Sociology Commons^™

The Cannell Legacy, Nancy A. Mathiowetz, Peter V. Miller

Interviewer Workshop, 2019: Interviewers and Their Effects from a Total Survey Error Perspective

Charles Cannell engineered the study of Interviewer-respondent interaction. He created conceptual frameworks for understanding the interviewing process and its impact on data quality. He invented methods for observing and recording interview interaction. He pioneered the use of randomized experiments in the survey context. He amalgamated insights from clinical and social psychology, sociology, group dynamics, as well as research on verbal and nonverbal communication to inform his work. This interdisciplinary approach has broadly influenced both interviewing research and practice. In this paper, we review Cannell’s many contributions to the field and his enduring legacy.

Scientific Network Of Experts: Interviewer Effects And Interviewer Training, Daniela Ackermann-Piek, Joe Sakshaug

Interviewer Workshop, 2019: Interviewers and Their Effects from a Total Survey Error Perspective

Although the collection of survey data is undergoing a notable shift toward online and mixed-mode data collection methods (Baker et al., 2010; Groves, 2011), interviewers are still heavily involved in the majority of survey data collections that serve as a basis for important economic, educational, and public policy decisions. Research supports the notion that interviewer characteristics and task-specific skill levels significantly influence the resulting data quality (see, e.g. Ackermann-Piek, 2018; Billiet & Loosveldt, 1988; Dahlhamer, Cynamon, Gentleman, Piani, & Weiler, 2010; Durand, 2005; Fowler Jr., 1991; Hox & de Leeuw, 2002; Jäckle, Lynn, Sinibaldi, & Tipping, 2013; Sakshaug, Tutz, & …

Interacting With Interviewers In Voice And Text Interviews On Smartphones, Michael Schober, Frederick Conrad, Christopher Antoun, Alison W. Bowers, Andrew L. Hupp, H. Yanna Yan

Interviewer Workshop, 2019: Interviewers and Their Effects from a Total Survey Error Perspective

As people increasingly adopt SMS text messaging for communicating in their daily lives, texting becomes a potentially important way to interact with survey respondents, who may expect that they can communicate with survey researchers as they communicate with others. Thus far our evidence from analyses of 642 iPhone interviews suggests that text interviewing can lead to higher quality data (less satisficing, more disclosure) than voice interviews on the same device, whether the questions are asked by an interviewer or an automated system. Respondents also report high satisfaction with text interviews, with many reporting that text is more convenient because they …

The Accuracy And Utility Of Using Paradata To Detect Interviewer Question-Reading Deviations, Jennifer Kelley

Interviewer Workshop, 2019: Interviewers and Their Effects from a Total Survey Error Perspective

Deviations from reading survey questions exactly as worded may change the validity of the questions, thus increasing measurement error. Hence, organizations train their interviewers to read questions verbatim. To ensure interviewers are reading questions verbatim, organizations rely on interview recordings. However, this takes a significant amount of resources. Therefore, some organizations are using paradata generated by the survey software, specifically timestamps, to try to detect when interviewers’ deviate from reading the question verbatim.

To monitor interviewers’ question reading behavior using timestamps, some organizations estimate the expected question administration time to establish a minimum and maximum question administration time thresholds (QATT). …

Interviewer Falsification In Survey Research: Detection Methods And Impact Of Fraudulent Interviews, Silvia Schwanhäuser, Joseph Sakshaug, Yuliya Kosyakova, Frauke Kreuter

Interviewer Workshop, 2019: Interviewers and Their Effects from a Total Survey Error Perspective

The role of the interviewer and sources of interviewer error in the survey data collection process are widely discussed topics in the survey methodology literature. An understudied problem in this context is the falsification of interview data by the interviewer. Research gaps concern, for example, how conclusions drawn from survey data are affected by falsified interviews. So far it is commonly assumed, that the possible effect of falsifications on univariate statistics can only be as high as the overall share of falsified data. Since the share of faked data is usually very low for most surveys, the problem is regarded …

Investigating The Use Of Nurse Paradata In Understanding Nonresponse To Biological Data Collection, Fiona Pashazadeh, Alexandru Cernat, Joseph W. Sakshaug

Interviewer Workshop, 2019: Interviewers and Their Effects from a Total Survey Error Perspective

