Web Survey Bibliography
Studies have shown that various features of the presentation of the response options can affect the distribution of the answers. For example, as work by Schwarz has shown, the numerical labels attached to the scale points can change the apparent meaning of the options; similarly, the colors assigned to the different scale points seems to affect the answers respondents give. In this study, we examine the impact of the spacing of the response options on their relative popularity. In a randomized experiment embedded in a Web survey, we systematically varied the spacing of the options in a series of items using a five-point agreement scale. For some respondents, the scale endpoints were given more space in the scale than the three middle points. For another group of respondents, the scale midpoint (indicating neutrality) was given more space. Finally, for a third group of respondents, the scale points were evenly spaced. We thought that giving an option more space would increase its visual prominence and that this increased prominence would increase the likelihood that respondents would select the option. The results are generally in line with the visual prominence hypothesis. When the extreme options were given more space, respondents were more likely to select; this effect was apparent for four of the six items (and in several analyses across items). The effect of giving the neutral midpoint more space was less clear; only one of the six items shows a significant increase in the popularity of the neutral response when that option was more prominent. This may reflect the relative rarity of such responses. This is one of several studies demonstrating the importance of the visual prominence of information in Web surveys.
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Web survey bibliography - Tourangeau, R. (45)
- Reducing speeding in web surveys by providing immediate feedback; 2017; Conrad, F.; Tourangeau, R.; Couper, M. P.; Zhang, C.
- Using eye-tracking to understand how fourth grade students answer matrix items; 2015; Maitland, A.; Sun, H.; Caporaso, A.; Tourangeau, R.; Bertling, J.; Almonte, D.
- Measurement Properties of Web Surveys; 2015; Tourangeau, R.
- Providing a Deadline for Response: Results from Two Recent Experiments; 2014; Kaiser, A., Walston, J. T., Medway, R., Ye, C., Tourangeau, R.
- The Relations Among Different Cognitive Shortcuts in Surveys; 2013; Tourangeau, R., Medway, R., Presser, S.
- Anonymity and Confidentiality; 2012; Tourangeau, R.
- Modes of Data Collection; 2012; Tourangeau, R.
- Database Lookup in Web Surveys; 2012; Couper, M. P., Zhang, C., Conrad, F. G., Tourangeau, R.
- Question Order Effect: A Web Survey Experiment with Paradata; 2012; Ye, C., Tourangeau, R.
- Should I Stay or Should I go: The Effects of Progress Feedback, Promised Task Duration, and Length of...; 2011; Yan, T., Conrad, F. G., Tourangeau, R., Couper, M. P.
- Nonresponse Error, Measurement Error, And Mode Of Data Collection: Tradeoffs in a Multi-mode Survey...; 2011; Sakshaug, J. W., Yan, T., Tourangeau, R.
- The psychology or survey response. An ASA webinar; 2010; Tourangeau, R.
- The psychology of survey response, 2nd Edition; 2010; Tourangeau, R., Bradburn, N. M.
- Professional Web Respondents and Data Quality; 2010; Conrad, F. G., Tourangeau, R., Couper, M. P., Zhang, C.
- Increasing Respondents' Use of Definitions in Web Surveys; 2010; Peytchev, A., Conrad, F. G., Couper, M. P., Tourangeau, R.
- Interactive Interventions in Web Surveys Can Increase Respondent Conscientiousness; 2009; Conrad, F. G., Tourangeau, R., Couper, M. P., Kennedy, C.
- Experimenting With Speech Interactive Voice Response, Touchtone Data Entry and the Web for the National...; 2009; Cantor, D., Brick, P. D., Tourangeau, R., Conrad, F. G.
- Interactive feedback can improve accuracy of responses in web surveys; 2009; Conrad, F. G., Couper, M. P., Tourangeau, R., Galesic, M.
- Response Order and Response Distributions: The Format of the Response Options in a Web Survey; 2009; Tourangeau, R., Conrad, F. G., Couper, M. P., Balter, O.
- Improving the Design of Complex Matrix Questions; 2009; Couper, M. P., Tourangeau, R., Conrad, F. G.
- Survey Methodology (Wiley Series in Survey Methodology); 2009; Groves, R. M., Fowler, F. J., Couper, M. P., Lepkowski, J. M., Singer, E., Tourangeau, R.
- Social desirability bias in CATI, IVR and Web surveys: The effects of mode and question sensitivity; 2008; Kreuter, F., Presser, S., Tourangeau, R.
- Experiments Exploring the Relationship (or Lack Thereof) Between Nonresponse Error and Measurement Error...; 2008; Tourangeau, R., Groves, R. M., Presser, S., Toppe, C., Kennedy, K., Yan, T.,
- The Impact of the Spacing of the Scale Options in a Web Survey; 2008; Kennedy, C., Tourangeau, R., Conrad, F. G., Couper, M. P., Redline, C. D.
- Fast times and easy questions: the effects of age, experience and question complexity on web survey...; 2008; Yan, T., Tourangeau, R.
- Sensitive questions in surveys; 2007; Tourangeau, R., Yan, T.
- What is Sexual Harassment? It Depends on Who Asks! Framing Effects on Survey Responses; 2007; Galesic, M., Tourangeau, R.
- The Impact of the Visible: The Design of Web Surveys; 2007; Tourangeau, R., Couper, M. P., Conrad, F. G.
- How the shape and format of input fields affect answer; 2007; Couper, M. P., Tourangeau, R., Conrad, A.
- Experiments in Producing Nonresponse Bias ; 2006; Groves, R. M., Couper, M. P., Presser, S., Singer, E., Tourangeau, R., Piani Acosta, G., Nelson, Li.
- Color, Labels, and Interpretive Heuristics for Response Scales; 2006; Tourangeau, R., Couper, M. P., Conrad, F. G.
- An Experimental Comparison Of Web And Telephone Surveys; 2005; Fricker, S., Galesic, M., Tourangeau, R., Yan, T.
- Visual Context Effects in Web Surveys; 2005; Couper, M. P., Conrad, F. G., Tourangeau, R.
- Does Voice Matter? An Interactive Voice Response (IVR) Experiment; 2004; Couper, M. P., Singer, E., Tourangeau, R.
- Spacing, Position, and Order: Interpretive Heuristics for Visual Features of Survey Questions; 2004; Tourangeau, R., Conrad, F. G., Couper, M. P.
- Picture This! Exploring Visual Effects in Web Surveys; 2004; Couper, M. P., Tourangeau, R., Kenyon, K.
- Web-based data collection; 2003; Tourangeau, R.
- Cognitive Aspects of Survey Measurement and Mismeasurement; 2003; Tourangeau, R.
- Understanding the effects of audio-CASI on self-reports of sensitive behavior; 2003; Couper, M. P., Singer, E., Tourangeau, R.
- Humanizing self-administered surveys: experiments on social presence in web and IVR surveys; 2003; Tourangeau, R., Couper, M. P., Steiger, D. M., de Rouvray, C.
- Use and non-use of clarification features in web surveys; 2003; Tourangeau, R., P., Couper, M. P., Conrad, F. G., Baker, R. P.
- What They See Is What We Get: Response Options for Web Surveys; 2003; Couper, M. P., Tourangeau, R., Conrad, F. G., Crawford, S. D.
- Self-administered questions by telephone: Evaluating interactive voice response; 2002; Tourangeau, R., Steiger, D. M.,
- Collecting sensitive information with different modes of data collection; 1998; Couper, M. P., Tourangeau, R., Smith, T. W.
- Cognitive science and survey methods; 1984; Tourangeau, R.