Cognitive Aspects Of Survey Methodology Research Articles

Culture in the spotlight—cultural adaptation and content validity of the integrated palliative care outcome scale for dementia: A cognitive interview study

Background: Dementia is a life-limiting disease with high symptom burden. The Integrated Palliative Care Outcome Scale for Dementia (IPOS-Dem) is the first comprehensive person-centered measure to identify and measure palliative care needs of people with dementia. However, such a measure is missing in the German health care system. Aim: To develop a culturally adapted German version of the IPOS-Dem and determine its content validity as a foundation for comprehensive psychometric testing. Design: Cognitive interview study with intermittent analysis and questionnaire adaptation. Interview guide and coding frame followed thematic analysis according to Willis complemented by Tourangeau’s model of cognitive aspects of survey methodology: comprehension, retrieval, judgment, response. Participants: Purposive sample with professionals (n = 29) and family carers (n = 6) of people with advanced dementia in seven nursing homes and person’s own home care in four interview rounds (n = 11; 10; 7; 7). Results: IPOS-Dem was regarded as comprehensive and accessible. Cultural adaption pertained to issues of comprehension and judgment. Comprehension challenges referred to the person-centered concept of “being affected by” used in the POS-measures. Judgment problems related to persons with limited communication causing challenges in assessment. Conclusion: Most issues of cultural adaptation could be addressed by questionnaire modifications. However, interviews unveiled fundamental challenges for using proxy reported person-centered assessments. Continuous training on how to use the instrument is imperative to integrate the person-centered approach of palliative care into nursing homes as a key provider of generalist palliative care for people with dementia. The refined version is ready for psychometric testing.

Development of a National Caregiver Health Survey for Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant: Qualitative Study of Cognitive Interviews and Verbal Probing.

BackgroundRoadmap 1.0 is a mobile health app that was previously developed for caregivers of patients who have undergone hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Formative research targeted toward its end users (caregivers) can help inform app design and development, allowing additional components to be incorporated into the app, which can then be tested in a future randomized controlled trial.ObjectiveThis study aimed to create a methodologically rigorous national survey that would help inform the development of Roadmap 2.0.MethodsWe conducted a prospective, qualitative research study that took place between November 18, 2018, and February 7, 2019, in a blood and marrow transplant unit within a large academic medical institution in the midwestern part of the United States. Cognitive interviews, including think-aloud and verbal probing techniques, were conducted in 10 adult caregivers (≥18 years) of patients who had undergone HSCT.ResultsMost participants were female (9/10, 90%), white (9/10, 90%), married (9/10, 90%), employed at least part time (6/10, 60%), caregivers of adult patients (7/10, 70%), and had some college education (9/10, 90%) and an annual household income of $60,000 or higher (6/10, 60%). All but one interview was audio-recorded, with permission. Overall, participants were engaged in the cognitive interview process of the draft survey, which included 7 topics. The interviews highlighted areas wherein survey items could be further refined, such as offering more response choices (eg, “NA”) or clarifying the type of transplant (eg, autologous or allogeneic) or context of transplant care (eg, pre-HSCT, during HSCT, post-HSCT, inpatient, and outpatient). Apart from these findings, the items in demographics, caregiving experiences, technology, positive activities, and mood were generally interpreted as intended. On the basis of the transcript data and field notes by the interviewer, items within self-efficacy (Caregiver Self-Efficacy Scale) and coping (Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced inventory) questionnaires generated more confusion among interviewer and participants, reflecting difficulties in interpreting the meaning of some survey items.ConclusionsThis study incorporated the four cognitive aspects of survey methodology that describe the question-answering process—(1) comprehension, (2) information retrieval, (3) judgment and decision making, and (4) responding—by using the think-aloud and probing techniques in cognitive interviews. We conclude that this methodologically rigorous process informed revisions and improved our final questionnaire design.International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)RR2-10.2196/resprot.49188

Cognitive Pretesting and pretest of the STRAIN questionnaire to elaborate work-related stress of health care staff in Switzerland / Verständlichkeitsprüfung und Pretest des STRAIN-Fragebogens zur Erhebung der Arbeitsbelastung bei Gesundheitsfachpersonen in der Schweiz

Abstract The workforce shortage in health care is a major challenge worldwide. In Switzerland, this shortage is not only demographically caused but also due to workload. Adequate measures require a good data basis. The aim of this study is to test instrument specially developed for the health professions to measure work-related stress in practice. Cognitive pretesting was used for the evaluation. Overall, 18 semi-structured single-interviews with nurses and nursing assistants were conducted. In two rounds, the question-answer-process was analysed for 11 questions. The STRAIN questionnaire was then pretested by 17 health professionals. In the first round, 42 problems were identified based on the phases of the “Cognitive Aspects of Survey Methodology”. Of these, 57 % were comprehension problems. This was shown by the polysemantic usage or unknowingness of terms. Further 38 % were problems with the answer categories, such as a missing category or an inappropriate formulation. Further questions were modified through a final pretest. The uniform comprehensibility has been achieved. Due to the questionnaire length, an online tool with a save function should be used. The results of this study are similar to those of comparable studies, which also show the most common problems with understanding. This is due to changes of concepts’ meanings over time and culture. A cognitive pretest is therefore recommended, especially for a heterogeneous target group such as health professions.

