Asking Questions - The Definitive Guide To Questionnaire Design ...

360 GLOSSARY
because of illness or for some other reason. Proxy respondents are
usually other members of the same household. (See also informants.)
psychographic questions Psychographic and “lifestyle” questions
are sometimes referred to as AIO (activities, interests, and opinions)
research because they generally focus on AIO issues along
with behavior. The intent of psychographic questions is generally
to provide a means to better predict an individual’s preference or
behavior or to segment populations to explain why different people
behave in different ways. When introduced in the 1960s, the term
psychographics referred to “the use of psychological, sociological, and
anthropological factors, self-concept, and lifestyle to determine how
the market is segmented by the propensity of groups within the
market—and their reasons—to make a particular decision about a
product, person, or ideology” (Demby, 1989, p. 21).
questionnaire The complete data collection instrument used by an
interviewer or respondent (or both) during a survey. It includes not
only the questions and space for answers but also interviewer instructions,
the introduction, and cards used by the respondent. Traditionally,
the questionnaire has been printed, but more recently electronic
versions are being used on computer terminals. (See also CATI.)
random digit dialing (RDD) Selection of telephone samples by
random generation of telephone numbers by computer. There are
several different techniques for generating RDD samples, the most
common of which begins with a list of working exchanges in the
geographical area from which the sample is to be drawn. The last
four digits are generated by a random procedure. RDD procedures
have the advantage of including unlisted numbers, which would be
missed if numbers were drawn from a telephone book.
random and nonrandom samples Strictly speaking, a random sample
is one type of probability sample, in which the sample is drawn
by means of a strict random procedure, such as a table of random
numbers. In practice, the term random sampling is frequently used to
mean any kind of probability sample. The term nonrandom sample