The recent collection of biological data in large-scale sample surveys has opened up new possibilities for research into the interactions between physical and social mechanisms in the general population. Whilst the possibilities are undoubtedly exciting, these data can create additional challenges from the viewpoints of both collection and analysis. In particular, the extra burden of biological data collection can lead to increased incidences of nonresponse, potentially affecting the quality of the data and the robustness of results from subsequent analysis. Where the two-stage nurse visit survey design is used, such as in Understanding Society (UKHLS) and the English Longitudinal Study …

Comparison Of Different Approaches To Evaluate And Explain Interviewer Effects, Geert Loosveldt, Celine Wuyts

Interviewer Workshop, 2019: Interviewers and Their Effects from a Total Survey Error Perspective

Within survey methodology it is common knowledge that interviewers in face-to-face or telephone interviews can have undesirable effects on the obtained answers. These effects can be created in an active way by, for example, asking suggestive questions or they can be obtained in a passive way as a consequence of certain interviewer characteristics eliciting socially desirable answers. These active and passive effects may differ from interviewer to interviewer. These differences between interviewers in systematic effects create additional variance in the data. The proportion of variance in a (substantive) variable that can be explained by the interviewers is the ‘so called’ …

Nvestigating The Utility Of Interviewer Observations On The Survey Response Process, Frauke Kreuter, Brady West, Ting Yan, Michael Josten, Heather Schroeder

Interviewer Workshop, 2019: Interviewers and Their Effects from a Total Survey Error Perspective

TBD.

Designing Studies For Comparing Interviewer Variance Components In Two Groups Of Survey Interviewers, Brady T. West

Interviewer Workshop, 2019: Interviewers and Their Effects from a Total Survey Error Perspective

Methodological studies of interviewer effects often seek to identify factors that influence the magnitude of interviewer variance for particular survey questions. There is a long history of work in this area, and results from studies like this have informed current interviewing practice. Unfortunately, many studies of this type suffer from one or more of the following limitations in terms of their designs: 1) a failure to randomly assign interviewers to the treatments being compared; 2) a failure to formally test for differences in the variance components between the two groups; and 3) insufficient statistical power for comparison of the variance …

Questions Administered By Telephone Or In Person: Differences In Interviewer-Respondent Interactions, Yfke Ongena, Marieke Haan

Interviewer Workshop, 2019: Interviewers and Their Effects from a Total Survey Error Perspective

When choosing a mode for data collection of computer-assisted surveys, a researcher has three main options available: the computer-assisted telephone interview (CATI), the computer-assisted personal interview (CAPI) or a web interview (i.e., a self-adminstered interview). Generally, CAPI allows for collecting most complex data, of the highest quality, but only when interviewers are well-trained and effort is made to monitor and manage interviewers during field work. This higher data quality in CAPI interviews may be due to the finding that presence of an interviewer reduces the amount of respondents’ satisficing behaviors (i.e., not investing the required effort to provide meaningful answers, …

Modeling Interviewer Effects In A Large National Health Study, James Dahlhamer, Aaron Maitland, Benjamin Zablotsky, Carla Zelaya

Interviewer Workshop, 2019: Interviewers and Their Effects from a Total Survey Error Perspective

Interviewers play a critical role in determining the quality of data collected in face-to-face surveys. Interviewers can have positive effects on recruiting sample members to participate, leading to higher response rates. Conversely, interviewers can have negative effects on the quality of measurement. The literature suggests that interviewers can bias answers when observable characteristics of the interviewer influence the respondent to answer questions a certain way. For example, the sex or race of interviewers may influence respondents’ answers about their own attitudes toward sex or race. However, it is more common for differences in interviewer behavior, such as how questions are …

Let’S Talk About Money! How Do Interviewer Expectations Affect Item Nonresponse To Income And Asset Questions?, Sabine Friedel

Interviewer Workshop, 2019: Interviewers and Their Effects from a Total Survey Error Perspective

Personal income and assets are sensitive topics to discuss and the discussion of money tends to be a taboo. This phenomenon is reflected by high nonresponse rates to items that address income and assets questions in interviewer-mediated surveys. However, such information is important to obtain, as household income and different types of assets are used as core variables in socio-economic models. Such item nonresponse is influenced by interviewers. Although interviewers are trained to conduct standardized interviews, some interviewers obtain a higher number of item nonresponses than others. This study examines interviewer effects on nonresponse to several income and asset questions …

Interviewer Effects On Data Quality: Does Interviewer Experience Favor Completions Over Quality?, Megan M. Ruxton, Rodney Muilenburg

Interviewer Workshop, 2019: Interviewers and Their Effects from a Total Survey Error Perspective

