Characterised by:No groups or conditions are used e.g., students at a university

Minimal control over extraneous variables

Types of Research -
Non-experimental

Characterised by:No groups or conditions are used e.g., students at a university

Minimal control over extraneous variables

Quiz question 1

What type of research is the following?A researcher seeks to survey community attitudes to eating non-traditional meat (e.g. venison, kangaroo).Experimental

Quasi-experimental

Non-experimental

Answer: Non-experimental

Quiz question 2

What type of research is the following?A researcher conducts a study in which the study habits of university students who regularly use marijuana are compared with uni students who do not regular use marijuana.Experimental

Quasi-experimental

Non-experimental

Answer: Experimental

Quiz question 3

What type of research is the following?A researcher randomly allocates volunteers to either a morning or evening exercise routine and measures their sleep patterns.Experimental

Quasi-experimental

Non-experimental

Answer: Quasi-experimental

Survey Research Characteristics

History of survey research

Survey research methodology was initially developed in the 1940's 1960's.

Since the 1980's, theories and principles evolved to create a unified perspective on the design, conduct, and evaluation of surveys (survey science).

Groves et al. (2004)

Some Fields Which Use
Survey Research

FieldExamples

DemographicsCensus

MarketingCustomer satisfation

PoliticsPolls

PsychologyAttitudes, Emotions

SociologySocial trends

Some Psychological Topics
in Survey Research

Attitudes and opinions: o/55's feelings about extending retirement age

Behaviours: extent to which households recycle

Motivations: reasons for attending university

Emotions: Levels of stress and anxiety

Satisfaction: Custom experiences

Survey research characteristics

Usage: Surveys are widely used in the social sciences.

Systematic: Follows specific procedures based on survey science and the scientific method.

Types: Often presented as interviews or questionnaires.

Partially based on Backstrom & Hursh-Csar (1981, pp. 3-4)

Survey research characteristics

Impartial sampling: Units are selected from the population without prejudice or preference and so as to be representative.

Data: Often quantitative, but can be qualitative.

Replicable: Other people using the same methods are likely to get essentially the same results

Partially based on Backstrom & Hursh-Csar (1981, pp. 3-4)

Purposes of
Survey Research

Purposes of Survey Research

There are two broad purposes of survey-based research:

Information
Gathering Theory
Testing
& BuildingInformation-gatheringTheory testing and building

Purposes of Survey Research Information Gathering

The goal is to gather information e.g., polls

census

customer satisfaction

attitudes

Purposes of Research
Theory Testing & Building

The goal is to test and build theory e.g.,Personality and social psychology theories

Often surveys do some info gathering and some theory testing.

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Survey Research Purposes

Further consider four possible purposes of survey research:

Information
Gathering Theory
Testing
& BuildingExploratory

Descriptive

Explanatory

Predictive

Exploratory

Descriptive

Explanatory

Predictive

Survey Research Purposes - Exploratory

The goal is to discover and explore phenomena e.g., What psychological issues are being experienced by survivors of the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004?

Information
Gathering

Survey Research Purposes - Descriptive

The goal is to describe phenomena e.g., Consumer profiles (age, gender)

Working conditions (hours, pay)

Information
Gathering

Survey Research Purposes - Explanatory

The goal is to explain phenomena by looking at the relations between, and patterns amongst, variables e.g.,Are extraverts happier than introverts?
Why? (or why not?)

Theory
Testing
& Building

Survey Research Purposes - Predictive

The goal is to be able to make accurate/useful predictions i.e., what will happen?, e.g., Does a couples length of time together prior to having children predict relationship satisfaction after having children?

Theory
Testing
& Building

Quiz question 4

What is the purpose of this study?A researcher surveys conducts an ethnographic study to investigate what its like to live as a member of a particular religious commune.Exploratory

Descriptive

Explanatory

Predictive

Answer: Exploratory

Quiz question 5

What is the purpose of this study?A researcher surveys community attitudes to eating non-traditional meat (e.g. venison, kangaroo).Exploratory

Descriptive

Explanatory

Predictive

Answer: Descriptive

Quiz question 6

What is the purpose of this study?A researcher surveys student attitudes towards attending lectures and tutorial and also measures the Big 5 personality variables.Exploratory

Descriptive

Explanatory

Predictive

Answer: Its debatable whether this study has an explanatory or predictive purpose. More information needed.

Pros and Cons

Advantages of
Survey-Based Research

Ecological validity

Access to wide range of participants

Potentially large amounts of data

May be more ethical
(than experiments)

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Disadvantages of
Survey-Based Research

Lack of control
less internal validity

Data may be 'superficial'

Can be costly to obtain representative data

Self-report data only

Potentially low compliance rates

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Survey Research Exercise
(Part of Quiz 1)

Worth 50% of Quiz 1
(~1% overall)

Deadline: Midnight, Sunday 28th February, 2010

http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Survey_research_and_design_in_psychology/Overview

Survey Research Exercise

Start a new forum thread and post:Descriptive title/subject line

APA style reference and link to an openly-available survey-based research study in the psychological sciences

1-para summary of the survey research method

1-para summary of the strengths and weaknesses of the survey-based research method

Approx. 250 to 300 words

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Summary

Summary - 1

Three main types of research: experimental, quasi-experimental, or non-experimental.

Survey research is often non-experimental, using interviews or questionnaires.

Survey research is characterised by its systemic approach to sampling representative units.

Summary - 2

Two main purposes of research are info gathering and theory testing/building (and both).

Four research goals are: exploratory, descriptive, explanatory, or predictive goals.

Summary - 3

Survey research pros:ecological validity

efficiency

Cons include:lack of control over extraneous variables,

low compliance, and

reliance on self-report data.

References

Backstrom, C. H., & Hursh-Csar, G. (1981). Survey research (2nd ed.). New York: Wiley.

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