Chapter 11 Dealing with Fieldwork and Data Quality
1) ________ is defined as all errors in a survey except those attributable to the sample plan
and sample size.
A) Transcriptional error
B) Sampling risk
C) Continuity error
D) Nonsampling error
E) Sampling frame
Answer: D
2) Which of the following is NOT a nonsampling error?
A) all types of nonresponse error
B) data gathering and handling error
C) data analysis
D) data interpretation error
E) size of the sample taken
Answer: E
3) ________ is the phase of the marketing research process during which respondents provide
their answers or information to inquiries posed to them by the researcher.
A) Data coding
B) Interviewing
C) Data analysis
D) Sampling
E) Data collection
Answer: E
4) Which of the following is true about nonsampling errors?
A) It cannot be measured by a formula like sampling errors.
B) It can be measured as accurately as sampling errors.
C) It can be measured if the sample plan is available.
D) It cannot be measured if the sample size is not available.
E) It can be easily controlled like sampling errors.
Answer: A
5) Which of the following best represents how a nonsampling error can be minimized?
A) The sample size taken should be small in order to determine the nonsampling error more
accurately.
B) Various controls can be imposed on the data collection process to minimize the effects of
nonsampling error.
C) The sample selected from the sample size should be random.
D) The nonsampling error should be controlled.
E) Data collection should be kept at a minimum to minimize nonsampling error.
Answer: B
6) Which of the following is a general type of nonsampling error?
A) fieldworker error
B) clerical error
C) forecast error
D) continuity error
E) false positive error
Answer: A
7) ________ are defined as errors committed by the individuals who administer
questionnaires, typically interviewers.
A) Fieldworker errors
B) Respondent errors
C) Forecast errors
D) Continuity errors
E) False positive errors
Answer: A
8) Fieldworker errors and respondent errors are both classified into:
A) intentional and unintentional errors.
B) conscious and unconscious errors.
C) voluntary and involuntary errors.
D) purposeful and purposeless errors.
E) false positive and false negative errors.
Answer: A
9) ________ occur whenever a data collection person willfully violates the data collection
requirements set forth by the researcher.
A) Unintentional fieldworker errors
B) Intentional respondent errors
C) Unintentional respondent errors
D) Intentional fieldworker errors
E) Instinctive respondent errors
Answer: D
10) Which of the following is a type of intentional fieldworker error?
A) guessing
B) fatigue
C) nonresponse
D) cheating
E) misunderstandings
Answer: D
11) Keith is paid $5 per interview. He questions people on their buying behavior. An
unfinished interview does not earn him any compensation, therefore, he fabricates the data
collected to earn the compensation sometimes. Which of the following data collection errors
is evident here?
A) cheating
B) nonresponse
C) attention loss
D) misunderstandings
E) fatigue
Answer: A
12) ________ refers to attempting to influence the respondent's answers through wording,
voice inflection, or body language.
A) Leading the respondent
B) Respondent misunderstanding
C) Respondent fatigue
D) Nonresponse
E) Interviewer cheating
Answer: A
13) To speed things up during a survey, Eliza frequently influences her respondents to get the
desired responses. Which form of data collection error is evident here?
A) respondent distractions
B) nonresponse
C) leading the respondent
D) interviewer misunderstanding
E) respondent fatigue
Answer: C
14) An ________ occurs whenever a fieldworker commits an error while believing that he or
she is performing correctly.
A) instinctive interviewer error
B) intentional respondent error
C) unintentional interviewer error
D) unintentional respondent error
E) intentional interviewer error
Answer: C
15) ________ occurs when a fieldworker believes he or she knows how to administer a
survey but instead does it incorrectly.
A) Instinctive interviewer error
B) Intentional respondent error
C) Interviewer misunderstanding
D) Unintentional respondent error
E) Intentional interviewer error
Answer: C
16) Shenron has been interviewing a lot of respondents since 10 A.M. in the morning. It's
5.30 P.M. and he wants to go home as he is tired. With his final respondent, he forgets asking
a few questions and also forgets to take notes. Which of the following data collection errors is
evident here?
A) respondent misunderstanding
B) interviewer cheating
C) fatigue-related mistakes
D) nonresponse
E) respondent distraction
Answer: C
17) Which of the following is NOT an unintentional respondent error?