The survey response process from a cognitive viewpoint

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the cognitive processes involved in answering survey questions. It also briefly discusses how the cognitive viewpoint has been challenged by other approaches (such as conversational analysis).Design/methodology/approachThe paper reviews the major components of the response process and summarizes work examining how each of these components can contribute to measurement errors in surveys.FindingsThe Cognitive Aspects of Survey Methodology (CASM) model of the survey response process is still generating useful research, but both the satisficing model and the conversational approach provide useful supplements, emphasizing motivational and social sources of error neglected in the CASM approach.Originality/valueThe paper provides an introduction to the cognitive processes underlying survey responses and how these processes can explain why survey responses may be inaccurate.

Do closed survey questions overestimate public perceptions of food risks?

In this paper, we show that the widely accepted methodology for the assessment of risk perception – Likert-type survey questions featuring a set of risks with fixed response alternatives measuring the extent of worry or concern – may overestimate food risk perception. Using a European representative sample survey (n = 26,961) that included an open-ended question asking about problems and risks with food and eating, followed by a battery of closed questions (CQs) assessing food risk perception, we find a similar ranking of perceived food risks across the two methods. Across Europe, the five priority concerns are chronic food-related illness; food origins and quality; acute food-related illness; chemical contamination; and adulteration of food. However, the discrepancies between mentioning a risk in the open-ended question and the expression of worry about risks in the CQ are substantial. Of those who did not mention a specific risk category in the open question, between 60 and 83% (depending on risk category) expressed worry in the CQ. This parallels previous research on the fear of crime, showing that survey responses lead to greatly inflated estimates of the public’s fear of crime than is evidenced by qualitative questioning. It is also consistent with evidence from research on cognitive aspects of survey methodology, suggesting that survey questions may frame the respondent’s thinking about an issue. We conclude with recommendations for the use of branched questions in the quantitative elicitation of public perceptions of risk.

Problematika part, gangů a delikventních uskupení mládeže. Otázka členství v gangu

The article focuses on problems with identification of respondents as gang members from the standpoint of the process of operationalization, which gives a selection of adequate indicators, whereas the author emphasizes the cognitive aspects of survey methodology. The theoretical part pays attention not only to ISRD-2 survey, which provided data for the subsequent analysis, but mainly to the definition of the gang and its operationalization according to Eurogang group. In the course of data analysis, the author deals with the problem of the meaning of „gang“ and „illegal activities“ for respondents and points out to the selected characteristics of the gang considered as important. At the same time makes an effort to suggest an effective solution to the operationalization of gang definition.

Cognitive Processing of Self-Report Items in Educational Research: Do They Think What We Mean?

Techniques emerging from the considerable research on cognitive aspects of survey methodology include various forms of probing and cognitive interviewing. These techniques are used to examine whether respondents' interpretations of self-report items are consistent with researchers' assumptions and intended meanings given the constructs the items are designed to measure. However, although informal procedures are common, such developments have not been systematically applied in educational research. We describe how information derived from the systematic application of cognitive pretesting can contribute to determining the validity—designated cognitive validity—of self-report items. Examples are presented from prominent motivation-related instruments that assess real-world instructional practices, mastery classroom goal structure, and student self-efficacy. The implications and pragmatics of adopting this approach are discussed.

Cognitive aspects of survey methodology

AbstractSince its initiation in the early 1980s, research into cognitive aspects of survey methods (CASM) has made considerable progress in illuminating the cognitive and communicative processes underlying survey responding. This article reviews key themes and developments, notes strengths and shortcomings and places the contributions to this special issue in this context. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

How the structure of contribution disclosure statements affects validity of authorship: a randomized study in a general medical journal