Interviewer experience has been identified as an important factor in achieving higher response rates for telephone interviews. The causal mechanisms underlying this relationship remain unclear (Couper and Groves 1992; Jackle, Lynn, Sinibaldi and Tipping 2013; West and Blom 2016), but extant research suggests a combination of experience and personality traits, skills and attitudes explain substantial variation in cooperation rates (Groves and Couper; Jackle et al 2013). West and Blom (2016) summarize the positive relationship between experience and response rates and call for work to identify additional mediators of these relationships. The relationship between experience and data quality is even less …

Explaining Interviewer Effects On Survey Unit Nonresponse: A Cross-Survey Analysis, Daniela Ackermann-Piek, Annelies G. Blom, Julie M. Korbmacher, Ulrich Krieger

Interviewer Workshop, 2019: Interviewers and Their Effects from a Total Survey Error Perspective

In interviewer-administered surveys, interviewers are involved in nearly all steps of the survey implementation. However, besides many positive aspects of interviewers’ involvement, they are – intentionally or unintentionally – a potential source of survey errors. In recent decades, a large body of literature has accumulated about measuring and explaining interviewer effects on survey unit nonresponse. Recently, West and Blom (2017) have published a research synthesis on factors explaining interviewer effects on various sources of survey error, including survey unit nonresponse. They find that previous research reports great variability across surveys in the significance and even direction of predictors of interviewer …

Modelling Group-Specific Interviewer Effects On Nonresponse Using Separate Coding For Random Slopes In Multilevel Models, Jessica M. E. Herzing, Annelies G. Blom, Bart Meuleman

Interviewer Workshop, 2019: Interviewers and Their Effects from a Total Survey Error Perspective

To enhance response among underrepresented groups and hence, to increase response rates and to decrease potential nonresponse bias survey practitioners often use interviewers in population surveys (Heerwegh, 2009). While interviewers tend to increase overall response rates in surveys (see Heerwegh, 2009), research on the determinants of nonresponse have also identified human interviewers as one reason for variations in response rates (see for examples Couper & Groves, 1992; Durrant, Groves, Staetsky, & Steele, 2010; Durrant & Steele, 2009; Hox & de Leeuw, 2002; Loosveldt & Beullens, 2014; West & Blom, 2016). In addition, research on interviewer effects indicates that interviewers introduce …

General Interviewing Techniques: Developing Evidence-Based Practices, Steve Coombs, Margaret Hudson, Lisa Holland, Nora Cate Schaeffer, Jennifer Dykema

Interviewer Workshop, 2019: Interviewers and Their Effects from a Total Survey Error Perspective

This poster is a hands-on demonstration of the in-progress General Interviewer Techniques (GIT) materials described by Schaeffer, Dykema, Coombs, Schultz, Holland, and Hudson. Participants will be able to view and listen to the lesson materials, delivered via an online interface, and talk to the GIT developers.

Effects Of Innovative Motivational Strategies And New Staffing Model On Interviewer Attrition: A Data Collection Year In Review, Theresa Camelo, Maureen O’Brien

Interviewer Workshop, 2019: Interviewers and Their Effects from a Total Survey Error Perspective

Due to high staff attrition and its negative effects on data collection and project cost, a large national study implemented motivational strategies and a new staffing model for the current data collection year. Motivational strategies included retention bonuses, organization gear, and other personalized recognitions. The new staffing model included both a change in weekly hour requirements as well as the number of interviewers staffed in each area. New staff, committed to 20 hours per week, were added to approximately half of the sampling areas with already existing 30 hour per week staff. Two Interviewers were now working a single area, …

Exploring The Mind Of The Interviewer: Findings From Research With Interviewers To Improve The Survey Process, Robin Kaplan, Erica Yu

Interviewer Workshop, 2019: Interviewers and Their Effects from a Total Survey Error Perspective

The interviewers’ task in the data collection process is a complex one, with many judgments and decisions being made from moment to moment as they ask questions to get answers from respondents (Japec, 2008). Many survey organizations train their interviewers to use standardized language and read questions verbatim. However, in practice, interviewers may need to use a conversational approach and probe respondents to get the answers needed. This research explores the process by which interviewers make such decisions in real-time by conducting research with interviewers about their experiences collecting data. Using a cognitive interview approach, we asked interviewers about multiple …

How Customization Affects Survey Interaction, Antje Rosebrock, Malte Schierholz

Interviewer Workshop, 2019: Interviewers and Their Effects from a Total Survey Error Perspective

One common trend in the world of survey data collection is the increasing use of new technological developments which can change the nature of the survey interview. A fairly recent trend is the use of machine-learning techniques to customize questions for respondents. This has the potential to create an individualized experience for the respondent and to improve data quality. Nevertheless, little is known so far of how customization affects the interaction in the survey interview.