A) misunderstanding
B) guessing
C) attention loss
D) nonresponse
E) distractions
Answer: D
18) ________ is defined as situations in which a respondent gives an answer without
comprehending the question and/or the accompanying instructions.
A) Respondent falsehoods
B) Respondent guessing
C) Fatigue-related mistakes
D) Respondent misunderstanding
E) Nonresponse
Answer: D
19) While the interviewer asked for Karen's monthly gross salary, Karen told him her
monthly net salary. Which of the following is evident here?
A) respondent distraction
B) respondent guessing
C) fatigue-related mistakes
D) respondent misunderstanding
E) nonresponse
Answer: D
20) Fieldworker misunderstanding would be considered an:
A) instinctive interviewer error.
B) unintentional interviewer error.
C) intentional fieldworker error.
D) unintentional respondent error.
E) intentional respondent error.
Answer: B
21) Which of the following is NOT an example of how an interviewer might lead a
respondent?
A) giving verbal cues over the telephone such as "uh-huh" to responses the interviewer
disagrees with
B) interviewer nodding his or head slightly as a "yes" to a question he or she agrees with
C) responding to a respondent by saying "I thought you would say 'yes' as over 90% of my
respondents have agreed on this issue."
D) asking the question "Is conserving electricity a concern for you?" instead of, "Isn't
conserving electricity a concern for you?"
E) verbal cues such as "okay" over the telephone to responses interviewers agree with
Answer: E
22) Which of the following is most likely why respondents fail to tell the truth in surveys?
A) respondents fail to tell the truth in surveys
B) fieldworkers start cheating to complete the surveys
C) fieldworkers become fatigued
D) respondents suffer attention loss
E) interviewers start misleading respondents
Answer: A
23) ________ includes a failure on the part of a prospective respondent to take part in the
survey, premature termination of the interview, or refusals to answer specific questions on the
questionnaire.
A) Nonresponse
B) Cheating
C) Misunderstanding
D) Attention loss
E) Fatigue
Answer: A
24) Which of the following is why potential respondents refuse to take surveys?
A) companies have reduced monetary incentives for interviewers
B) distaste for survey participation, busy schedules, and desire for privacy
C) respondents feel embarrassed to answer questions in the public
D) lack of compensation for the time respondents spare for the interview
E) complexity of the questions posed by the interviewers
Answer: B
25) An unintentional respondent error occurs when a respondent's interest in the survey
wanes, and this type of unintentional error is known as:
A) cheating.
B) attention loss.
C) fatigue-related error.
D) misunderstanding.
E) nonresponse.
Answer: B
26) Gareth was woken up from his sleep by a cold call from an interviewer. Since the subject
of the survey was of Gareth's interest, Gareth entertained the caller even though he was
sleepy. As a result, Gareth answered some questions without really paying attention. Which
type of data collection error is evident here?
A) cheating
B) attention loss
C) misunderstanding
D) distraction
E) nonresponse
Answer: B
27) While taking a survey, Ginny is constantly disturbed by her 10-year-old son, as a result of
which she loses track and gives quick responses to all the questions. Which form of
unintentional respondent error is evident here?
A) cheating
B) distraction
C) attention loss
D) misunderstanding
E) nonresponse
Answer: B
28) Which of the following would most likely minimize interviewer cheating and errors like
leading the respondents?
A) hiring honest interviewers
B) third-person techniques
C) supervision and validation
D) orientation sessions
E) financial incentives
Answer: C
29) Which of the following mechanisms is commonly used by professional field datacollection companies in minimizing unintentional fieldworker errors?
A) maintaining confidentiality
B) reward programs
C) monetary incentives
D) selection and training
E) third-person technique
Answer: D
30) ________ are meetings in which the supervisor introduces the survey and questionnaire
administration requirements to the fieldworkers.
A) Leading the respondents
B) Reward programs
C) Validation checks
D) Orientation sessions
E) Third-person techniques
Answer: D
31) ________ are dry runs or dress rehearsals of the questionnaire with the supervisor or
some other interviewer playing the respondent's part.