ABSTRACTObjective: Many biomedical journals have introduced disclosure of research contribution in journal articles as a way to limit irresponsible authorship. Over the years, journals have developed different contribution disclosure policies and procedures, but it is not known how these policies and procedures affect authorship. The aim of our study was to analyse possible causative relationships between the structure of the contribution disclosure form and the number of authors who do not meet authorship criteria in biomedicine set by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).Research design and methods: In a single-blind randomized trial, 1462 authors of 332 manuscripts submitted to a general medical journal answered one of three different contribution disclosure forms: (1) open-ended – asking the respondents to describe in their own words their contributions in the submitted work; (2) categorical – with 11 possible contribution choices and (3) instructional – guiding through the ICMJE definition and instructing how many contributions are needed to satisfy individual criteria.Main outcome measure: The number of authors not satisfying ICMJE authorship criteria.Results: The group answering the instructional form had significantly fewer authors whose reported contributions did not satisfy ICMJE criteria (18.7%) than the groups answering the categorical (62.8%) or open-ended (54.7%) form ( χ22 = 210.833, p < 0.001). The group receiving instructional forms also had the fewest articles with honorary authors (32.5%) compared with those who responded in a categorical (68.7%) or open-ended (83.0%) form ( χ22= 63.378, p < 0.001). All authors who answered the open-ended form, regardless of their compliance with authorship criteria, reported significantly fewer contributions (median 3 [95% confidence interval = 3–3]) than authors responding to either the categorical (4 [4–4]; z score = –7.1899, p < 0.001) or instructional form (4 [4–5]; z score = –13.9760, p < 0.001). Honorary authors answering the instructional form reported more contributions than those answering either the categorical or open-ended form (z score = 2.7637, p = 0.0057 and z score = 3.3773, p < 0.001, respectively). Most honorary authors (39.9%) lacked only the third ICMJE criterion (final approval of the submitted manuscript).Conclusions: The structure of the contribution disclosure form significantly influenced the number of contributions reported by authors of submitted manuscripts and their compliance with the ICMJE authorship criteria. Journal editors should be aware of the cognitive aspects of survey methodology when they construct for their authors self-reports about behaviour, such as contribution disclosure forms.

Announcing a special issue on the cognitive aspects of survey methodology

Applied Cognitive PsychologyVolume 19, Issue 3 p. 245-247 Editorial Announcement Announcing a special issue on the cognitive aspects of survey methodology Robert F. Belli, Corresponding Author Robert F. Belli SARMAC and North American EditorDept of Psychology (402) 472-6269, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USASearch for more papers by this author Robert F. Belli, Corresponding Author Robert F. Belli SARMAC and North American EditorDept of Psychology (402) 472-6269, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USASearch for more papers by this author First published: 17 March 2005 https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.1092Citations: 3AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL No abstract is available for this article.Citing Literature Volume19, Issue3April 2005Pages 245-247 RelatedInformation

Cognitive aspects of survey methodology and quality of life assessment.

Cognitive aspects of survey methodology and quality of life assessment.

Applying cognitive design principles to formatting HRQOL instruments.

Researchers developing or using health-related quality of life (HRQOL) instruments can benefit from knowledge of state-of-the-art formatting methods for self-administered questionnaires. Three objectives in formatting design are: (1) to reduce errors in respondent navigation through the questionnaire that lead to item non-response and question misinterpretation; (2) to reduce respondent and administrative burden; and (3) to enhance respondent motivation in question answering and compliance with the request to participate. Based on an extensive literature review to identify techniques that have been shown to meet these objectives, we developed specific guidelines for HRQOL instruments concerning all aspects of questionnaire formatting. These guidelines represent well-motivated recommendations for improving HRQOL instruments, although their overall impact has not been empirically tested. We applied the guidelines to several HRQOL instruments that are widely used internationally, and obtained approval from the developers for all formatting changes to their instruments. Applying cognitive design principles and empirically substantiated formatting techniques produces an HRQOL instrument formatting with six critical attributes: simple, consistent, organized, natural, clear and attractive. The present paper contributes to the emerging research literature on the cognitive processes by which respondents answer HRQOL questions and demonstrates how 'cognitive aspects of survey methodology' research can improve HRQOL data collection efforts.

How Memory Research can Benefit from CASM

Research on cognitive aspects of survey methodology (CASM) has helped survey researchers to understand the processes involved in responding to survey questions. The survey situation, and the methods employed by CASM researchers, can also be used to benefit cognitive psychology. In particular, the size and coverage of sample surveys, and the techniques used to examine how respondents understand survey questions, could be of much value for exploring some aspects of memory research. We give some examples where this is being done and urge others to follow suit.

Interactional Troubles in Face-to-Face Survey Interviews

(1990). Interactional Troubles in Face-to-Face Survey Interviews. Journal of the American Statistical Association: Vol. 85, No. 409, pp. 232-241.

Cognitive Aspects of Survey Methodology: Building a Bridge Between Disciplines.

Cognitive Aspects of Survey Methodology: Building a Bridge Between Disciplines.

Laboratory-Based Research on the Cognitive Aspects of Survey Methodology: The Goals and Methods of the National Center for Health Statistics Study

The National Center for Health Statistics is embarked on a major project to combine the respective strengths of cognitive psychologists and survey researchers in a common effort to improve the design of survey questionnaires. This methodological research is conducted within the framework of the National Health Interview Survey, the nation's main source of information on the health of civilians. Better quality of such information--from recall to response rates--can aid both scientific inquiry and public policy.