We introduce a tool developed by Schierholz et al. (2018) to code respondents’ occupation categories during the survey. The tool uses supervised learning algorithms to …

Can Paradata Predict Interviewer Effects?, Sharan Sharma

Interviewer Workshop, 2019: Interviewers and Their Effects from a Total Survey Error Perspective

Consideration of interviewer effects (interviewer measurement error variance) in active quality control does not seem widespread despite its known effect on reducing precision of survey estimates. One major obstacle is that interviewer effect estimates computed on partial data (as a survey is in progress) can be very unstable. We address this issue by exploring the use of paradata (keystrokes and time stamps generated during the computer-assisted interviewing process) as proxies of interviewer effects with a focus on large-scale repeated cross-section or panel surveys.

We first estimate interviewer effects for each item in our analysis by using multilevel models that include …

Humans Vs. Machines: Comparing Coding Of Interviewer Question-Asking Behaviors Using Recurrent Neural Networks To Human Coders, Jerry Timbrook, Adam Eck

Interviewer Workshop, 2019: Interviewers and Their Effects from a Total Survey Error Perspective

Standardized survey interviewing techniques are intended to reduce interviewers’ effects on survey data. A common method to assess whether or not interviewers read survey questions exactly as worded is behavior coding. However, manually behavior coding an entire survey is expensive and time-consuming. Machine learning techniques such as Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs) may offer a way to partially automate this process, saving time and money. RNNs learn to categorize sequential data (e.g., conversational speech) based on patterns learned from previously categorized examples. Yet the feasibility of an automated RNN-based behavior coding approach and how accurately this approach codes behaviors compared to …

Unintended Interviewer Bias In A Community-Based Participatory Research Randomized Control Trial Among American Indian Youth, Patrick Habecker, Jerreed Ivanich

Interviewer Workshop, 2019: Interviewers and Their Effects from a Total Survey Error Perspective

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) projects often employ members of the host partner community to engage and assist with research projects. However, CBPR may also introduce bias to survey statistics when community partners work as interviewers for projects within their own communities. Here, the advantage of employing interviewers from the local community and region may lead to unintended bias when participants and interviewers know each other outside of the research project. In situations where a preexisting social relationship exists, there is a greater possibility of social desirability bias. This may be particularly true for sensitive issues where they may not wish …

Do You Need A Foot-In-The-Door Or Is A Toe Enough? Scripting Introductions That Induce Tailoring And Increase Participation In Telephone Interviews, Kim Ethridge, Matt Jans, Matthew D. Mcdonough, Sam Vincent, Jamie Dayton, Naomi Freedner, Randal Zuwallack, Josh Duell, Don Allen, Dan Bertuna, Lew Berman, Mark Serafin, Kristin Reichl, Anneke Jansen, Wendi Gilreath

Interviewer Workshop, 2019: Interviewers and Their Effects from a Total Survey Error Perspective

Substantial research and practical experience shows that a telephone interviewer is most successful at gaining cooperation and avoiding refusals when they are free to tailor their introductory pitch to the potential respondent or household informant they reach. However, survey designers are often uncomfortable allowing interviewers to work “off-script,” and instruct interviewers to read introductory text verbatim. Further, some interviewers report being more comfortable with a script than without one. To bridge this gap between research and practice we asked, “Can we create a scripted introduction that engages the potential respondent, gets a foot-in-the-door, and facilitates interviewer tailoring?” This paper reports …

Analysing The Influence Of Non-Observable And Observable Interviewer Characteristics On Measurement Error: Evidence From Zambia, P. Linh Nguyen

Interviewer Workshop, 2019: Interviewers and Their Effects from a Total Survey Error Perspective

In Sub-Saharan Africa, where only one in five people uses the Internet and connectivity issues restrict the possibility for phone surveys in rural areas, interviewer-administered face-to-face (F2F) surveys are and will remain the principal data collection tool in the foreseeable future. Yet questions remain as to what extent previous findings on interviewer-administered surveys from Western countries may apply to a different cultural and geographical context. In this light, the objective of this study is to investigate the influence of certain observable interviewer characteristics (such as gender, age) and non-observable characteristics (such as education, attitudes) on interviewer variance on a subset …