A) Leading the respondents
B) Orientation sessions
C) Validation checks
D) Role-playing sessions
E) Third-person techniques
Answer: D
32) ________ occurs when the respondent is assured that his or her name will not be
associated with his or her answers.
A) Confidentiality
B) Supervision
C) Anonymity
D) Role-playing
E) Validation check
Answer: C
33) ________ occurs when the respondent is given assurances that his or her answers will
remain private.
A) Confidentiality
B) Supervision
C) Anonymity
D) Role-playing
E) Validation check
Answer: A
34) The third-person technique is useful in:
A) reducing fatigue by bringing in another interviewer.
B) reducing falsehoods and nonresponse.
C) reducing attention loss and misunderstanding.
D) reducing fieldworker cheating.
E) introducing third-party supervisors to supervise interviewers.
Answer: B
35) Reversal of scale endpoints may be useful for controlling a respondent's:
A) tendency to guess answers.
B) false answers.
C) nonresponse.
D) attention loss.
E) misunderstandings.
Answer: D
36) Which of the following is most likely why prompters are often used during long
questionnaires?
A) to avoid misunderstandings
B) to facilitate proper training
C) to control attention loss or fatigue
D) to make sure there is no interviewer cheating
E) to avoid distractions
Answer: C
37) Rachel Luecht was responsible for conducting a survey of her university to determine as
to what extent the students were in favor of a number of changes the university
administration was considering. Rachel put posters up around the campus asking for students
who wanted to earn extra money by interviewing other students on the campus. At the
meeting, Rachel offered to pay the students $8 per hour. She also announced that she would
supervise the interviews at random intervals and validate them at the end of the day. Rachel's
decision to supervise the interviews would:
A) help ensure there are no misunderstandings among the fieldworkers collecting the
information.
B) help ensure that there is a minimum of fatigue among the fieldworkers collecting the
information.
C) help ensure that her fieldworkers do not cheat.
D) help ensure that the respondents are plenty for fieldworkers to interview.
E) help control respondent misunderstandings.
Answer: C
38) Which of the following is a type of nonresponse in a survey?
A) attention loss
B) third-person technique
C) item-omission
D) fatigue
E) role-playing
Answer: C
39) A(n) ________ occurs when a respondent reaches a certain point and then decides not to
answer any more questions in the survey.
A) validation check
B) reversal of scale end-points
C) item omission
D) break-off
E) role-playing session
Answer: D
40) Which of the following is a phrase used to identify the percentage of the sample that did
not answer a particular question?
A) validation check
B) reversals of scale end-points
C) item omission
D) break-off
E) role-playing
Answer: C
41) Which of the following best describes a completed survey?
A) a survey in which all the primary questions have been answered
B) a survey in which all the demographic questions have been answered
C) a survey in which there have been no break-offs
D) a survey in which there have been no item omissions
E) a survey in which confidentiality and anonymity have been maintained
Answer: A
42) Which of the following organizations has provided the industry with a standard for
calculating response rates?
A) Direct Marketing Association (DMA)
B) International Marketing & Research Association (IMRA)
C) Council of American Survey Research Organizations (CASRO)
D) Marketing Research Association
E) International Council for Response Rate Standardization
Answer: C
43) According to the Council of American Survey Research Organizations (CASRO) report,
the ratio of the number of completed interviews to the number of eligible units in the sample
is known as the:
A) response rate.
B) third-person technique.
C) reversals of scale endpoints.
D) validation check.
E) sampling plan.
Answer: A
44) ________ is defined as the identification of code values that are associated with the
possible responses for each question on the questionnaire.
A) Data identification
B) Data analysis
C) Data collection
D) Data response
E) Data coding
Answer: E
45) When a respondent indicates "no opinion" to most of the questions, which of the
following categories does he or she fall in?
A) incomplete response
B) a middle-of-the-road pattern
C) nay-saying pattern
D) nonresponse to specific questions
E) a yea-saying pattern
Answer: B
46) When respondents have a tendency to respond favorably or unfavorably regardless of the
question, he or she is categorized under:
A) yea or nay-saying pattern.
B) incomplete response.
C) nonresponse to specific questions.
D) attention loss and fatigue.
E) middle-of-the-road pattern.
Answer: A
47) Respondent cooperation refers to the general willingness of people to participate in
research.