Examining Interviewer Effects On The Agricultural Labor Survey: A Mixed-Methods Approach, David Biagas, Emilola Abayomi, Joseph Rodhouse, Heather Ridolfo

Interviewer Workshop, 2019: Interviewers and Their Effects from a Total Survey Error Perspective

Interviewer effects remain a pervasive problem in survey research. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, this study explores the effects that interviewers have on the reporting of agricultural workers on the USDA’s Agricultural Labor Survey. The Agricultural Labor Survey is administered by the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service on a biannual basis, with each data collection period collecting information for two quarters (e.g. April and January of 2018). While the majority of data is collected via computer-assisted telephone interviewing, a sizeable proportion is completed online or via mail. Using quantitative and qualitative methods, this study explores the patterns of bias introduced by …

Did The Respondent Really Mean That? How The Behaviors Of Cati Interviewers And Data Editors Impact Measurement And Processing Errors In Establishment Surveys, Joseph Rodhouse, Heather Ridolfo, Emilola Abayomi, David Biagas

Interviewer Workshop, 2019: Interviewers and Their Effects from a Total Survey Error Perspective

It is well documented that interviewers can have profound effects on the survey data collection process. This research looks to build on that knowledge by examining the relationship between CATI interviewers and data editors and how the recording of answers, and editing of the survey answers recorded, contribute to total survey error (TSE). Specifically, we are interested in comparing answers recorded by CATI interviewers and the final response codes after the editing stage. Since the interviewing stage and the editing (or processing) stage are often two distinct phases of the data collection process where the interviewer and data editor work …

Implementing A Case Ownership Model With Telephone Interviewers, Jamie Wescott

Interviewer Workshop, 2019: Interviewers and Their Effects from a Total Survey Error Perspective

In an interviewer-administered survey, interviewers themselves can have a substantial impact on survey quality. In their review of the literature, West and Blom (2017) described the innumerable articles dedicated to describing this effect. A subset of these have provided support for the linkage between interviewer variation, such as differences in experience level and contacting approach, and variation in unit noncontact and nonresponse rates; these include Purdon, Campanelli, and Sturgis (1999), Groves and Couper (1998), and Blom (2012). In telephone studies, automated call scheduling systems help to mitigate these effects by using algorithms to ensure that cases receive an appropriate number …

Developing A Quality Control Protocol For Evaluation Of Recorded Interviews, Margaret Hudson, Lisa Holland, Lisa Lewandowski-Romps

Interviewer Workshop, 2019: Interviewers and Their Effects from a Total Survey Error Perspective

This presentation will describe the process used at the University of Michigan Survey Research Center for evaluating interviewer performance in survey administration. Within the Survey Research Operations unit, we use an online system for evaluating the interviewer-respondent interaction using recorded interviews. We will present our framework for measuring how well interviewers adhere to General Interviewing Techniques (GIT) - the guidelines in which they were trained. The presentation will describe the question-level and session-level measurement criteria employed, in addition to the selection protocols and the integration of paradata into the selection process. The presentation will include analysis of some evaluation data, …

Audio Recordings In Face-To-Face Interviews As A Means To Detect Undesirable Interviewer Behavior, Birgit Jesske

Interviewer Workshop, 2019: Interviewers and Their Effects from a Total Survey Error Perspective

Undesirable interviewer behavior (UIB) could be one source for data errors and measurement effects in the setting of standardized interviewing techniques. Survey organizations have to ensure that errors and effects are minimized by validating their data collection processes during the entire survey period.

Monitoring is one method of validation which has been well established for telephone surveys from their very beginning. Moreover, it is one of the advantage of telephone interviews compared to face-to-face interviews. In most survey organizations it includes listening to interviews at the time they are being carried out by either supervisors or clients resp. scientists.

For …

Gender East And West: Transnational Gender Theory And Global Marketing Research, Katherine Sredl

School of Business: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Much of the prior scholarly research on global gender and marketing tends to focus on development. The post-socialist space does not fit neatly into this paradigm, given the diversity of its legacy of ideology, industrialization, feminist thought, and the post-socialist experience of privatization, democratization, European Union expansion, and, in some cases, war. This chapter uses the history of feminist thought in Yugoslavia and Croatia to highlight the contribution the post-socialist space brings to global gender and marketing research: questioning the role of the state in securing rights and questioning assumptions about individualism in a neoliberal era. I argue for an …