Answer: True
48) Nonsampling error is defined as all errors in a survey except those attributable to the data
gathering and data interpretation.
Answer: False
49) Nonsampling errors can be measured if sampling error is calculated.
Answer: False
50) Fieldworker errors are defined as errors committed by the individuals who administer
questionnaires, typically interviewers.
Answer: True
51) Interviewer cheating occurs when the respondent intentionally misrepresents an
interviewer.
Answer: False
52) Leading the respondent refers to attempting to influence the respondent's answers through
wording, voice inflection, or body language.
Answer: True
53) An unintentional interviewer error occurs whenever a data collection person willfully
violates the data collection requirements set forth by the researcher.
Answer: False
54) There are three general sources of unintentional interviewer errors: interviewer personal
characteristics, interviewer misunderstandings, and interviewer fatigue.
Answer: True
55) Respondent misunderstanding occurs when a fieldworker believes he or she knows how
to administer a survey but instead does it incorrectly.
Answer: False
56) Nonresponse includes a failure on the part of a prospective respondent to take part in the
survey, premature termination of the interview, or refusals to answer specific questions on the
questionnaire.
Answer: True
57) Falsehoods and nonresponse are two unintentional respondent errors.
Answer: False
58) Assuring confidentiality is one way to minimize falsehoods on surveys.
Answer: True
59) Respondents can misunderstand, guess, lose attention, suffer distractions, and suffer
respondent fatigue, which are all examples of intentional respondent error and they all
contribute to sampling error.
Answer: False
60) An unintentional respondent error occurs when a respondent's interest in the survey
wanes, known as attention loss.
Answer: True
61) Distractions and respondent fatigue are intentional respondent errors.
Answer: False
62) Supervision and validation are ways the marketing research industry controls for
interviewer cheating.
Answer: True
63) Third-person technique uses administrators to oversee the work of field data collection
workers.
Answer: False
64) Validation helps avoid distractions and eliminates attention loss.
Answer: False
65) Role-playing sessions are meetings in which the supervisor introduces the survey and
questionnaire administration requirements to the fieldworkers.
Answer: False
66) Role-playing sessions are dry runs or dress rehearsals of the questionnaire with the
supervisor or some other interviewer playing the respondent's role.
Answer: True
67) Anonymity occurs when the respondent is given assurances that his or her answers will
remain private.
Answer: False
68) A tactic for reducing falsehoods and nonresponse error is the use of incentives, which are
cash payments, gifts, or something of value promised to respondents in return for their
participation.
Answer: True
69) Confidentiality occurs when the interviewer phrases his or her question in terms of a third
person who is similar to the respondent.
Answer: False
70) In reversals of scale endpoints, instead of putting all of the negative adjectives on one
side and all the positive ones on the other side, a researcher will switch the positions of a few
items.
Answer: True
71) Nonresponse has been labeled as the marketing research industry's biggest problem.
Answer: True
72) Refusal to participate in a survey is a major type of nonresponse error.
Answer: True
73) A validation check occurs when a respondent reaches a certain point and then decides not
to answer any more questions in the survey.
Answer: False
74) Break-offs and item omissions are categorized under sampling errors.
Answer: False
75) Item omission is the phrase sometimes used to identify the percentage of the sample that
did not answer a particular question.
Answer: True
76) It is useful for a researcher to offer the "don't know" option with the type of questions that
require mental effort to reduce item omissions.
Answer: True
77) A completed interview may be defined as one in which there are no item omissions and
unintentional respondent errors.
Answer: False
78) According to CASRO, response rate is defined as the ratio of the number of completed
interviews to the number of eligible units in the sample.
Answer: True
79) Response rate is calculated as the number of units in the sample divided by the number of
completed interviews.
Answer: False
80) Data coding is defined as the identification of code values that are associated with the
possible responses for each question on the questionnaire.
Answer: True
81) Online survey respondents who yea-say, nay-say, or give excessive no opinion answers
are sometimes referred to as speeders because they are giving rapid-fire answers without
reading the questions carefully.
Answer: True
Test Bank for Marketing Research
Alvin C. Burns, Ronald F. Bush
9780133074673, 9780134895406, 9780134167404
